Welcome to FlyerTalk, sadred5! Not a dumb question at all. To get the 5x points, you must book with Amex, not the hotel (this is unlike the 5x points deal with air tickets booked directly with the airlines). And you need to be sure that the 5x points offer applies to what you are considering booking. You should see very prominent mention of the 5x points on the screen as you book. If you don't see that, it's only 1x point.