Fine Hotels & Resorts | worth $695 a year?

if you want more than a FHR continental breakfast...

There may be good reasons to spend $695 a year for an American Express Platinum Card. In fact, I have one myself. It gets me into Centurion and Delta airport lounges, provides a monthly Uber credit (that I use for Uber Eats), and pays my Sirius XM and CLEAR membership fees.

But what about booking hotels through FHR? You definitely have better choices than American Express when you want to book a luxury hotel. Here's why...

Looking for hotel advice? Don't look to the American Express call center for expertise. They're not set up to know you personally, understand your preferences, or steer you to the perfect hotel for you. Say you're going to Paris. Do you want to stay on the Left Bank, the Right Bank, or don't know the difference? Do you want a traditional Parisian palace hotel or an elegant contemporary hotel? Do you prefer a large hotel with dining choices? Or a cute boutique hotel? I've been to Paris dozens of times. I've visited the hotels, seen their locations, experienced their lobbies and viewed their rooms. I've shared that knowledge with my Team. We can listen to your Parisian dreams and make recommendations for your perfect stay in Paris. The random AMEX agent isn't set up to do any of that!

Want to get upgraded? American Express can offer upgrades upon arrival subject to availability. Because of Virtuoso and our exclusive relationships with luxury hotel partners, we can get you upgraded at booking at eight different Parisian hotels! Because we are Four Seasons Preferred Partner, your booking is at the top of the upgrade list at the George V (or any Four Seasons in the world), ahead of FHR and Virtuoso bookings.

Want more than a continental breakfast? American Express has a standard continental breakfast amenity ... but what if you want more than a croissant and a coffee? Would you like to order anything on the menu or enjoy the indulgent luxury of in-room dining? Many Virtuoso hotels offer daily complimentary Full Breakfasts. In fact, one of our hotel partners invites you to order anything you want on the menu (except alcohol and caviar), enjoy your breakfast in any venue (restaurant or in-room dining), and they even cover the tax and gratuity.

Want to be welcomed like a VIP? Once an American Express agent makes your booking, her job is done. But we've only begun to work our magic. We have invested many years getting to know hotel reps all around the world, and we personally reach out to our representatives every time we make a booking for you. We let them know you're coming, who's traveling with you, your special preferences, and your arrival time (if you've shared that information with us), and we personally ask for an upgrade.

Need a 4 p.m. late check-out? While this is FHR's contracted amenity with each of their hotels, if you really need that late check-out, we will reach out to our representative and ask if they would extend it to a Virtuoso or Preferred Partner booking. If they can not, we can still make your FHR booking for you through Amex ... and follow through to personally VIP your stay.

copyright (c) 2023 by Ourisman Travel LLC.  All rights reserved. We provide Virtuoso and other Preferred Partner amenities as an affiliate of Brownell, a Virtuoso® Member.