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These days, it seems like every credit card issuer has a luxury hotel collection. But before the existence of the Capital One Premier Collection and Chase's Luxury Hotel Collection — soon to evolve into The Edit — there was American Express Fine Hotels + Resorts®. Not to be confused with Amex's Hotel Collection, Fine Hotels + Resorts is only available to those with the Centurion® Card from American Express, The Platinum Card® from American Express, or The Business Platinum Card® from American Express.
Amex Fine Hotels + Resorts, or FHR for short, is a collection of hotels around the world that offer cardmembers additional perks on their stays. Booking a property through the program is a great way to get loyalty-like perks without holding hotel status. In this article, we'll discuss what makes American Express Fine Hotels + Resorts special, what benefits you can expect, and whether it's worth booking your hotel stays through this collection.
Page Contents
What Is Amex Fine Hotels + Resorts?
Amex Fine Hotels + Resorts is a collection of more than 1,500 luxury hotels and resorts that offer additional benefits just by booking through the program. Only select Amex cardholders have access to the program making it even more exclusive.
Amex Platinum is one of the cards that grants access to Amex FHR. Additionally, you can use the card's $200 annual hotel credit on either Fine Hotels + Resorts or The Hotel Collection bookings, giving you extra benefits on your stay while saving money. Note that The Hotel Collection requires a minimum stay of two nights. Enrollment is required for select Amex benefits.
You'll also have access to FHR if you hold the Amex Centurion Card or Business Platinum Card. No matter which card you use, you'll get exclusive benefits for booking a FHR property through the program. Let's look at what those are.
Fine Hotels + Resorts benefits
Amex says that the total value of the benefits of booking through Fine Hotels + Resorts averages $600. That's a generous amount of perks just for holding the right credit card.
Here are the standard and complimentary benefits that you can expect:
- Daily breakfast for two
- $100 experience credit
- Complimentary Wi-Fi
- Guaranteed 4 p.m. late checkout
- 12 p.m. early check-in, when available
- Room upgrade upon arrival, when available
The $100 experience credit varies depending on the property and could include spa services, golf, or even a food and beverage credit. You also could use it to cover incidentals at the hotel, such as parking or pet fees.
You'll also earn Membership Rewards points on your prepaid hotel stays through Amex Fine Hotels + Resorts. Conversely, you can elect to pay with points: Redeem 50,000 Membership Rewards to save $500 off your stay.
Who Has Access to Amex Fine Hotels + Resorts?
Amex Platinum, Business Platinum Card, and Amex Centurion Card holders all have access to Amex Fine Hotels + Resorts. These are Amex's most premium cards that come with the highest annual fees out there.
The Amex Centurion Card, also known as the Black card, is only available by invitation. Once you've been approved, there is a $10,000 initiation fee and a $5,000 annual fee. The Black card's details and benefits are exceptionally elusive, but we do know that you have access to book Amex FHR properties if you hold this exclusive credit card.
Alternatively, annual fees on the Amex Platinum (Rates & Fees) and Business Platinum Card (Rates & Fees) are just under $700.
Related: All About The Platinum Card® from American Express
How To Find FHR Properties With American Express
It's extremely easy to tell which properties are a part of Fine Hotels + Resorts and which aren't. When searching for accommodations on the Fine Hotels + Resorts page (before logging into your account), you can peruse the collection to see what what's available. When looking up hotels, there will be a label across the top of each hotel in the results page. The screenshot below shows what the label looks like in the highlighted red rectangle, making it easy to identify FHR properties.
If you don't have a particular location or hotel in mind, you can use the Hotel Finder tool to filter through the collection. Hotel Finder lets you filter by region, ambiance, environment, guest experience, and features & activities. Additionally, you can find hotels that fall under dozens of categories, including recently renovated, romantic hideaways, ski and spa, and more — all on the same page.
How To Book Stays at Fine Hotels + Resorts
The process of booking Amex FHR properties is easy. Once you log into your account, you'll navigate to the Amex Travel page and search by destination and dates. Notice from the screenshot below that this page is different from the page where you use the Hotel Finder tool.
After you've chosen your destination, you'll search for all the hotels offered by Amex Travel. The results page will include Fine Hotels + Resorts, The Hotel Collection, and even properties that don't belong to either program.
The next screen, showing your results, will look like the screenshot below:
The hotels with the black label like in the picture above are Fine Hotels + Resorts properties. It also says this under the hotel details. Alternatively, the filter options on the left-hand menu allow you to check a box to see FHR properties only.
Select whichever hotel you like to be taken to the details page of that property. On that page, you'll find exactly what the benefits are, as well as more information on how you can use your $100 experience credit at this resort. You also can choose your preferred room type on this page.
The last step to secure your reservation is to pay with either Membership Rewards points or your eligible credit card. A popup will appear on your screen (like the screenshot below), where you'll be asked to choose how you want to pay. Your options are to Pay Now, Pay with Points, or Pay at Hotel. Remember, you only get the 5x points on your stay when you prepay in full at the time of booking. You also need to prepay in full if you want to qualify for the annual $200 hotel credit on the Amex Platinum Card.
Is Amex Fine Hotels + Resorts Worth It?
If you already hold one of the cards that provides access to Amex Fine Hotels + Resorts, then I think it's worth booking hotels through the program. These cards offer a lot of other value, especially to frequent travelers who can avail the perks. Being able to get additional benefits on hotel stays is exactly the kind of luxury lifestyle benefit you should expect from a card like this — especially when the perks come without the effort of chasing hotel elite status. The $200 hotel credit for Amex Platinum cardholders doesn't hurt either.
Even if you don't travel frequently, things like a $100 experience credit, early check-in, late checkout, and breakfast for two can go a long way to leveling up your vacation.
If you don't value the benefits that you get from booking high-end hotels and resorts through Amex FHR, then a premium card won't be worth it to you. Furthermore, if you don't stay at or plan to stay at luxury properties, then Amex FHR definitely won't be worth it to you.
However, it's worth considering the value these perks add when you compare options for how to book these same properties. If you could book a hotel through FHR but would pay $20 per night more than booking directly with the hotel, consider whether the perks are worth $20 per day. Adjust the math and your response to it depending on the cost difference, if any, between your options for booking your next hotel stay. Booking via Amex FHR adds perks, but it might invoke a higher per-night cost for your reservation.
Final Thoughts
Amex Fine Hotels + Resorts is a great way to get added value from what could be a relatively expensive hotel stay. Because the properties within the collection are luxury or ultra-luxury, some don't have loyalty programs for added perks. But when you book an FHR property, you get elite status-like perks tacked onto your stay without any effort or elite status required. And that's not to say there aren't inexpensive hotels to be found with FHR.
Indeed, this program isn't for everyone — literally, you have to have the right card to even get access — but it's a valuable tool for the right type of traveler.
For rates and fees of the cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: The Platinum Card® from American Express (Rates & Fees), and The Business Platinum Card® from American Express (Rates & Fees)
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