Why Late Checkout Is My Favorite Amex Fine Hotels + Resorts Perk

A single night in a hotel stay can sometimes feel way too short. You check in, unpack, and before you know it, you’re packing everything up again the next morning.

That’s even worse at an expensive resort, where you want to milk the stay for all it’s worth. But when checkout is at 11 a.m. the next morning, you barely have enough time to settle in and fully relax before it’s time to leave. On a recent family getaway, a benefit of booking through American Express Fine Hotels + Resorts gave us several extra hours at the hotel — and I didn’t need top-tier elite status to get it.

Here’s how guaranteed 4 p.m. late checkout made our 1-night stay feel much longer.

Perks of Booking Through Amex Fine Hotels + Resorts

The American Express Fine Hotels + Resorts (FHR) program gives eligible cardholders extra benefits at more than 1,900 luxury hotels around the world when they book through AmexTravel.com. The program is available to cardholders of the Platinum Card^® from American Express, The Business Platinum Card^® from American Express, or Centurion^® Card from American Express.

FHR bookings include:

• Daily breakfast for 2 guests
• Noon check-in, when available
• Guaranteed 4 p.m. late checkout
• A room upgrade upon arrival, when available
• Complimentary Wi-Fi
• A property credit worth at least $100 (eligible use varies by hotel)

These are valuable added perks, especially at an expensive resort where breakfast and lunch by the pool can easily cost more than $100. I love all of these benefits, but the guaranteed 4 p.m. checkout is the one that can completely change a short stay.

Quick Family Getaway to Marco Island

My wife and I have been visiting Marco Island and Naples in Florida since we were kids traveling there with our own families. Now that we have daughters of our own, we like to return a few times a year for a quick getaway across Alligator Alley, the stretch of Interstate Highway 75 connecting South Florida with Florida’s Gulf Coast.

Marco Island is a laid-back barrier island in Southwest Florida known for its beaches and waterfront resorts. One hotel we have always enjoyed is the JW Marriott Marco Island Beach Resort, a large beachfront property with several pools, restaurants, and direct access to the Gulf.

The problem is that the hotel has gotten ridiculously expensive. It’s a very popular beachfront resort for snowbirds and locals alike, and Marco Island has few comparable luxury hotels.

Rates are rarely below $500 per night and can easily climb above $1,000 on many dates. We usually stay just once a year, and when prices are too high, we look at the Hilton next door or consider Naples, where there are more hotels to choose from.

Why Paying More Through Amex FHR Made Sense

For a quick 1-night getaway in August, I compared the price of booking directly with Marriott against booking through Amex FHR. The FHR rate was about $100 more but included:

• Complimentary breakfast for 2 guests
• Noon early check-in, if available
• Guaranteed 4 p.m. late checkout
• A room upgrade, if available
• A $100 property credit

The property credit alone made up for the price difference. Once I added breakfast and the other benefits, booking through FHR was an easy decision.

I’m also a Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite member, and while that status can get me a room upgrade and 2 p.m. late checkout when available, neither is guaranteed. I wasn’t giving up any reliable on-property benefits by skipping a direct booking.

Booking Through FHR Guarantees Late Checkout

Sadly, my Marriott Gold Elite status doesn’t guarantee late checkout. Marriott advertises a 2 p.m. late checkout for Gold Elite members, but it’s subject to availability. After dozens of stays booked directly with Marriott, I’ve received that 2 p.m. checkout less than half the time.

That’s what makes FHR’s guaranteed 4 p.m. checkout so valuable to me. It isn’t a request I have to make at the front desk or a benefit I have to cross my fingers and hope for, but it’s guaranteed as part of the booking. And on this trip, we took full advantage of it.

FHR also offers noon check-in when available, and luckily, the hotel had our room ready early. By around 1 p.m., we were already in our bathing suits, eating lunch, and enjoying the pool and beach.

We spent the entire first afternoon at the resort and went out for dinner that evening. The next morning, instead of waking up and immediately packing, we took our time at breakfast and headed back to the pool and beach for several more hours.

We even had lunch at the resort again before returning to the room to shower, change, and pack. We didn’t have to leave until 4 p.m., giving us roughly 5 more hours than we would have had with the hotel’s standard 11 a.m. checkout. What could have felt like a quick overnight visit instead felt closer to a full weekend at the beach.

Free breakfast and a $100 property credit are easy to put a dollar value on. But at an expensive resort, having enough time to settle in, relax, and enjoy the property can be just as valuable.

Final Thoughts

Late checkout may not sound as exciting as a suite upgrade, free breakfast, or a $100 property credit, but it can completely change a short hotel stay. At the JW Marriott Marco Island Beach Resort, the guaranteed late checkout helped us turn 1 night into roughly 1 1/2 days.

Best of all, I didn’t need top-tier Marriott elite status. For me, those extra hours made the higher FHR rate worth paying — and that’s exactly why 4 p.m. late checkout is the Amex FHR perk I love most.