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Using FHR (Fine Hotels & Resorts) for family and friends
I wish to ask people who use FHR on a regular basis. Are the FHR benefits restricted to only the cardmember, when he is travelling, or can the cardmember book hotels/resorts on somebody's behalf also ? So let's say if I want to book hotels for my friend and avail FHR benefits from him, can I do so ?
Regards, Puneet |
Originally Posted by PuneetAggarwal
(Post 14519636)
I wish to ask people who use FHR on a regular basis. Are the FHR benefits restricted to only the cardmember, when he is travelling, or can the cardmember book hotels/resorts on somebody's behalf also ? So let's say if I want to book hotels for my friend and avail FHR benefits from him, can I do so ?
Regards, Puneet |
Do a search - in short, if you book with FHR they get the benefits but they can still opt to pay with another Amex upon check-out.
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from the fhr faq
Can I make a FINE HOTEL & RESORTS reservation for someone else? Platinum Card® and Centurion® members may make reservations for others as long as they will be traveling with them. Please note that at least one room must be under a Platinum Card or Centurion member's name. Can I use more than one American Express Card to make my reservation? No. Only one American Express® Card in the Platinum Card or Centurion member's name can be used to make the reservation. However, you may request the hotel property at the time of check-in to use multiple American Express Cards for payment. What credit cards do you accept? This program is only offered to Platinum Card and Centurion members. All participating hotels accept only American Express Cards for reservations made under this program. |
Originally Posted by erik123
(Post 14520359)
Do a search - in short, if you book with FHR they get the benefits but they can still opt to pay with another Amex upon check-out.
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Originally Posted by mlad1101
(Post 14522956)
The t&c's which are posted below your post state the opposite. Are you saying that you've successfully booked FHR for some one else when not traveling along with them and they've honored everything?
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Originally Posted by erik123
(Post 14524743)
Yes - and BTW I asked Amex whether that was OK when booking.
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Originally Posted by ijgordon
(Post 14535066)
Well this is absolutely not standard practice..
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FHR benefits for family
Has anyone had any success booking a room through FHR for family(parents) without having to show up at checkin themselves for the benefits?
Thanks in advance! |
Originally Posted by gurjsingh
(Post 22323300)
Has anyone had any success booking a room through FHR for family(parents) without having to show up at checkin themselves for the benefits?
Thanks in advance! |
Moderator action
gurjsingh's question has been appended to a brief previous discussion of this topic.
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I've only booked 4 rooms under FHR (Canada AMEX Platinum) and all received upgrades & benefits (free dinner), but I was there to check-in myself
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Im not sure if this is the spirit of the question being asked, but I have booked FHR stays for both my parents and my wife when travelling without me, but I've given my wife and my dad supplementary plat cards on my account. So, there was no question of entitlement to FHR benefits, just that I booked it for them.
Although, the Shangri-La in Sydney didnt honor the benefits and claimed it wasnt an FHR reservation despite being confronted with the itinerary from the platinum travel service. We're still working that through customer service channels. |
Made an FHR reservation for a friend under my name, called to add notes that said friend could check-in before my arrival --- was a disaster. Front Desk wouldn't allow him to check-in and he stayed elsewhere whilst I was charged a no-show fee.
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Originally Posted by JAGMAP
(Post 22326314)
Made an FHR reservation for a friend under my name, called to add notes that said friend could check-in before my arrival --- was a disaster. Front Desk wouldn't allow him to check-in and he stayed elsewhere whilst I was charged a no-show fee.
That sounds terrible.. I ended up not taking the risk! |
According to a FH&R front desk training script...
1 Attachment(s)
I found this legitimate looking FH&R front desk training module from https://www.fhrpartnertraining.com/P...Transcript.pdf. It says the following, which might be of interest for anyone thinking of trying to make a FH&R booking for friends or family without actually joining the trip:
Chapter 5: Forms of Payment Did you know that Tyler can use any American Express card in his name to pay for his stay? At American Express Travel, we verify upfront during the booking process if the Card Member is eligible to receive the benefits, namely all Platinum Card and Centurion Members. When the Card Member arrives at the hotel, they can actually choose any American Express product to pay for their stay. We allow this because we realize that Card Members may not have their Platinum or Centurion Card with them on the trip or they may simply choose to pay with another card, and this is acceptable as long as it is an American Express Card in their name. This includes Traveler’s Cheques and even Gift Cards from American Express. Any card that has an American Express logo on it is acceptable. Card Members cannot use cash or checks to pay for their stay, and they are not able to use another issuer’s card such as Visa or MasterCard. If they insist on using these payment methods, you should refuse the FH&R benefits, and add any otherwise complimentary benefits back onto their bill. FINE HOTELS & RESORTS benefits are for American Express Card Members only and payment on the card is mandatory. Card Members must charge the full folio amount to their American Express Card product. They may not pay for incidentals in cash, checks, or non-Amex payment vehicles. |
"At American Express Travel, we verify upfront during the booking process if the Card Member is eligible to receive the benefits"
This definitely suggests that provided the relevant checks are 'passed' during the booking process then booking for friends and family shouldn't be an issue. A recent example of a FHR booking that I saw, made for people other than the cardholder, makes no mention of who the cardholder is so I'm not sure how the hotel would be able to ascertain whether the person checking in is the cardholder or not unless they have a more detailed reservation to hand. It seems we still don't have many/any definitive answers to the main query in this thread though... |
Originally Posted by Lawro
(Post 27540087)
... not sure how the hotel would be able to ascertain whether the person checking in is the cardholder ...
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But we've already established that you don't have to produce the Plat/Cent cards and can pay with another.
The point I was really trying to make was; does the hotel have noted on their system the name of the cardholder who made the booking. If during the booking process all reference to the cardholder was removed from the fields and replaced with the details of the person(s) travelling, aside from the fact that the Plat/Cent is the card number used to secure the reservation is there any other mention of the account holder?.... I hope that's a little clearer. |
Cash is king
Originally Posted by vishesh
(Post 27529519)
I found this legitimate looking FH&R front desk training module from https://www.fhrpartnertraining.com/P...Transcript.pdf. It says the following, which might be of interest for anyone thinking of trying to make a FH&R booking for friends or family without actually joining the trip:
Chapter 5: Forms of Payment Did you know that Tyler can use any American Express card in his name to pay for his stay? At American Express Travel, we verify upfront during the booking process if the Card Member is eligible to receive the benefits, namely all Platinum Card and Centurion Members. When the Card Member arrives at the hotel, they can actually choose any American Express product to pay for their stay. We allow this because we realize that Card Members may not have their Platinum or Centurion Card with them on the trip or they may simply choose to pay with another card, and this is acceptable as long as it is an American Express Card in their name. This includes Traveler’s Cheques and even Gift Cards from American Express. Any card that has an American Express logo on it is acceptable. Card Members cannot use cash or checks to pay for their stay, and they are not able to use another issuer’s card such as Visa or MasterCard. If they insist on using these payment methods, you should refuse the FH&R benefits, and add any otherwise complimentary benefits back onto their bill. FINE HOTELS & RESORTS benefits are for American Express Card Members only and payment on the card is mandatory. Card Members must charge the full folio amount to their American Express Card product. They may not pay for incidentals in cash, checks, or non-Amex payment vehicles. When travelling internationally (in countries where the currency isn't USD or EUR [currencies that I keep stockpile of]), I tend to give the hotel all of the remaining cash I have left over in local currency and ask them to "please post my remaining [insert name of currency] to my room account" when I check-out. No front desk agent has ever refused. |
Originally Posted by Lawro
(Post 27541437)
But we've already established that you don't have to produce the Plat/Cent cards and can pay with another.
The point I was really trying to make was; does the hotel have noted on their system the name of the cardholder who made the booking. If during the booking process all reference to the cardholder was removed from the fields and replaced with the details of the person(s) travelling, aside from the fact that the Plat/Cent is the card number used to secure the reservation is there any other mention of the account holder?.... I hope that's a little clearer. But here's maybe another wrinkle. The FHR T&C seem to indicate that the room has to be paid for with an Amex card in the name of the original Plat/Cent card holder. I don't recall that qualification. I might need to contact Amex directly. Worst case, I put the charges on my card and have my friends reimburse me. FINE HOTELS & RESORTS Terms & Conditions Valid only for new FINE HOTELS & RESORTS bookings made through Platinum Travel Service, Business Platinum Travel Service, Centurion Travel Service, americanexpress.com/fhr, any American Express Travel offices or the Agency Services Desk. Payment must be made in full with an American Express Card in the Platinum Card Member's or Centurion® Member's name. Available for Platinum Charge Card Members and Centurion® Members only, and excludes Platinum Credit Card Members such as Platinum Delta SkyMiles® Card Members who are not also Platinum Charge Card Members. Card Member must travel on itinerary booked to be eligible for benefits described. Noon check-in and room upgrade are based on availability and are provided at check-in. Breakfast amenity varies by property, but will be, at a minimum, a continental breakfast. Complimentary In-Room Wi-Fi is provided, with the exception of explora Patagonia where In-Room Wi-Fi is not available. In this instance, complimentary Wi-Fi will be provided in a common space on property. In the case where a Property includes cost of Wi-Fi in a mandatory resort fee, the Card Member will receive a daily credit from the Property in the standard amount that the Property charges for Wi-Fi. The credit will be issued on the Card Members final statement upon check-out. Benefit restrictions vary by FINE HOTELS & RESORTS property and cannot be redeemed for cash, and may not be combined with other offers unless indicated. Advance reservations are recommended for services such as spa, dining or golf in order to take advantage of the FINE HOTELS & RESORTS special amenity during your stay. Benefits and additional FINE HOTELS & RESORTS promotions are only applied at checkout and expire at checkout. Limit one benefit package per room, per stay. Three room limit per Card Member, per stay; back-to-back stays within a 24-hour period at the same property considered one stay. Participating FINE HOTELS & RESORTS properties and benefits are subject to change. |
Originally Posted by ijgordon
(Post 27636271)
...The FHR T&C seem to indicate that the room has to be paid for with an Amex card in the name of the original Plat/Cent card holder. I don't recall that qualification.....
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Originally Posted by ijgordon
(Post 27636271)
I don't think the Amex FHR website will let you make a reservation in another person's name who is not the Plat/Cent cardholder. I presume an agent won't do it either. If you book additional rooms (up to 3 total), you can put in the "main contact" for the other rooms, but the hotel should know who the original Plat/Cent cardholder is. And if that person doesn't show up, it's very likely the amenities won't be provided. It's also apparently possible that the hotel won't let the other guests check in.
But here's maybe another wrinkle. The FHR T&C seem to indicate that the room has to be paid for with an Amex card in the name of the original Plat/Cent card holder. I don't recall that qualification. I might need to contact Amex directly. Worst case, I put the charges on my card and have my friends reimburse me. The only field that could not be edited and modified was the credit card needed as a hold on the reservation which was automatically selected as the Platinum card. |
Trump Waikiki
Originally Posted by daniellam
(Post 27585683)
So far, every FHR hotel that I stayed at has never refused to accept cash (but then I paid most of the bill using my AMEX)
In anticipation of a busy front desk in the morning to check out, i paid a cash deposit for most of the balance owing at the front desk, the night before check out, the agent accepted the cash and printed me a receipt. the next morning, after breakfast, when i went to finalize the folio, looked and sounded like the manger, politely pointed out that i have to pay for the folio with an amex. He proceeded to make arrangements to retrieve the cash from the back office and firmly requested that i pay with an amex. I knew i had to charge onto the amex, but i had some extra cash i wanted to get rid of. |
1 Attachment(s)
Originally Posted by Lawro
(Post 27636978)
I'm not sure if this varies between UK/US Amex Travel sites but I had no issue inputting someone else's name as the name on the reservation. I was able to modify all the details on the final booking page. There didn't have to be any of the cardholder's details and the booking confirmation was sent to the email address requested-one not linked to the Amex account.
The only field that could not be edited and modified was the credit card needed as a hold on the reservation which was automatically selected as the Platinum card. |
Originally Posted by ijgordon
(Post 27638021)
Interesting, there definitely does not seem to be a way to change it on the US site. There's only one booking page after you select the room type. The "main contact" traveler's name is pre-populated and not changeable (i.e., it's grayed out). If you are booking additional rooms, you can input those names. But otherwise, that's the only page, the "Book My Hotel" button is at the bottom.
That is very good to know. On UK site I can modify the "main contact" traveler name and then it offers a separate section for Passenger Information for hotel arrangements and again I can input whoever I wish to. As I mentioned up-thread, the only field that is grayed out is the payment info/cc. But as long as its not a prepaid reservation you can pay with another Amex at the hotel at checkout. |
Going back quite far, every FHR confirmation that I've seen has had the language that cardholder must pay with an AmEx card in his/her own name. I've paid with my AmEx DL Reserve card at times but I've never tried to use Diners Club, Visa, etc. or to pay with cash.
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"Payment must be made in full with an American Express Card in the Platinum Card Member's or Centurion® Member’s name"
Yes the above language definitely appears in UK FHR confirmations as well. Whether that is enforced by the hotel is another question. Especially as discussed above since the UK site allows for all of the traveller/guest details to be customized to the person actually staying in the hotel. If that person then produces an Amex in their name at checkout I wonder if there would be any issues. I suspect this may be a real YMMV depending on how meticulous an individual hotel is... |
I recently made a reservation on behalf of my Fiance for her Bachelorette in Las Vegas.
I booked 3 rooms at the Wynn and confirmed that all 3 rooms would be getting the FHR perks. But I was told that I needed to check in. Wasn't a problem though since I would be flying in with her before moving on to my destination in Palm Springs. |
Originally Posted by Lawro
(Post 27638528)
That is very good to know.
On UK site I can modify the "main contact" traveler name and then it offers a separate section for Passenger Information for hotel arrangements and again I can input whoever I wish to. As I mentioned up-thread, the only field that is grayed out is the payment info/cc. But as long as its not a prepaid reservation you can pay with another Amex at the hotel at checkout. |
Originally Posted by ijgordon
(Post 27643029)
Interestingly, I can change the payment info to choose any other (amex) card linked to my online account.
Normally the room seems to be guaranteed with your Platinum or Centurion card. |
Originally Posted by MSPeconomist
(Post 27643048)
You can use any AmEx card in your own name, assuming that the credit limit is high enough, etc.
Normally the room seems to be guaranteed with your Platinum or Centurion card. |
Originally Posted by ijgordon
(Post 27645199)
Yes, I know, I was just addressing the fact that on the UK site (per Lawro), you apparently can't change the CC, while on the US site you can. This may be more relevant for Vegas bookings, which typically require a 1-night deposit at the time of booking. On the US site, one can pay that with a non-Platinum card.
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A further data point on this subject:
Checked out of a FHR stay last week. No issues paying with a non-Plat Amex in my name not the Platinum account holder whose account it was booked through. All traveller/guest details were in my name on the reservation. No mention made or requirement for Platinum account holder to be present/check-in. |
Several times I have made an FHR reservation on the Amex site under my own name (I'm a Plat holder). Then I've added my wife's name to the reservation directly with the hotel. She would check in on her own, using her own non-Plat Amex card. No hotel clerk has ever asked her where I was (home, as it happens). Never a problem getting the FHR benefits. All they cared about is that her name is on the reservation and she's paying with an Amex card.
This is a non-issue for us now that she has her own Plat card (from the 100K MR bonus offer). |
Transfer FHR reservation
I'm looking into helping my parents book a reservation for a trip to London in a few months. I currently have a personal platinum card, but they do not. If I find a good deal on a FHR hotel, would it work for me to make a reservation for two people and add my dad as the second guest on the room? If he then gets his own personal platinum card before the trip, would he be able to check in under my reservation since he would be on the reservation and he would have the necessary card? I won't be making the trip.
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As long as your father has any american express card it should work. Your father may or may not get FHR benefits depending on the hotel and check in person.
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You can add your parents as additional cardmembers for $175 and they will have full FHR access. No need to play tricks that may or may not work.
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Thanks Kacee, that definitely sounds like the easiest solution.
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Originally Posted by enoscabell
(Post 31321160)
Thanks Kacee, that definitely sounds like the easiest solution.
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