AMERICAN EXPRESS FINE HOTELS & RESORTS PROGRAM
Fine Hotels & Resorts is a program exclusively for Amex Platinum (including Business Platinum) and Centurion cardholders. This program enables cardholders to book high end and luxurious hotels at over 1,000 locations around the world. But you must book through American Express to enjoy all these great benefits and perks. These perks surely can add additional comfort to your travels.
The Platinum card from American Express is my preferred card when booking flights as I earn 5 points per dollar spend. You can read more about the Platinum card in my previous post here.
It’s no doubt that quite a lot of cardholders are not maximizing these additional benefits from Amex FHR. As a matter of fact, some cardholders are actually not aware of this program.
The Platinum Card and The Platinum Business Card from American Express
You can receive all these exclusive suites of benefits with each of your Fine Hotels & Resorts booking at more than 1,000 hand-selected properties worldwide:
Room Upgrade upon arrival (when available)
Daily Breakfast for 2 people
Guaranteed 4pm Late Check-out
Noon Check-in (when available)
Complimentary WiFi
$100 Unique Property Amenity (Spa or Food & Beverage credit)
While most of the hotels that participates in the FHR program are high-end luxury hotels, and prices of a room can go as high as couple of hundreds or even over a thousand dollar per night, I have observed that the best time to get value for your money is when you book during midweek or even low season.
And also, some of the properties sometimes runs different offers like complimentary third night or fourth night. While booking through Amex FHR may sometimes not be the best or even the cheapest options, the best thing to do before booking is to compare booking through Amex FHR with booking directly with the hotels. But remember, you may not be getting as much perks when booking directly with the hotel as you’ll get when booking through FHR.
Booking a Fine Hotels & Resorts property:
There are several ways to book Amex FHR properties. You can book through Amex Platinum Travel Service by calling the number at the back of your card, or even the number from the app or contact us page. You can book via amextravel.com, or even through the Fine Hotels and Resorts website. But remember, you only earn 5x points when booking through American Express using your eligible Platinum card.
You can also book Amex FHR with Pay With Points option using your Membership Rewards points to pay in full or a portion of it.
In conclusion:
Always compare the rate on Amex FHR with that of the hotel directly to make sure you’re getting a better deal.
Another way to get more value for your money is by entering your Loyalty Number during booking or at check-in. by doing so, you earn more points and night credits. And you get even more if you have elite status with the hotel chain.
What are your thoughts / experiences with the Amex FHR lately? Leave me a comment below
All images featured in this article are courtesy of American Express
Nigeria-born, California-based.
Kayode currently holds higher status on multiple airlines and hotel programs. He has visited 4 continents, 30 countries, and 35 of the 50 US states.
He began his adventure journey after selling his first cellphone ever, and used the money to apply for his first passport. He said to himself, “I’d rather have a passport than a cellphone”. And since then, he has been globetrotting.
