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A few weeks ago I traveled with a friend to Los Angeles and Las Vegas to celebrate his 36th birthday. Between LA’s phenomenal Next Door and Lenny’s Casita, Malibu’s excellent Fish Grill, Oxnard’s outstanding Tierra Sur, and Vegas’ out of this world Kosher Chinglish, we ate really well. I’d post a full trip report, but as those take a great deal of time to write and edit, I just wanted to share how great of a deal we got on the hotel in Vegas.
In LA we stayed for 1 night at the Fairmont Miramar and 1 night at the beautifully renovated Fairmont Century City using 4 of my Fairmont Lifetime Platinum free nights in a suite.
In Vegas, I booked us rooms at the Bellagio using my AMEX Platinum Card and my wife’s AMEX Platinum card with the $200 annual prepaid hotel credit for AMEX FHR hotels.
I used my 2021 Platinum hotel credit at Victoria Falls’ incredible Royal Livingstone, which I also hope to write about in a future trip report. I didn’t get to use the hotel credit on my wife’s card in 2021, so at the end of the year I made a few bookings for 2022 as a placeholder to get the $200 credit. While AMEX claws back the $200 credit if you just cancel a stay, I booked the new stay in Vegas before cancelling the placeholder stays and this strategy seems to have worked as there was no clawback after cancelling the placeholder stays. Plus, I still have the 2022 credit to use on her card.
I booked a Resort Tower King room for each of us, which cost $191.61 per room prepaid via the AMEX FHR site, plus an estimated $51.02 owed at the hotel for the resort fee per room. I added myself onto my wife’s reservation by calling AMEX travel, so that I’d be able to check into both rooms.
Hyatt Discoverists can match to MGM Pearl and Hyatt Explorists and Globalists can match to MGM Gold. MGM Pearl gives free parking and MGM Gold also gives waived resort fees, though officially you need to book direct for MGM benefits.
You can earn Hyatt status with cards like the Hyatt consumer card and Hyatt business card as well as on Hyatt paid and award stays and promotions.
There are better hotels in Vegas on the AMEX FHR site to choose from than the Bellagio, such as the Venetian, Wynn, and Encore, but I was curious to see if my MGM Gold benefits would stack on the AMEX FHR booking so I went with the Bellagio.
At checkin they explained the FHR benefits at the hotel, including a room upgrade to a fountain view room, an effective $160 food and beverage credit for each room, free WiFi, a credit of $5.67 for the WiFi that’s included in the resort fee, and guaranteed 4pm checkout.
There was some confusion over the room in my wife’s name that had me listed as an additional guest, but in the end I had no problem checking in and getting the FHR benefits on her room as well.
I asked about the free parking and they added that benefit to our room key, so that we could enter and exit the parking garage without any charges by just swiping the room key.
The next day, I called the front desk to ask what charges were on my folio, and there was just the resort fee. I asked if they could remove it based on my MGM Gold status. The agent put me on hold and then came back to let me know that she had waived the $51.02 resort fee. I asked about removing the fee on my wife’s room that I had checked in for and she removed the resort fee on that room as well, despite her not having MGM status!
The only thing owed on the bill were tips on the free drinks that we had, but the $5.67 per room WiFi credit covered those as well!
Plus, I got to try some wild rides at the top of the Strat thanks to my 2020 Go Everywhere Pass.
In total for zero out of pocket cost, we got 2 upgraded fountain view rooms at the Bellagio, 4pm checkout, and $320 of food and beverage credits from the AMEX FHR booking, plus waived parking fees and resort fees from my MGM Gold status.
Not bad, eh? Where have you used your Platinum hotel credit?
Booked several rooms at W Panama in January and February with 2021 expiring FHR credits I got from “friends”.
Nice, how was it?
Funky hotel. Sketchy neighborhood. Refused to upgrade rooms or suite to one with outdoor space. Cost me $100 one day when they auto checked me out each day before I could spend my $100 credit.
Were you able to stack this even further by getting Hyatt elite credit nights stays?
Still waiting on that. I’ll post an update here on the outcome.
How did you get free parking? Status or FHR?
“MGM Pearl gives free parking and MGM Gold also gives waived resort fees”
MGM Gold also gives waived resort fees, though officially you need to book direct for MGM benefits.
Since when is this ^^^
Went into effect on Feb 1st.
What did you use so much food/drink credit on?
They do have a store you can shop in with fruit, packaged snacks, fresh squeezed OJ, cereals, etc.
Otherwise, you can go for anything from shots of top shelf whiskey/tequila to poolside drinks.
Did you check-in with your wife’s platinum card for the room booked with her card? Is it just as simple as adding your name to the reservation to be able to check in without the actual cardholder present?
I had her card, but they didn’t ask for it.
Correct.
Do all FHR hotels allow that? Any DP in Israel?
“I booked the new stay in Vegas before cancelling the placeholder stays and this strategy seems to have worked as there was no clawback after cancelling the placeholder stays. Plus, I still have the 2022 credit to use on her card.”
I would love to know if this works I Also booked in 2021. You canceled the hotel from 2021 after the booking but before the credit for 22 posted ?
Gosh, I think this was how it went down, but I’ll admit that I’m not positive how it fell into place.
-Booked several potential stays in December 2021, got $200 2021 credit.
-Booked several potential stays in January 2022, got $200 2022 credit.
-Booked Vegas stay, no credit.
-Cancelled December 2021 booked stays, no clawback.
-Completed Vegas stay.
-Cancelled January 2022 booked stays, $200 clawback. At this point I had no bookings and got the $200 2021 credit.
-Booked a stay in February 2022 and got the $200 2022 credit again, so that credit is definitely still available. Cancelled that stay and the 2022 credit was clawed back again.
It was a lot simpler on my card where I used the 2021 credit in 2021 and the 2022 credit in 2022 😀
huh? you got 2021 credit twice?
No
Thanks l actually booked it with a small chance of use but at least I will get the 1000 points for 5 points on Amex travel (looks like it stays even if you get reimbursed) but this is a lot more valuable I will try this thank you
how come you needed 4 certificates for fairmont if you only booked one night?
We each had our own room at each of the Fairmont LA hotels.
Besides for this Vegas option, any FHR options on the east coast, that the $200 credit covers (at least most of it)?
can you elaborate what placeholder stay means
You didn’t also visit Caesars to use your anniversary dinner credit?
You were also able to stack 2020 and 2021 credit too if you were there before Feb 1st. Between my wife and I we had $800 in anniversary dinner credit to use over our 2 nights there.
Amazing!
But only eating kosher food limits the value of that one for us 🙂
I don’t fully understand. What does “FHR” stand for?….In addition, we have Diamond Caesar’s from match programs, But when i go on the site it shows our status but bc we didn’t gamble we have no points or rewards available…so how do we benefit from Diamond status?
FHR=Fine hotels and resorts.
I’m not an expert in gambling status, but I have used Caesar’s Diamond free Atlantis stay. The status also comes with free betting, free hotel stays, waived resort fees, free parking, dining credit, and more:
https://www.caesars.com/myrewards/benefits-overview
Shame that coffee bean is no longer kosher. Jerusalem Grill in vegas is very solid.
Kosher Chinglish is my jam. So incredibly delicious!
If I have the platinum now and I book now for May Vegas trip, to get the $200 credit and then cancel the platinum card (just charged annual fee, have until end of month to decide)— will they claw back the FHR credit from Amex and or ask to see/run charges on valid platinum card at the hotel check in?
They may. But you have to have another Amex card to actually use at the hotel. So, if you don’t have any Amex cards to check-in with, they may deny you the FHR benefits.
Thanks, appreciate the reply here – I also have the Blue Business Plus Card
i accidentaly put my capital one credit card for incidentals and now they wont honor 100 dollar fhr credit becuase they claim amex wont honor it
They should have asked you for an AMEX at checkin. Why can’t you switch it now?
I went to LV early February, and kindly asked the front desk if they can waive my resort fee, though I booked via Amex FHR, but they refused to do so.