Free 5-star Melia hotel night – a decent reason to get Amex Platinum this summer

Ironically, last Friday, I published an article criticising American Express Platinum for launching a poor quality Priority Club promotion.

And then, what should appear in the post, than a genuinely very attractive deal.  A free night, for all American Express Platinum cardholders, at a selection of Melia hotels.  Importantly, there is NO requirement to book further nights – a one-night, totally free, stay is permitted.

What I find a little hard to believe is that the new ME London is included.  This is on The Strand, in the old BBC World Service building.  Designed by Norman Foster, it is creating a stir for its very funky rootop bar, below:

The full list of hotels included is:

• ME London
• ME Madrid
• ME Cancun
• ME Cabo
• Gran Melia Fenix, Madrid
• Gran Melia Don Pepe, Marbella
• Gran Melia Colon, Seville
• Gran Melia Victoria, Mallorca (stayed there, very nice)
• Gran Melia Palacio de Isora, Tenerife
• Gran Melia Villa Agrippina, Rome
• Gran Melia Puerto Rico

These are all very nice properties, in theory.  Gran Melia is the top tier of the Melia brand portfolio, whilst ME is their ‘W-style’ lifestyle brand.

Even better, the Fenix in Madrid is a member of American Express Fine Hotels & Resorts.  The rules specifically state that FHR benefits ARE included in your free night, so if you stay at the Fenix (and only the Fenix) you will also receive:

• Noon check-in
• 4pm check-out
• Free breakfast for two people
• Free lunch or dinner for two people (excluding alcoholic drinks)
• Room upgrade on arrival if available

I like the sound of this one!

You can book from now until 30th November, for travel dates between 1st July and 30th November.

Full details, including some black-out dates, can be found here (link deleted as now dead).

It is not clear if you still need to have the Platinum card when you do your free stay.  One person who booked last week was told that the hotel would charge the stay to his card and then Amex would automatically cancel it, but I don’t believe this as Amex would not know the underlying room rate.  My guess is that you probably could get away with it if you had cancelled your card, but I wouldn’t personally risk it.

If you signed up for Amex Platinum now, you would still be able to take part in this promotion.  Don’t forget that you also receive 30,000 Membership Rewards points for signing up, worth 30,000 Avios points.

My full review of Amex Platinum can be found here, and full details of the 30,000 Avios sign-up bonus can be found here.  The Amex home page for the card is here.

How to get MeliaRewards Gold status from American Express (December 2024)

Do you know that holders of The Platinum Card from American Express receive FREE MeliaRewards Gold status for as long as they hold the card?  It also comes with Marriott Bonvoy Gold, Hilton Honors Gold and Radisson Rewards Premium status.

We reviewed American Express Platinum in detail here and you can apply here.

You can discover the benefits of MeliaRewards Gold status on the Melia website here. It includes three vouchers per year worth 20% off any booking.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 14th January 2025, the sign-up bonus on The Platinum Card from American Express is increased to 80,000 Membership Rewards points. This converts into 80,000 Avios! The spend requirement is changed to £10,000 in six months for this offer. Click here to apply.

The Platinum Card from American Express

Huge 80,000 bonus points and great travel benefits – for a large fee Read our full review

Small business owners may want to consider American Express Business Platinum instead:

American Express Business Platinum

50,000 points when you sign-up and an annual £200 Amex Travel credit Read our full review

(Want to earn more hotel points?  Click here to see our complete list of promotions from the major hotel chains or use the ‘Hotel Offers’ link in the menu bar at the top of the page.)