The Smart Traveller: Free Hotel Upgrades & VIP Treatment with Amex Platinum
Last September I was standing at the reception desk of a five-star resort on Santorini. My girlfriend and I had booked a standard sea-view room — nothing special for that price range. The receptionist looked at her screen, smiled, and said: "We've upgraded you to a suite with a private plunge pool." Free. Just like that. That moment, that little rush of happiness when you get something extra without asking for it — that is exactly why I'm writing this article today.
Because free hotel upgrades aren't a matter of luck. They're a matter of strategy. And for Belgian travellers who want to travel smart, the Amex Platinum hotel benefits are perhaps the best-kept secret in the world of premium travel. I've been using my card for two years now and the number of free room upgrades, breakfasts, and VIP treatments I've accumulated in the meantime is, frankly, absurd.
Let me explain how it works. Not with vague promises, but with concrete experiences from Brussels.
Fine Hotels + Resorts: how you automatically become a VIP at 14,000+ hotels
The Fine Hotels + Resorts programme from American Express is the component that most Belgian travellers overlook. And that's a shame, because it's the reason I regularly sleep in a suite for the price of a standard room. The concept is simple: you book via the Fine Hotels + Resorts portal (accessible to every Amex Platinum cardholder) and during your stay you automatically receive a whole range of benefits.
In concrete terms, that means per stay: a free room upgrade when available, early check-in, late check-out until 4 pm, daily breakfast for 2 persons, and a welcome gift or hotel credit worth approximately €100. Add all of that together and you quickly reach €650 in extra value. Per stay, not per year.
I tested this myself at the Conservatorium Hotel in Amsterdam last November. Booked via Fine Hotels + Resorts, paid the regular room rate, and upon arrival received an upgrade to a Deluxe Suite. Breakfast was included (otherwise €45 per person), and they had placed a bottle of champagne in the room as a welcome gift. My girlfriend thought I had secretly paid extra. I hadn't.
The network comprises more than 14,000 luxury hotels worldwide. Think of names like The Ritz-Carlton, Four Seasons, Mandarin Oriental, Aman Resorts, and dozens of boutique hotels that you cannot book with these kinds of perks in any other way. For Belgian travellers flying from Brussels to popular destinations such as Barcelona, Rome, Dubai, or the Maldives, there are multiple FHR hotels in every city.
Honestly: the room rate via FHR is not always the absolute cheapest you can find online. Sometimes you pay €20 to €50 more than the lowest rate on Booking.com. But if you factor in the value of the free breakfast (often €80–€120 for two people at a luxury hotel), the room upgrade, and the hotel credit, you almost always come out far ahead. I've done that calculation time and again, and it simply adds up.
My three best free hotel upgrades from the past year
I keep track of what I receive. Not to show off, but because it helps me assess whether the annual fee of €780 remains worthwhile. Here are three moments that stood out.
The first was in Istanbul, at the Four Seasons at Sultanahmet. I had booked a Superior Room via Fine Hotels + Resorts for 3 nights. At check-in I received an upgrade to a Deluxe Room with a view of the Hagia Sophia. I used the $100 hotel credit at the spa. Breakfast on the terrace, with that panorama of the Blue Mosque, was perhaps the most beautiful breakfast I've ever had. The total added value of those three nights? Roughly estimated around €800.
The second: Lisbon, Bairro Alto Hotel. Small boutique hotel, freshly renovated, perched on a hilltop overlooking the Tagus. Here I went from a Classic Room to a Junior Suite. Nothing spectacular in terms of square metres, but it did have its own balcony where I drank coffee in the morning while the city woke up below me. That €100 hotel credit went towards dinner at the hotel's restaurant, which turned out to have a Michelin star. A delightful surprise.
And the third: Marrakech, La Mamounia. This is one of those hotels where you walk in and think: I don't really belong here. But with Fine Hotels + Resorts, you do belong. Upgrade from a Superior Room to a Deluxe with garden view, breakfast in the orangery, and a credit I used for a treatment at their legendary spa. The total value of that single booking? At least €700.
If I add up those three stays, I'm at more than €2,000 in free hotel benefits. On a card that costs €780 per year. And I haven't even counted the lounge access, the Fast Lane at Brussels Airport, and all the other benefits yet.
Hotel elite status without sleeping 50 nights per year
Here lies a fundamental difference with traditional hotel loyalty programmes. With Hilton Honors or Marriott Bonvoy, you need to sleep 50 to 75 nights per year in their hotels to achieve Gold or Platinum status. For the average Belgian traveller who goes on holiday 3 to 5 times a year, that is utterly unachievable.
The Amex Platinum hotel benefits work differently. You don't need to "earn" elite status by endlessly stacking nights. As soon as you have the card and book via Fine Hotels + Resorts, you automatically receive VIP treatment with every stay. No points thresholds, no status tiers, no complicated qualifying nights. Book, check in, and enjoy your upgrade.
That is precisely what makes this so attractive for Belgian travellers. We may not travel 75 nights a year within the same hotel chain, but when we do travel, we want it to be special. That philosophy fits perfectly with how Fine Hotels + Resorts works: quality over quantity.
Tip from a fellow Belgian: Call the hotel one day before arrival and mention that you booked via American Express Fine Hotels + Resorts. Politely ask whether a room upgrade is available. Hotels know that FHR guests are valuable customers and often give them priority for upgrades. It's no guarantee, but it works surprisingly often.
More than just hotels: the complete VIP experience from Brussels Airport
A free hotel upgrade actually begins before you even arrive at the hotel. And for us as Belgian travellers, that starts at Brussels Airport.
With the Amex Platinum you get the Fast Lane security at Zaventem. That is normally worth €169 per year, and I can tell you: on a Friday morning in July, when the queue at regular security stretches all the way to the check-in desks, that Fast Lane is worth its weight in gold. Literally 3 minutes and you're through. The calm with which you then settle into the lounge transforms the entire start of your trip.
And yes, that lounge. With Priority Pass Prestige (included with the Amex Platinum) you have access to more than 1,550 airport lounges worldwide. At Brussels Airport itself, but also at your connecting destination. Free for you and 1 guest. Last year I flew BRU to DXB via Istanbul. At Istanbul Airport I sat in the Turkish Airlines lounge, which looks more like a luxury hotel lobby than a waiting area. Hot food, fresh juices, showers, sleeping areas. My travel companion, who didn't have a Priority Pass, was meanwhile sitting on a hard chair at the gate eating a dry sandwich.
On top of that come the Brussels Airport exclusives: the Dining Experience at Black Pearls restaurant (2x per month), and Lounge On the Go for premium takeaway meals (also 2x per month). Small but delightful. It's those details that make the difference between "I have a credit card" and "I have a travel experience."
The Dining for 2 programme is yet another hidden gem: 3 times per year you get a free 2-course menu for 2 persons at top restaurants in Belgium. Value: up to €300 per year. These are the things you only discover after having the card for a few months, and then you think: why didn't I know about this sooner?
The bill: is €780 per year worth it for hotel benefits alone?
Let me be honest, because that's what it ultimately comes down to. The Amex Platinum costs €65 per month, so €780 per year. That's not nothing. And I understand your hesitation. I hesitated myself before I applied for the card.
But let's simply do the maths with just the hotel-related benefits. One Fine Hotels + Resorts booking delivers an average of €400 to €650 in extra value. If you book twice a year via FHR (and if you plan at least two holidays a year, that's very realistic), you're already at €800 to €1,300 in hotel benefits. That more than covers the annual fee.
Add the Priority Pass lounge access (otherwise €500 per year), the Fast Lane at Brussels Airport (€169 per year), the Dining for 2 programme (up to €300 per year), and the travel insurances via Chubb and Europ Assistance that are automatically active when you pay with the card. Trip cancellation, flight insurance, luggage insurance, medical expenses abroad: all included. That's another €200 to €400 per year in value that you would otherwise pay for separately.
And then there are the Membership Rewards points. You earn 1 point per €1 spent (or 4 points per €1 with the Booster option for €10 per month extra). Those points never expire as long as your card is active, and you can redeem them with more than 15 airline partners: Brussels Airlines, Lufthansa, Air France-KLM, British Airways, Emirates, Qatar Airways, Singapore Airlines, and many others. The welcome bonus via the TravelLux.be referral link is currently 150,000 points — that is the maximum bonus available and more than with a direct application.
No foreign transaction fees on international payments. 24/7 concierge service. Hertz Gold Plus Rewards Five Star status. Avis Preferred status. Global Assist emergency assistance. It all stacks up to a package whose total value, if you actually use everything, comfortably exceeds €3,000 per year.
Good to know: you can apply for the Amex Platinum if you are at least 18 years old, have a gross annual income of €30,000, no payment arrears, and a Belgian tax residence. A SEPA direct debit is required. More info can be found on the official Amex page.
Practical tips: how to maximise your free hotel upgrades
After two years of testing and experimenting, I've learned a number of things that make the difference between "sometimes an upgrade" and "almost always an upgrade."
Travel outside the absolute peak season. Hotels upgrade you when they have rooms to spare. The last week of August on Santorini? Forget it. But early September, when it's still 28 degrees but the Scandinavian families have just gone back home? Then you've struck gold. My best upgrades always came in shoulder season: September, October, April, and May.
Book longer stays. A hotel will more readily give an upgrade to someone staying 4 nights than to someone booking 1 night. It makes sense: you're a more valuable guest. During my stay in Marrakech (5 nights) I received a bigger upgrade than during my weekend in Paris (2 nights). Coincidence? Perhaps. But the pattern is consistent.
Mention when booking that you're celebrating a special occasion. Birthday, wedding anniversary, or simply "a well-deserved holiday." Hotels want you to have an amazing experience and are happy to contribute to that. It's not manipulation; it's communication.
Use the Amex concierge service for more complex bookings. They know the FHR network inside and out, and can sometimes arrange things you won't find online yourself. I called them last year for a combination trip Lisbon-Algarve, and within an hour they had booked two FHR hotels with consecutive dates and arranged transfers. Free service, included with your card.
And finally: always be friendly at the reception desk. It sounds obvious, but you'd be surprised how many people think a premium credit card gives them the right to be arrogant. The opposite works better. A smile, a genuine "what a beautiful hotel," and a thank-you afterwards go much further than any status ever could.
Frequently asked questions about free hotel upgrades with Amex Platinum
How do you get free hotel upgrades with Amex Platinum in Belgium?
Through the Fine Hotels + Resorts programme you automatically receive a free room upgrade (when available) at more than 14,000 luxury hotels worldwide, along with early check-in, late check-out until 4 pm, daily breakfast for 2 persons, and a welcome gift or hotel credit of approximately €100. The total value per stay can reach up to €650. You don't need to earn elite status for this: it is automatically available to every Amex Platinum cardholder.
How much does the Amex Platinum card cost in Belgium?
The American Express Platinum card costs €65 per month, which amounts to €780 per year. An additional Platinum card for a partner costs €10 per month. You can also add up to 4 free Green cards for family members.
What is the maximum welcome bonus for Amex Platinum Belgium?
The maximum welcome bonus is 150,000 Membership Rewards points, available when you apply via a personal referral link. When applying directly via americanexpress.com you receive fewer points. Via TravelLux.be you have access to the maximum welcome bonus.
What hotel elite status do you get with Amex Platinum?
The Amex Platinum does not give you a traditional hotel elite status such as Marriott Bonvoy Platinum or Hilton Gold. Instead, through Fine Hotels + Resorts you automatically receive VIP benefits with every stay that are comparable to (or better than) hotel elite status: room upgrade, breakfast, late check-out, and a hotel credit. You don't need to meet any qualifying nights.
Is the Amex Platinum worth it for Belgian travellers who travel 3 to 4 times per year?
Yes, for Belgian travellers who travel internationally at least 3 to 4 times per year, the Amex Platinum is very valuable. The lounge access alone is worth ~€500/year, the Fast Lane at Brussels Airport €169/year, the Dining for 2 programme up to €300/year, and Fine Hotels + Resorts can save up to €650 per stay. The total value of all benefits exceeds the annual fee of €780 with just the first FHR stay alone.
Ready to travel smarter?
Apply for the Amex Platinum via our referral link and receive the maximum welcome bonus of 150,000 points.
✦ Apply via referral link — 150,000 points€65/month · Maximum welcome bonus · More info at americanexpress.com/be