Fontainebleau Las Vegas Joins Amex Platinum Hotel Program

Posted on: May 29, 2024, 09:34h. 

Last updated on: May 30, 2024, 10:09h.

Todd Shriber @etfgodfather Read More
Expertise: Financial, Gaming Business, Mergers and Acquisitions.

Fontainebleau Las Vegas has a new avenue for attracting well-heeled customers as the Strip casino resort is now part of the American Express Fine Hotels and Resorts (FHR) program.

Fontainebleau Las Vegas Strip casino resort
Fontainebleau Las Vegas. The venue is now part of the Amex Platinum hotel booking platform. (Image: ResortX)

The newest integrated resort in the US casino center made the announcement Wednesday on its X (formerly Twitter) feed.

Fontainebleau Las Vegas has joined the American Express Fine Hotels and Resorts program alongside some of the world’s most luxurious hotels. Amex Platinum Card Members can now enjoy competitive rates and complimentary benefits,” according to the post.

As of this writing, Fontainebleau isn’t appearing when searching by name or Las Vegas on the FHR website, and it’s not clear when that update will occur.

Why It’s Important for Fontainebleau Las Vegas

There’s no shortage of points-sharing and hotel agreements between gaming companies and broader travel and leisure counterparts, but Fontainebleau’s arrangement with Amex Platinum could be meaningful for a venue that’s still trying to find its footing.

As of February 2023, it was estimated that there are two million Amex Platinum cardholders in the US, though it’s not clear if that number represents both business and personal customers. Still, it’s a large amount, and those cardholders shell out $695 a year for the card. That implies the prestigious credit card is carried by exactly the type of customer Fontainebleau Las Vegas is targeting.

Other data confirm as much. According to Departures, the magazine for Amex Platinum customers, the typical cardholder is 49 years old with an average annual household income of $330K, a net worth of $2.5 million, and owns three properties.

That’s likely why the Strip venues available for booking through American Express Fine Hotels and Resorts are among the toniest in Sin City. Fontainebleau Las Vegas is joining? Crockfords at Resorts World, the Four Seasons, Palazzo at the Venetian, the Waldorf Astoria, and Wynn and Encore on the platform.

Other Reasons Fontainebleau Could Benefit from Amex Deal

Gaming industry observers and Las Vegas insiders alike have lamented that one of the issues confounding Fontainebleau since the $3.7 billion integrated resort opened last December is location.

Fontainebleau Las Vegas is located at the north end of the Strip — an area that’s been famously hard on new casino hotels. The other issue with that location is it’s close to comparable venues Resorts World Las Vegas, and Wynn and Encore. To date, the only high-end casino hotels that have garnered significant success on or near the northern part of the Strip are the two Wynn Resorts properties.

If the Amex accord is successful in bringing more affluent clients and bettors to Fontainebleau, it’s possible the north end of the Strip will benefit.

Amex also offers a lower tier — though still impressive — “hotel collection,” which in Las Vegas includes Aria, Bellagio, Conrad at Resorts World, Cosmopolitan, Delano, Mandalay Bay, MGM Grand, the currently closed Mirage, and the Venetian.