9 hotels where you can nearly stay for free with your Amex Platinum credit
The Platinum Card® from American Express offers a slew of incredible benefits for travelers, ranging from statement credits to status upgrades and lounge benefits, resulting in one of the best collections of membership perks of any card out there for its undoubtedly spendy $695 annual fee (see rates and fees).
One of the recently added benefits for cardholders comes in the form of an annual up-to-$200 statement credit on prepaid nights at hotels that are part of American Express Fine Hotels + Resorts or The Hotel Collection.
Book stays at the included properties through Amex Travel and pay with your Amex Platinum card, and you might even end up spending a night for nothing (or close to it) once the statement credit comes through (it’s good for up to $200 annually).
From Bali to Miami, we found lots of hotels with availability for around $200 to $300 per night within both the American Express Fine Hotels + Resorts and The Hotel Collection portfolios.
Want more travel news and advice? Sign up for TPG's newsletter.
Perks through Fine Hotels + Resorts
It’s especially appealing to book through Amex Fine Hotels + Resorts, thanks to all the standard perks that get added onto reservations for Amex Platinum or Centurion cardholders, including the following (regardless of the length of your stay):
- Room upgrade upon arrival, when available at check-in (properties may exclude some room types and some may only give you a room with a better view).
- Complimentary daily breakfast for two people.
- Guaranteed 4 p.m. late checkout.
- Noon check-in, when available.
- Complimentary Wi-Fi*.
- Experience credit valued at $100 or more, usually consisting of a property, dining or spa credit.
* When a property includes Wi-Fi in a mandatory resort fee, you’ll receive a daily credit equal to the Wi-Fi cost.
Perks through The Hotel Collection
The Hotel Collection properties allow upgrades based on availability at check-in as well as an experience credit, but a two-night minimum stay is usually required.
Read on for a few hotels you can book for around $200 per night (or a bit more) during certain dates throughout the year that will cost you next to nothing once you tack on the Amex Platinum hotel statement credit (you might even end up ahead once you add in the $100 experience or property credits that come with all of the below stays).
Loews Sapphire Falls Resort at Universal Orlando
In addition to having a great on-site rum bar, Strong Water Tavern, the Loews Sapphire Falls Resort, part of The Hotel Collection, is located within Universal Orlando Resort and grants all guests complimentary early theme park admission (with your purchased ticket). That means you can enter the park an hour before Universal Orlando opens to the general public.
The Hotel Collection perk: For Amex Platinum cardholders staying two nights or longer, a $100 credit to spend on dining, the spa or qualifying resort activities.
Kimpton Epic Hotel Miami
A downtown Miami pick for sweeping city views from the rooms’ floor-to-ceiling windows and two prime rooftop pools, the riverfront Kimpton Epic Hotel Miami is pet-friendly and located a short stroll from Brickell and the Bayfront Park. There are so many great restaurants nearby (including Zuma, right off the hotel’s lobby). But make time for a meal at Area 31 on the hotel’s 16th floor for one of the best whole-fish entrees in town (they debone it tableside so you don't have to do any work) and dazzling views from the rooftop tables.
The Hotel Collection perk: For Amex Platinum cardholders staying two nights or longer, a $100 experience credit can be used on qualifying dining, spa and resort activities.
The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas
It’s possible to find rooms midweek around the $200 mark at this popular Las Vegas hotel and casino in the FHR collection. The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas’ pool scene is a favorite along The Strip, with a “Pool District” that includes three different experiences, among them the adults-only Marquee Dayclub.
Additional FHR perk: A $100 experience credit that can be used at the hotel’s desert-inspired Sahra Spa, Salon and Hammam during your stay.
The Ritz-Carlton, Bali
For travelers who can access Bali right now, TPG recently found rates around the $140 mark at The Ritz-Carlton, Bali, in the FHR collection, where cliffside villas with private pools overlook the ocean in Nusa Dua. There are so many things to love at this resort. But if you do just one thing on-site, soak in the spa's Hydro-Vital Pool, where you can relax at five hydrotherapy stations within a tropical greenhouse setting.
Additional FHR perk: A $100 property credit you can use anywhere, including at the hotel’s clifftop Indonesian restaurant and spa.
Casa de Campo Resort & Villas
The Dominican Republic makes for one of the more accessible Caribbean getaways right now. And you can leave the Punta Cana crowds behind with a stay at Casa de Campo Resort & Villas, an FHR property along the island’s south coast. We found nights for under $200 in superior casitas that come with a complimentary personal golf cart for cruising the resort’s vast and rolling grounds. With three Pete Dye-designed golf courses, Casa de Campo is a favorite with the golf crowd and also has an equestrian center and an on-site marina where you can head out on deep-sea fishing excursions.
Additional FHR perk: Complimentary round of golf for two people per room (includes all applicable fees, including greens fees and cart fees).
Perry Lane Hotel
Savannah’s charm is as thick as the Spanish moss hanging from its canopies of oak trees. And a getaway to this riverside city along the Georgia coast is best spent strolling its many parks and diving into the top-notch New Southern food scene. An FHR property, the Perry Lane Hotel is right near Chippewa Square and a 10-minute stroll to the riverfront, at the heart of all you want to do around town. It has a pretty rooftop bar and pool and a wine restaurant to enjoy once you’re in for the day.
Additional FHR perk: The $100 experience credit can be used anywhere on the property during your stay.
Canopy by Hilton Cancun La Isla
With rates consistently around or below the $200 mark, this urban hotel in Cancun, Mexico, overlooking Nichupte Lagoon may not be on the beach but still offers lots of great amenities. Part of The Hotel Collection, the Canopy by Hilton Cancun La Isla has a rooftop pool and is directly connected to the nightlife and restaurants of La Isla Entertainment Village.
The Hotel Collection perk: For Amex Platinum cardholders staying two nights or longer, a $100 experience credit can be used on dining, spa and resort activities.
Hotel William Gray
Also in The Hotel Collection, the Hotel William Gray in Montreal shows rates under the $200 mark and makes for an elegant stay right near the Place Jacques-Cartier and the Old Port of Montreal. The rooftop bar, Terrasse William Gray, has fab views of the St. Lawrence River and heaters that switch on when the temperatures drop.
The Hotel Collection perk: For Amex Platinum cardholders staying two nights or longer, a $100 experience credit can be used on qualifying dining, spa and resort activities.
Ink 48 Hotel
Base in Hell’s Kitchen at the stylish Ink 48 Hotel and you can return after a day of sightseeing to a room or suite with a deep soaking bathtub and views of New York City or the Hudson River. The complimentary wine hour every evening is a particularly nice touch for a city hotel.
The Hotel Collection perk: For Amex Platinum cardholders staying two nights or longer, a $100 experience credit can be used on qualifying dining, spa and resort activities.
For rates and fees of the Amex Platinum card, click here.