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Editorial Disclosure
American Express has spent decades setting the bar for travel perks in the credit card world.
The issuer was first to build a specialized hotel program for its premium cardmembers, and it was first to open branded airport lounges when the Centurion Lounge debuted in 2013.
But the competition is catching up quickly. Capital One and Chase have invested millions into their own travel portals, luxury hotel collections, and branded airport lounges. (Amex has responded with new concepts like Sidecar in Las Vegas.)
With the arms race for credit card travel benefits intensifying, Amex isn’t resting on its laurels. And who better to explain what’s next than the president of Amex Travel, Audrey Hendley?
Related: Why Amex built a 33-seat airport lounge in Las Vegas
350 new hotels and a 35-year milestone
To mark the 35th anniversary of Fine Hotels + Resorts (FHR), Amex is adding 350 properties across FHR and The Hotel Collection. The two programs now span more than 3,400 hotels, up from the 120 properties the FHR program launched with in 1991.
Amex highlighted a few notable gems, including ESPACIO Nagoya Castle in Japan and Roki Queenstown in New Zealand.
Fine Hotels + Resorts perks are reserved for cardmembers with the American Express Platinum Card® and The Business Platinum Card® from American Express who book through Amex Travel. (Centurion cardmembers can also book FHR properties.)
The standard benefits include:
- Noon check-in (when available)
- Room upgrade upon arrival (subject to availability)
- Daily breakfast for two
- $100 experience credit (varies by property)
- Guaranteed 4 p.m. late checkout
- Complimentary Wi-Fi
The Hotel Collection is a watered-down version of FHR. There’s no breakfast or Wi-Fi, the $100 experience credit becomes up to $100 in credits toward eligible charges, and the 4 p.m. checkout isn’t guaranteed.
You can browse the full Fine Hotels + Resorts portfolio here.
The 4 p.m. checkout is Amex’s moat
It seems like every card issuer and travel agency wants a piece of Amex’s luxury hotel business.
Capital One launched the Premier Collection in 2023, Chase followed with The Edit in 2024, and Bilt rolled out Home Away from Home in 2025. That’s before you get to the upstarts reshaping the traditional agency model, like Fora Travel.
Everyone is chasing the same lodging dollars (and the commissions attached to them, which can run as high as 30%).
The perks across these portals are nearly identical: space-available upgrades, breakfast for two, a roughly $100 on-property amenity, early check-in, and late checkout.
But it’s that last perk where Amex separates itself. FHR is the only program that guarantees a 4 p.m. late checkout at every participating property.
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Whenever I’m booking a long weekend or flying home late, I try to book through FHR for that perk alone.
Hendley does, too. (The difference, of course, is she’s paid to.)
“Oh my God, this is so great,” she told me, recalling a recent late checkout in Marseille.
“We really appreciate what the hotels do to work with American Express, because it’s difficult if … you’re managing your inventory, and you’ve got American Express cardmembers who want to stay a little later,” she said.
Guaranteeing a 4 p.m. checkout makes it hard for hotels to turn rooms during peak periods. Hendley credits Amex’s “very deep relationships” with properties for getting them on board anyway.
How Amex lands new FHR hotels
Hendley also walked me through how the portfolio keeps growing year after year.
Her team runs “always-on conversations” with hotels worldwide. Two things come up time and again: delivering a consistent guest experience and, yes, that 4 p.m. checkout.
Interest flows both ways, and Hendley said some hotels are earmarked for the program up to three years before they open.
Amex leans on cardholder survey data, transaction history, and travel patterns to figure out which destinations need the most investment.
There’s also an annual decision window for adding properties. That gives Amex time to coordinate marketing (just look at Wednesday’s announcement), staff training, and tech updates across its channels.
Competition is heating up
Now that FHR is turning 35, Amex is facing more competition than ever. To keep the bookings flowing through its own channels, Amex is leaning on its hotel relationships and that guaranteed 4 p.m. checkout.
As for me, I’ll keep burning through the up to $600 in annual hotel statement credits on my Platinum card, then do the same with my other premium cards.
(Note that the credit is allocated up to $300 semiannually and applies only to prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts or The Hotel Collection bookings made through American Express Travel® with your Platinum card. Hotel Collection stays require a two-night minimum.)
Once I deplete the credits, I compare perks and prices trip by trip. I used to book almost everything through Amex, but I’ve been impressed with the improvements Chase keeps making to its travel portal, especially the new price match guarantee for those with the Chase Sapphire Reserve®.
As they say, competition is a good thing.
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