Stay 5 Nights in a Luxury Hotel With Amex Platinum’s Welcome Offer — Here’s How

American Express Membership Rewards are among the most versatile travel rewards points. You can transfer them to 21 loyalty programs, including 18 airline and 3 hotel loyalty programs. And while we often talk about using these points to book high-end airfare, let’s switch gears to hotels.

Membership Rewards points transfer to 3 hotel loyalty programs: Hilton Honors, Marriott Bonvoy, and Choice Privileges. Typically, you find the best deals when you transfer to Hilton because these transfers process at a 1:2 ratio, meaning 1,000 Membership Rewards points transfer to 2,000 Hilton Honors points.

With this in mind, I set out to see if I could use a targeted welcome offer from the Platinum Card^® from American Express to book 5 nights at a luxury hotel. Here are the options I found.

Amex Platinum Card Welcome Bonus Offer

The Amex Platinum card is American Express’ flagship travel card, offering a slew of benefits (some of which may require enrollment), such as airport lounge access, hotel and rental car elite status, statement credits, and more. These benefits help offset the card’s $895 annual fee (rates & fees) and help give frequent travelers a more enjoyable travel experience.

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Platinum Card^® from American Express

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The rating for this card has been determined by our own industry experts who know the ins and outs of credit card products. Bonuses, rewards as well as rates and fees are all taken into account. Compensation from the issuer does not affect our rating. We only recommend products we either use ourselves or endorse.

The Amex Platinum reigns supreme for luxury travel, offering the best airport lounge access plus generous statement credits, and complimentary elite status.

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Platinum Card^® from American Express

The Amex Platinum reigns supreme for luxury travel, offering the best airport lounge access plus generous statement credits, and complimentary elite status.

Welcome Offer

You may be eligible for as high as 175,000 Membership Rewards^® Points after spending $8,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer.

As High As 175,000 Points. Find Out Your Offer.

UP's Offer Valuation*:

Up to $3,850

Annual Fee

$895

APR

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Credit Recommended

Upgraded Points credit ranges are a variation of FICO^®Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit cardapplication.

Good to Excellent

Why We Like This Card

When it comes to cards that offer top-notch benefits, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better card out there than the Platinum Card^® from American Express.

Make no mistake — the Amex Platinum card is a premium card with a premium price tag. With amazing benefits like best-in-class airport lounge access, hotel elite status, and tremendous value in annual statement credits, it can easily prove to be one of the most lucrative cards in your wallet year after year.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• The best airport lounge access out of any card (by far) — enjoy access to over 1,550 worldwide lounges, including the luxurious Amex Centurion Lounges, Priority Pass lounges (enrollment required), Plaza Premium Lounges, and many more!
• 5x points per dollar spent on flights purchased directly with the airline or with AmexTravel.com (up to $500,000 per year)
• 5x points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels booked with AmexTravel.com

Cons

• $895 annual fee (rates and fees)
• Airline credit does not cover airfare (only incidentals like checked bags)

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Card Highlights

• You may be eligible for as high as 175,000 Membership Rewards^® points after you spend $8,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
• Get more for your travels with 5X Membership Rewards^® points on all flights and prepaid hotel bookings through American Express Travel^®, including Fine Hotels + Resorts^® and The Hotel Collection bookings. You earn 5X points on flights purchased directly from airlines or through American Express Travel^® on up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year.
• More Value! With over 1,550 airport lounges - more than any other credit card company on the market* - enjoy the benefits of the Global Lounge Collection^®, over $850 of annual value, with access to Centurion Lounges, 10 complimentary Delta Sky Club^® visits when flying on an eligible Delta flight (subject to visit limitations), Priority Pass Select membership (enrollment required), and other select partner lounges. * As of 07/2025.
• More Value! $200 Uber Cash + $120 Uber One Credit: With the Platinum Card^® you can receive $15 in Uber Cash each month plus a bonus $20 in December when you add your Platinum Card^® to your Uber account to use on rides and orders in the U.S when you select an Amex Card for your transaction. Plus, when you use the Platinum Card^® to pay for an auto-renewing Uber One membership, you can get up to $120 in statement credits each calendar year. Terms apply.
• More Value! $300 Digital Entertainment Credit: Get up to $25 in statement credits each month after you pay for eligible purchases with the Platinum Card^® at participating partners. Enrollment required.
• More Value! $600 Hotel Credit: Get up to $300 in statement credits semi-annually on prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts^® or The Hotel Collection* bookings through American Express Travel^® using the Platinum Card^®. *The Hotel Collection requires a minimum two-night stay.
• New! $400 Resy Credit + Platinum Nights by Resy: When you use the Platinum Card^® to pay at U.S. Resy restaurants and to make other eligible purchases through Resy, you can get up to $100 in statement credits each quarter with the $400 Resy Credit benefit. Plus, with Platinum Nights by Resy, you can get special access to reservations on select nights at participating in demand Resy restaurants with the Platinum Card^®. Simply add your eligible Card to your Resy profile to book and discover Platinum Nights reservations near you, enrollment required.
• More Value! $209 CLEAR^® Plus Credit: CLEAR^® Plus helps get you to your gate faster by using unique facial attributes to verify you are you at 50+ airports nationwide. You can cover the cost of a CLEAR Plus Membership* with up to $209 in statement credits per calendar year after you pay for CLEAR Plus with the Platinum Card^®. *Excluding any applicable taxes and fees. Subject to auto-renewal.
• $200 Airline Fee Credit: Select one qualifying airline and then receive up to $200 in statement credits per calendar year when incidental fees, such as checked bags and in-flight refreshments, are charged by the airline to the Platinum Card^® Account*. American Express relies on airlines to submit the correct information on airline transactions to identify incidental fee purchases. If you do not see a credit for a qualifying incidental purchase on your eligible Card after 8 weeks, simply call the number on the back of your Card. Qualifying airlines are subject to change. See terms & conditions for more details.
• Start your vacation sooner, and keep it going longer. When you book Fine Hotels + Resorts^® through American Express Travel^®, enjoy noon check-in upon arrival, when available, and guaranteed 4PM check-out.
• New! $300 lululemon Credit: Enjoy up to $75 in statement credits each quarter when you use the Platinum Card^® for eligible purchases at U.S. lululemon retail stores (excluding outlets) and lululemon.com. That’s up to $300 in statement credits each calendar year. Enrollment required.
• $155 Walmart+ Credit: Receive a statement credit* for one monthly Walmart+ membership (subject to auto-renewal) after you pay for Walmart+ each month with the Platinum Card^®.*Up to $12.95 plus applicable local sales tax. Plus Ups not eligible.
• $100 Saks Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits annually for purchases at Saks Fifth Avenue or saks.com on the Platinum Card^®. That’s up to $50 in statement credits from January through June and up to $50 in statement credits from July through December. No minimum purchase required. Enrollment required.
• Whenever you need us, we're here. Our Member Services team will ensure you are taken care of. From lost Card replacement to statement questions, we are available to help 24/7.
• $895 annual fee.
• Terms Apply.

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• Foreign Transaction Fees: None

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American Express Membership Rewards

The card also has a substantial public welcome offer: Apply and find out if you're eligible for as high as 175,000 points after spending $8,000 in eligible purchases in the first 6 months. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. However, you can often find higher welcome bonus offers using CardMatch or through a referral link, which you can get from an existing American Express cardholder.

Targeted offers are not available to all applicants. Any information related to targeted offers has been collected independently and has not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

Over the years, I’ve seen welcome bonus offers of up to 175,000 Membership Rewards points, but a targeted bonus of 150,000 points is more common. In this article, I’ll use the 150,000-point targeted welcome bonus offer when discussing redeeming the Amex Platinum card’s bonus to book 5-star hotels.

As a disclaimer, using 150,000 Membership Rewards points to book a 5-star hotel room is possible, but not everywhere. It’s often easiest to find 5-night awards at 5-star hotels in Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and other regions with low-cost hotels.

Booking 5 Nights at Luxury Hotels With Hilton Honors

You’ll have the best luck booking these stays with Hilton Honors points. Again, this is mainly because Membership Rewards points transfer to Hilton at a 1:2 transfer ratio.

However, Hilton Honors also gives elite members a fifth night free on award stays, further reducing the cost of award nights. (Remember that the Amex Platinum card offers complimentary Hilton Gold elite status, though enrollment is required).

Conrad Bali

If Bali is on your radar, you can book the Conrad Bali for as few as 39,000 Hilton Honors points per night. However, rates generally hover around 50,000 points per night. Given the 1:2 transfer ratio and fifth-night free benefit, you can book a 5-night stay for just 100,000 Membership Rewards points.

Nobu Hotel Warsaw

Switching our focus to Europe, Poland’s Nobu Hotel Warsaw, part of Hilton’s partnership with Small Luxury Hotels, is also available for 50,000 Hilton Honors points per night for much of the year. This would cost the same 100,000 Membership Rewards points for a 5-night stay.

Conrad Abu Dhabi

In the Middle East, the Conrad Abu Dhabi is bookable for 39,000 Hilton Honors points per night on many dates this year. As a result, a 5-night stay at this hotel costs just 78,000 Membership Rewards points.

This isn’t an exhaustive list of 5-star hotels bookable with 150,000 Membership Rewards points. You might be pleasantly surprised with how far Membership Rewards points can go with a 1:2 transfer ratio to Hilton Honors and the loyalty program’s fifth-night free benefit.

Booking 5 Nights at Luxury Hotels With Marriott Bonvoy

Marriott Bonvoy is another Amex transfer partner, but it is more difficult to use them to get value at 5-star hotels. This is because, unlike Hilton Honors, Membership Rewards points transfer to Marriott Bonvoy at a standard 1:1 transfer ratio, unless there is an active transfer bonus.

I rarely recommend transferring Membership Rewards points to Marriott. We value Bonvoy points at 0.7 cents per point. Meanwhile, we value Membership Rewards points at 2.2 cents per point.

However, Marriott elite members also get their fifth night free on award stays, which can substantially increase the value of Bonvoy points on longer stays. I’ll factor this into my examples since Amex Platinum card members receive complimentary Marriott Gold status (enrollment is required for this benefit).

W Bangkok

The W Bangkok is a 5-star Marriott property where you can book 5 nights for under 150,000 Membership Rewards points on many dates. Rates vary throughout the year, but I found many weeks with 5-night stays that cost just 117,000 Bonvoy points when you factor in the fifth-night-free benefit.

Booking Hotels With AmexTravel.com

Sometimes, booking 5-star hotels with Membership Rewards points through AmexTravel.com might make sense. You can redeem points toward Fine Hotels & Resorts (FHR) and Hotel Collection stays at 1 cent per point and all other hotel stays at 0.7 cents per point. This isn’t the best use of Membership Rewards points, but it works in a pinch if you need to book a hotel stay.

Amex Platinum cardmembers can book FHR stays through AmexTravel.com and are eligible for benefits like room upgrades, complimentary breakfast, and more. Cardmembers also get up to $600 annual prepaid hotel credit (up to $300 semi-annually) that can be used toward FHR and Hotel Collection bookings (requires a minimum 2-night stay) through AmexTravel.com.

If you’re looking for a hotel in Bangkok, the 5-star Waldorf Astoria Bangkok — an FHR property — can be booked for roughly 25,757 Membership Rewards points per night on some dates through AmexTravel.com. After taxes and fees, a 5-night stay costs 137,800 Membership Rewards points on these sample dates.

Final Thoughts

With the Amex Platinum card, you can significantly cut costs on hotel stays — even at hundreds of high-end properties — by leveraging its huge welcome bonus offer right now. When redeemed strategically, those points can cover luxury stays that would otherwise cost hundreds per night.