From Shawn – This guest post is written by PDX Deals Guy. He is a long time reader of Miles to Memories and an overall great guy. Recently he visited Las Vegas with his wife and took advantage of the American Express Fine Hotels & Resorts benefit. Today he is going to talk about the program and show you how to maximize it to the fullest. You can find more of his writing on the PDX Deals Guy Blog.
American Express Fine Hotels and Resorts Guide
My wife and I just returned from a great 4-day (3-night) long weekend in Las Vegas. Fortunately for us, we had the deck stacked in our favor to begin with, playing with “house money” via the recent Smart & Final Amex Offer.
While we have had the Ameriprise Amex Platinum card for almost a year and usually go to Vegas a few times each year, we were excited to try out a previously unused-by-us Platinum feature. That is, booking hotels via the Amex “Fine Hotels and Resorts” (FHR) portal.
Fine Hotel and Resorts Basics
The key benefits of FHR are the “special amenity” (per stay) and free breakfast (each day), although the non-guaranteed early check-in, guaranteed 4pm late check-out, upgraded room (if available), and free wifi can also come in handy. The most interesting special amenity in Vegas is probably a $100 resort credit at Bellagio, which can be used at the spa or any number of the resort’s restaurants, including their very nice buffet. Unfortunately, most of the other Vegas properties now only offer a $100 spa credit. The free breakfast is handled differently at each property, but it is usually quite generous.
Given these benefits, FHR can be a great option in many cities. But Vegas can be a particularly nice city for using the program, given the plethora of nice 4- and 5-star properties at attractive prices. Using FHR can be such a good deal in Vegas that there is a Flyertalk thread specifically dealing with people sharing their experiences.
Whether using FHR in Vegas or elsewhere, a key item to consider is that they may or may not have competitive rates compared to other websites or booking direct. Thus, you’ll want to compare rates and decide for yourself how much value you get out of the FHR benefits. We noticed that the FHR rates for the same dates changed frequently, both up and down. So it may benefit you to check back frequently to see if the rates adjust down, in which case you can cancel and re-book at the lower rate.
Maximizing the Deal
Since the “special amenity” is given per-stay, whether a one-night or multi-night stay, there is definitely a benefit to staying for one night. This can be potentially taken advantage of if you’re traveling with another Amex Platinum cardholder (such as your spouse!), and willing to check-out and check-in each day. Doing this is not nearly as painful as it might sound, given the early check-in and late checkout benefits (you should never be without a room).
Some people on Flyertalk have reported that they just tell the front desk what they’re up to and see if they can stay in the same room. While there’s nothing wrong with two different Amex cardholders taking advantage of this offer, it seems like the check-in/out option is probably safest to make sure you maximize the benefits.
Another option is switching from one property to another (and potentially back). As you will read, this is the route we utilized. A final option is to take advantage of the fact that FHR often offers the 3rd or 4th night free (see the “view featured offers” link on the main FHR page – link). The downside of this is that you only get the special amenity once, although you do still get the breakfast amenity daily.
Our Vegas Experience
After getting the all-important clearance from my wife, we decided to go for the switching properties gameplan. While Bellagio is definitely the best FHR deal in town, we always enjoy Wynn/Encore, so we wanted to have it in the mix.
Night #1
The first night was a Saturday night stay at the Bellagio (where we have had much better experiences than Shawn.) Weekends are typically the most expensive nights in Vegas, so we “paid up” a bit at a rate of $225 for a standard room. That price is before taxes and a $29 resort fee (but we had success getting the resort fee waived for this first stay by asking about the “free wifi” benefit at checkout!).
We were upgraded to a 18th floor fountain view room in the main tower, which has the best views of the famous Bellagio fountains. We were also able to check-in around noon with no problem, which is nice given that checking in before 4pm is hit & miss at best, especially on weekends at nice resorts in Vegas. At check-in, we also verified that we were set up for 4pm checkout the next day, so that we wouldn’t have to call back later to set that up.
Recall that the FHR rate comes with a $100 resort credit, which we used for two weekend dinner buffets. The price for the two of us was roughly $85 with tax (although I found that we had to ask for the tax to be included in the $100 at checkout). If you haven’t had a Bellagio (or Wynn or Caesars) buffet, you are in for a treat. I’m not going to say that it’s the best quality food on the planet, but it’s MUCH better than most buffets and the range of selections is impressive. Notable are the 4 to 6 (depending on the day) different meats at a carving station, and both snow and king crab legs sawed perfectly down the middle to make for easy consumption!
At check-in, we were also given two $30 “breakfast vouchers” that are good at a number of restaurants, including the buffet. The vouchers must be used in their entirety, but we discovered a few interesting things:
- They do NOT have to be used during breakfast hours,
- They do not both have to be used at the same time (but you may only use a maximum of one voucher per person)
- They do not expire until the end of the calendar year (so you can save them for later if you are feeling overloaded with “free” food!).
The second day, before checking-out, we combined the rest of our $15 or so (from the $100 resort credit) and one $30 voucher to have a very nice breakfast/lunch at the Bellagio Cafe (I highly recommend the braised shredded rib dip sandwich!). That left us with one $30 food voucher for a later date.
Night #2
The second day we departed the Bellagio and checked in at Encore (the newer and arguably nicer property attached to the Wynn Resort), both roughly in the 2:00pm hour (late for one, early for the other). Our rate at Encore was $179 before taxes and resort fees, bringing the actual total to $233. It is worth mentioning that all FHR bookings show up with pre-tax/fee prices when searching multiple hotels in a city for a particular date, but when you get to the point of actually booking the room, some include the taxes/fees (like Wynn) and others do not (like Bellagio). In my experience, the first night of the stay is prepaid (without resort fees), but there is usually a 2-day cancellation option for a full refund (but be sure of this before you book!).
We were told at check-in that we were being upgraded. While I don’t think the room was actually an upgraded floorplan (neither was Bellagio), we did get a very high floor (37th) and southern view of the strip and Wynn golf course. The front desk agent was very welcoming, and even asked if we were celebrating anything special. After a brief pause (and thinking to myself “we’re celebrating an awesome FHR rate!”) I noted that we were celebrating a belated birthday for my wife. Later that night we found some nice chocolates and birthday card in our room!
The FHR benefits at Wynn/Encore are not quite as attractive as Bellagio. The “special amenity” is a $100 spa credit, and suffice to say that it’s difficult to find spa services for anywhere near $100. In fact, in terms of true “spa” services such as massages, the cheapest item is $170. But the spa credit can be used in the adjacent salon, so my wife was able to get a “deluxe” manicure for $70, plus an extra $10 for a french polish (we could have both gotten a standard manicure for $50/each!).
Note that gratuities (and alcohol) are never covered by the FHR spa or restaurant benefits, so please tip accordingly! Another option we considered was the $40 per person daily access to the spa facilities (such as steam room, hot tub, etc.), but it was nice that the manicure included spa access for the day.
The FHR breakfast benefits at Wynn/Encore are actually a bit more generous, at $40 per person. Unlike Bellagio, these are a room credit (not a voucher) and must be used for breakfast (by 11am at all but one of the restaurant options). We used our breakfast credit at the Wynn buffet, which was very nice but well under $40. On weekends, the brunch buffet is closer to $40, or there are a number of nice restaurants where a person could potentially more fully utilize the credits.
Night #3
The third day we fully utilized the 4pm late checkout at Encore before moving back to Bellagio. Even though it was a Monday, they were supposedly out of fountain view rooms, but they did upgrade us to a slightly larger junior suite. These are basically the end-of-the-hall corner rooms (long walk!), with the primary cool feature being a jetted tub with a window view. The rate was great at just $148. (Occasionally weekday rates can be found as low as the $120’s!)
At check-in, we again received the $100 resort credit, which we used for a nice sit-down dinner at one of Bellagio’s very nice restaurants. We also received the two $30 breakfast vouchers, and made sure that we were set up for 4pm late check-out. The next day we again used one of our $30 vouchers at Cafe Bellagio, leaving us with two $30 vouchers to use on our next trip (probably for two heavily discounted dinner buffets!).
MLife Hyatt Match & Centurion Lounge
Another nice amenity that we utilized on our trip was the status matching by Vegas MLife properties. We have Hyatt Platinum status simply by virtue of having the Chase Hyatt co-branded credit card and thus were given MLife Gold. The primary benefits we utilized were the priority check-in line for “invited guests” (although beware that this line can actually be longer, but possibly worth it for potential better treatment in regards to room upgrades?) and a much shorter invited guests line at the buffet (which can be a BIG time saver a peak times). There are also benefits for accruing MLife points while gambling (toward “comps”) and discounts at retail stores. Platinum MLife members also get free access to a number of venues including the Bellagio Fine Arts Gallery and the Mandalay Bay shark reef.
As if the Amex Platinum card didn’t do us enough favors via the FHR program, we actually book-ended our Vegas trip with complimentary visits to the Centurion lounge in the D terminal (which can be easily accessed from the C terminal via two quick tram rides, and even the A & B terminals with a bit of extra walking, without having to exit/re-enter security). Given that we arrived to Vegas early, starting with a nice breakfast before our Bellagio check-in was convenient and nice. And then ending the trip with a light dinner and drinks in the lounge was a pleasant capper before the harsh reality of the flight home to the real world!
Conclusion
All-in-all, it was a very great trip and a huge “value” success in utilizing the Amex Platinum Fine Hotels and Resorts benefits. Considering we received upgraded rooms and utilized both early and late check-in/out, we would have been very happy with nightly rates at both Bellagio and Wynn/Encore in the $200/night range (plus or minus depending on the day-of-the-week). But throw in the “special amenity” ($100 per stay) and free breakfast (daily), and it is a tremendous value that will definitely play into the equation of whether we will continue to keep the Amex Platinum when annual fee time rolls around.
The only downside to the trip is that we ate way too much good food and now need to go on a post-trip diet to shed a few pounds! We are looking forward to trying FHR in other cities (if the rates make sense), and will definitely be using it again in Vegas! We would be interested in comments from other folks who have utilized FHR. Any tips or tricks we missed?
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I can’t imagine a less pleasant way to pursue a vacation than to check in and check out of 3 hotels in 3 days only to secure a few extra dollars to overeat for “free” in temples of gluttony, AKA Las Vegas Hotel Buffets.
Life’s too short.
so we can use encore spa credit and breakfast credit at Wynn’s restaurant and Wynn’s salon?
If you book Encore via FHR, you can use the breakfast credit at a number of both Wynn and Encore restaurants.
I’m not certain regarding using the Encore spa credit at Wynn, but I suspect it will work.
[…] post comes from PDX Deals Guy who has previously written about using the Amex Fine Hotels & Resorts program in Las Vegas, Ticket Reselling, how to earn up to 2.625% with the Bank Americard Travel Visa and his […]
[…] post comes from PDX Deals Guy who has previously written about using the Amex Fine Hotels & Resorts program in Las Vegas, Ticket Reselling and how to earn up to 2.625% with the Bank Americard Travel Visa. You can […]
[…] Shawn: Today’s post comes from PDX Deals Guy who previously wrote about using the Amex Fine Hotels & Resorts program in Las Vegas. Today he is going to talk about ticket reselling for both a profit and as a method to manufacture […]
Just curious, when booking via FHR, do you need to pay for the booking with your Amex Platinum card? Or can you use a different card?
You do NOT need to use the Platinum card to pay for the stay. Amex does want you to use an Amex card on the same account, but it’s up to the hotel to enforce which card is used.
Personally, in the US, I use my Amex Everyday Preferred card, as I get 1.5 miles per dollar and it’s within the rules. Outside the US, I use the Platinum card as Foreign Transaction Fee on the Everyday card costs more than the 1/2 MR point extra per dollar I’d earn.
I’ve read of others who try to use a different card to pay for the stay, and they are 50/50 on the hotel letting them do that. Try it and apologize and be ready to use an Amex card if they notice.
nice post. are AUs eligible for FHR? That would make it quite easy to get more value out of this
Yes they are. It is possible to put a longer stay together, alternating cards for each night of the stay. You’d earn the $100 benefit for each night, but you may then need to change room if the hotel decides not to keep you in place (although the guaranteed late checkout would put you in 2 rooms at once if they did want to try to move you!)
Now the $100 benefit must be used during the stay, so if it’s a Spa credit, you need to buy a Spa service for each night of your stay, which may not be ideal.
If free nights are available, then this technique would likely save you less money than the free night would.
Thanks, Tom, for answering andreas’ question.
In the example I wrote about in this post, we alternated hotels (Bellagio, Wynn, Bellagio). But, as Tom points out, my wife (who has an AU) and I could have alternated nights at the Bellagio. Tom is also correct that we would have had to use our $100 resort credit (includes food at most Bellagio locations) for each one-night-stay during the stay (between check-in and check-out). But the $60 (2 x $30) in “breakfast” vouchers do not need to be used during the stay (and can be combined and/or used outside of breakfast hours – or at least that has been my experience & YMMV).
[…] post comes from PDX Deals Guy who has previously written about using the Amex Fine Hotels & Resorts program in Las Vegas and Ticket Reselling. You can follow him on Twitter and look for the latest deals on his […]
Hi Tom – thanks for your reply. Thanks for linking my post in your upcoming newsletter. I just glanced at your website briefly, but it looks like a great source of FHR info. Wish I would have known about it before, and I’m looking forward to diving into it more soon.
Any key details I missed?
I think a good one that I already noticed from your recent Wynn review is the ability to pay for a better room … to get upgraded to an even better room! But, from reading at FlyerTalk, I think there’s sometimes a limit on what you can expect in terms of upgrades at many properties. Of course, the upgrade is “based on availability” to begin with (a YMMV). But I also read one recent post at FT where a person was denied an upgrade (on a clearly non-fully-occupied night) and called Amex to have them go to bat with the hotel for them (unfortunately didn’t get the upgraded room until the second night, as I recall).
Upgrades are one of the things I can never rely on. I always book a room I’ll be happy with – which you can do with Fine Hotels and Resorts – and then hope for the best.
The two things I prefer FHR for over miles/points plans is a) I can book rooms I want (not just base rooms) and b) I can jump in right away without needing to save points up before I can travel. In addition, you can actually do both, as FHR bookings qualify for hotel points – you need to call Amex to get your account number into your account and onto the hotel booking. It’s like double dipping, as you get SPG/Hyatt etc points in addition to the Amex Membership Rewards points.!
I did read that the Wynn often upgrades from Tower Suite room to Parlor Suite, so I put myself in a position to get that upgrade by booking a Tower Suite room. In the case of The Wynn, the regular checkin desk is away from the Tower Suites one, so making the upgrade jump is less likely to occur, but it does happen.
I was quite surprised to get my upgrade, based on how busy Las Vegas was that week due to the NAB convention.
FT has a whole history of FHR upgrades that, if I get enough subscribers, I might want to try to replicate with my own user info. Then I can rate a hotel based on upgrade chances, which will help people decide between similar hotels in the same area.
Nice review of the FHR benefits at these hotels. I love using the Fine Hotels and Resorts benefits at these nicer hotels. I’m going to link to this post in an upcoming issue of my FHR newsletter.
Co-incidentally, I posted about my Wynn Tower Suites FHR stay yesterday as well. Check it out here: https://www.fhrnews.com/news/stayed-at-the-wynn-and-all-i-won-was-this-awesome-upgrade
Thank you for your excellent description of the perks offered by FHR – I wasn’t previously aware of the program. I love the Bellagio and have always had a great experience there – next time we’ll try to book through FHR!
Thanks, Karen. Sorry for my tardiness on replying. My wife and I had a great experience and will definitely be doing it again (not sure about the switching properties part!).