In this post, I will review my 2-day stay at the Bellagio Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. This stay was booked through American Express Fine Hotels and Resorts (FHR), which is American Express’ network of upscale luxury properties around the world. Booking through the American Express FHR network will always cost more than booking directly with the hotel itself but it does come with plenty of perks and benefits included in the price to offset the upcharge.
But before you book your next hotel stay through FHR, there are some things you need to be aware of. My recommendation is to always do your research and compare the prices and perks of each hotel before booking to make sure you’re getting the best bang for your buck. Most of the time, I find that it’s better to book directly with the hotel itself but occasionally, it does make sense to book through FHR because the value can be worth the upcharge, especially in Las Vegas.
American Express Fine Hotels and Resorts Benefits
Here are some rules you need to be aware of before booking a hotel through the American Express Fine Hotels and Resorts (FHR) network.
- You have to book your hotel stay through the American Express travel portal to receive the benefits. Simply having your American Express Platinum Card on file is not enough and neither is using your American Express Platinum card to book directly with the hotel. You must book through the American Express travel portal.
- It’s important to note that these benefits, especially the experience credit, vary from hotel to hotel and they do change periodically so pay attention to the language before booking. Sometimes the experience credit can be a food and beverage credit; other times it may be a spa credit or something completely different.
- You can add your hotel loyalty number to your FHR booking but loyalty benefits may or may not be honored by the hotel. It all depends on the hotel. For example, I’m an MGM Rewards Gold member, which entitles me to waived daily resort fees when staying at MGM properties. However, that benefit was not honored on this trip because I did not book directly with MGM, which is a requirement per MGM’s terms and conditions. However, my daily parking fee was waived due to my MGM Gold status so that was something.
- If you book separate but consecutive stays at the same FHR hotel, AmEx will treat those all as one stay and you will NOT get any additional experience credits. For example, if you book 3 one-night stays at the same hotel, AmEx will treat that as a single, three-night stay, which will only entitle you to one experience credit (and not three separate credits). However, if you book consecutive stays at different FHR hotels, then those will count as different stays.
- And lastly, if you book through the FHR program, then you must present an American Express Card at check-in in order to get all the benefits. It doesn’t have to be your Platinum Card; just any American Express Card. So do as the commercial says, and “never leave home without it.”
At the time of this posting, American Express FHR benefits at the Bellagio Hotel and Casino Las Vegas include:
- Noon check-in when available. This is actually significant because the major casinos in Las Vegas will always charge you to check in early and/or check out late. Depending on your arrival/departure times, this can easily save you over $100.
- A room upgrade, when available
- Daily breakfast for two people
- Two $30 credits ($60 total) for breakfast, per day. The credit must be charged to your hotel room bill and can only be redeemed at Sadelles, Bellagio Patisserie, The Buffet, Pool Cafe, Palio or Cafe Gelato. I didn’t try it at a sit-down restaurant but I can tell you I was able to use the whole $60 for myself at the Bellagio Patisserie. If someone has any data points regarding this, please let me know in the comments section below. This credit covers taxes but it does not cover gratuities.
- Complimentary in-room WiFi, as included in your daily resort fee
- This reduces your mandatory $45/night plus tax resort fee down to $40/night plus taxes and fees. This fee covers benefits such as WiFi, access to the fitness center, etc. It’s a B.S fee and I don’t know how they are able to charge you tax on top of a B.S. fee but they do.
- Guaranteed 4 PM late check-out
- Experience credit
- $100 food and beverage credit, per stay (not per day). This credit must be charged to your hotel room bill and can be redeemed at over a hundred different bars and restaurants located throughout the MGM network of hotels and casinos. In my opinion, this is very valuable because you are not limited to the restaurants located inside one hotel. Instead, you can choose from a list of restaurants and bars located throughout the entire MGM network. This credit covers taxes but it does not cover gratuities. You can click here for the full list of participating restaurants.
The Bellagio Hotel and Casino Las Vegas Review
Unlike at The Palazzo/Venetian Las Vegas, there was no dedicated check-in counter for American Express FHR guests. But thanks to my soon-to-be-expiring MGM Gold status, I was able to skip the long line one last time to check in using the shorter queue. After presenting my ID and American Express card, I was checked in and handed a welcome letter explaining the benefits.
On this trip, I booked a Fountain-View King room and at check-in, I was offered an upgrade to the same room type on a higher floor. This to me does not count as an upgrade but in Vegas, it does. This is not uncommon for Las Vegas properties to consider higher-floor rooms to be an upgrade so my recommendation is to book the room you want. The most you will get, even with FHR, is to be upgraded from a resort view room to a strip view room, or something similar to that. I’m not saying it doesn’t happen, but don’t bet on getting a suite upgrade when you book a resort view room.
I was assigned room 18030 and it was pretty nice. The room was clean, comfortable, and beautifully decorated. The room had a king-size bed, a sitting area, and a small dining table (instead of a desk). I like this design as a dining table is more functional than a desk.
The large windows let in plenty of natural lighting and they provided great views of the strip and water show below. The curtains are electronically controlled, which adds another level of sophistication to the room. Here’s the view of the Bellagio Fountains from my room.
The en-suite bathroom was spacious with dual sinks and a large walk-in shower.
Lanovera bath and body products were provided for your use. These products were okay but not my favorite.
The Bellagio Hotel and Casino Las Vegas Dining
For our $100 food and beverage credit, I wanted to eat at The Bellagio Buffet but unfortunately, The Buffet was not open for dinner during my visit so I ended up having dinner at Noodles (Chinese) instead. The portions were small but the flavors were good so I couldn’t complain.
And for breakfast, I got a bunch of breakfast items from the Bellagio Patisserie, which had a quick selection of breakfast sandwiches, fruit bowls, crepes, etc. The food was good and I had no complaints about it. $60 actually goes a long way here.
The Bellagio Las Vegas Bottom Line
This was my first time staying at the Bellagio so I didn’t really know what to expect but overall, I think it met my expectations. The room was spacious and beautiful and the perks provided by American Express FHR were pretty good. The early check-in/late check-out saved me a bunch of money and I got a good value from the dining credits. That being said, the Bellagio was nice but it wasn’t my favorite hotel. It was located in a good part of town and the fountain views were great but for the price, I think I would rather stay at the Palazzo or the Venetian for the extra space and amenities.
What are your thoughts? Have you stayed at the Bellagio or booked a room through American Express FHR recently? If so, please share your thoughts with us in the comments section below. Thanks for reading!
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