Everything you need to know about The Hotel Collection, an under-the-radar Amex Gold perk - The Points Guy

Everything you need to know about The Hotel Collection, an under-the-radar Amex Gold perk – The Points Guy

Posted by Admin September 10, 2024 Travel

One of the lesser-known perks on select American Express cards is access to The Hotel Collection. This program offers room upgrades and hotel credits for dining, spa and resort activities when you stay for two or more nights at select hotels.

You need an eligible card and book a participating hotel through American Express Travel to use this benefit. However, using the Amex Hotel Collection to book your next hotel stay may save you money and improve your experience.

In this post, I’ll examine The Hotel Collection in more detail and compare it to the better-known Amex Fine Hotels -plus Resorts (FHR) program to help you understand what to expect and how to fully enjoy its benefits.

How The Hotel Collection works

Only cardholders of the following American Express cards can book hotel stays through The Hotel Collection:

The information for the Centurion and Business Centurion Card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

TWELVE DOWNTOWN, AUTOGRAPH COLLECTION/MARROTT.COM

If you have one of the above cards, then you’ll have access to the following benefits when you book through The Hotel Collection (terms apply):

A room upgrade at check-in when available
Up to a $100 hotel credit to spend on qualifying dining, spa and resort activities
12 p.m. check-in and the 4 p.m. late check-out, when available
2 Membership Rewards points per dollar when you use your Gold card for prepaid bookings
3 Membership Rewards points per dollar when you use your Business Gold card for prepaid bookings
5 Membership Rewards points per dollar when you use your Platinum card for prepaid bookings
The ability to use Pay with Points on prepaid bookings

You’ll only get these perks when you book a stay of at least two nights at an eligible property through American Express Travel. Finally, back-to-back stays within 24 hours at the same property are considered one stay and won’t get multiple $100 hotel credits.

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What to know about The Hotel Collection

Before you book a stay through Amex’s Hotel Collection, there are several aspects to keep in mind.

Pay with Points

You will see the option to Pay with Points when you book a stay with Amex’s Hotel Collection. However, you’ll only receive 0.7 cents of value per point redeemed, which is less than half of TPG’s September 2024 valuation of Membership Rewards points of 2 cents each.

Especially since Platinum and Business Platinum cardholders earn 5 points per dollar for prepaid reservations made through American Express Travel, this is a case where it’s better to pay for your stay and save your points for higher-value redemption options.

Pricing

When you search, beware that Amex displays the base rate and mandatory fees as the per night cost (excluding taxes). For example, I saw a nightly rate of $59 for a sample one-night stay in November at the MGM Grand Las Vegas. But the actual cost is $117.92 per night after all taxes and mandatory hotel fees.

The fine print for the Hotel Collection Amex notes that hotels can add additional government taxes and fees, as well as hotel-imposed taxes, fees and deposits when they charge your card. So, you may need to call the hotel and ask about its policies to ensure you’re aware of the total cost of your stay.

Elite earning and perks

Additionally, most hotel loyalty programs won’t give elite earnings and benefits if you don’t book directly. However, if you have hotel elite status with one or more brands, you will earn points with your hotel loyalty program when booking through The Hotel Collection Amex.

Properties in The Hotel Collection

The Amex Hotel Collection includes a range of both popular brands and smaller boutique properties. Here’s what I found when searching for Hotel Collection properties in three popular tourist destinations. Note the pricing and availability are as of publishing and may be different when you search.

New York

I picked a date this winter and searched for properties available in New York City. My search returned 29 Hotel Collection Amex properties.

The least expensive Hotel Collection Amex property for my dates was the Moxy New York City Lower East Side, which cost $384 per night inclusive of mandatory fees and before taxes and fees.

Phoenix

On the other end of the price spectrum is Phoenix in the summer, which stands out for having some of the lowest hotel prices featured by these types of programs. When I searched in June 2025, I got 16 Hotel Collection Amex results.

The least expensive Hotel Collection property in Phoenix, when I searched, was the Canopy by Hilton Tempe Downtown, for $173.44 per night inclusive of mandatory fees and before taxes and fees.

Rome, Italy

If you’re looking to travel internationally, there are plenty of Amex Hotel Collection properties abroad. For example, a search for a stay in Rome, Italy, returned 13 Hotel Collection properties.

In Rome, Italy, the least expensive Amex Hotel Collection property was The Hoxton Rome, at $279.18 per night inclusive of mandatory fees and before taxes and fees. Meanwhile, the Maalot Roma was the most expensive property, at $855.17 per night inclusive of mandatory fees and before taxes and fees.

The Hotel Collection vs. Amex Fine Hotels + Resorts

The Amex Fine Hotels + Resorts (FHR) program offers more valuable benefits. But, the FHR program is only available to Amex Platinum and Centurion cardholders.

Booking through the Amex Amex Fine Hotels + Resorts program can get you the following elitelike perks:

Noon check-in when available
Room upgrade when available at check-in
Daily breakfast for two
Free in-room Wi-Fi
Guaranteed 4:00 p.m. late checkout
$100 experience credit

While I expected to find significant overlap between the properties offered by The Hotel Collection and the Amex Fine Hotels + Resorts program, I found none. Comparing the two programs reveals that each has its strengths and weaknesses.

But, generally, Amex Fine Hotels + Resorts program properties tend to be more expensive than the Amex Hotel Collection properties. And the benefits you’ll get on FHR stays, including complimentary breakfast, early check-in and guaranteed late checkout, are superior. Thus, the real benefit of The Hotel Collection appears to be access to extra perks at high-end (rather than ultra-high-end) hotels.

How to best use The Hotel Collection benefits

Food, beverage and other services at hotels can be costly. So, most travelers won’t have trouble using the $100 credit. But, the real sweet spot of this program is for business travelers whose company already reimburses their room and meals. After all, these hotel guests can put the $100 credit toward drinks, pay-per-view movies and spa services, which would not be allowed by most company expense policies.

The benefits of the Amex Fine Hotels + Resorts program — such as early check-in, late checkout and complimentary breakfast — are geared toward leisure travelers who can afford expensive properties. Booking through the Amex Fine Hotels + Resorts program can be particularly useful when you don’t have elite status with a particular brand.

How often does The Hotel Collection get upgraded?

Your experience getting a room upgrade will differ based on various factors. Although you may have priority booking as an Amex cardholder through the Hotel Collection, you may be outmatched when competing for a room against elite members of programs such as Hilton, Hyatt, or Marriott. Getting upgraded also depends on occupancy levels and whether you’re staying during high or low travel seasons.

TPG managing editor Matt Moffitt successfully added his IHG One Rewards member number to his reservation at the Intercontinental Madrid by calling the property. In addition, he was also upgraded to a premium room, which could have been due to his IHG elite status or booking through the Amex Hotel Collection.

Bottom line

The Amex Hotel Collection provides decent incentives for select Amex cardholders, such as room upgrades and hotel credits for dining, spa or resort activities. The only caveat is that you must book two nights or more, and not all hotels participate in the program. Although the program benefits pale in comparison to Amex FHR, it’s a great way to have a stay credit and room upgrade for those who lack elite hotel status.