American Express just quietly added an interesting new hotel partner: Leading Hotels of the World (LHW) Leaders Club is now a transfer partner, at a 4:1 ratio.
That's a nice reversal after a stretch of diminishing transfer partners, bringing Amex's full roster to 20, four of which are now hotel programs. The news was first flagged by Award Wallet.
Here's why this one's worth paying attention to: Citi is the only other bank that transfers to LHW, and it does so at a noticeably worse 5:1 ratio. So if you're holding both Amex Membership Rewards and Citi ThankYou points, Amex just became the easy answer for anyone booking a Leaders Club property. Travelers with popular cards like the *amex gold* or the *amex platinum* can put this new partner to use right away.
Yes, a 4:1 ratio still means you're handing over 10,000 Amex points to land just 2,500 Leaders Club points – not the kind of ratio that turns heads on its own. But don't let that scare you off – it doesn't take a big balance to get real value out of Leading Hotels of the World.
I ran the numbers across a modest sampling of properties around the globe, and Amex points transferred into Leaders Club were worth somewhere between 1.4 and 2.5 cents per point – with most hotels clearing a 2-cent-per-point floor. That's genuinely exciting, and an easy way to stretch your points further the next time you're booking a luxury hotel stay.
If you're not familiar with LHW, think of it less as a hotel brand and more as a loosely connected network of 400-plus luxury properties across 80 different countries. There's no consistent look or feel, the way you'd get from a Hyatt Regency or a Westin – each hotel operates independently, joining LHW for the marketing reach and the loyalty program. It's a similar model to Hilton's Small Luxury Hotels (SLH) partnership, though LHW properties generally skew even more upscale.
Read on for everything you need to know about this new partnership – how to use Amex points to book these hotels, and the full rundown on Leaders Club.
A Brief Overview of LHW & Leaders Club
With Leading Hotels of the World, no two properties are alike. Again, each of these hotels is independently owned and operated, so you won't find a cookie-cutter experience at any one of them. If high-end, boutique-esque hotels are what you're after, LHW is for you.
Through its Leaders Club rewards program, everyday members get additional benefits that most hotel chains reserve for top-tier elites. Just for opening an account, you'll earn 1x points per dollar spent on LHW hotels, enjoy a daily continental breakfast for two, get early check-in and late check-out considerations, and get upgrade priority on arrival. In your first year as a Leaders Club member, it's even better because you can unlock a pre-arrival upgrade after your first paid stay, and then receive another one annually.
If you go all in with Leaders Club, you can earn Sterling Club status after spending $5,000 over the course of a calendar year. This unlocks bonus point-earning on paid rates, five pre-arrival upgrades per year, and SIXT Platinum rental car status.
While the spending requirement to earn Sterling Club status isn't insurmountable, there isn't much that differentiates it from general membership, aside from the five pre-arrival upgrades. That said, after a major refresh last fall, the *amex platinum* now provides complimentary Sterling Club status for cardholders.
Most travelers with hotel status elsewhere will do just fine as a general member – and given the value you can get from transferring Amex points, it might be worth looking away from your beloved chain the next time you go to book.
So, What's Possible With Leaders Club Points?
Let's get one thing clear: LHW can't compete with Marriott, Hilton, IHG, or even Hyatt on scale. With only 400 (or so) properties worldwide, your next Leaders Club hotel search might only return one or two results … or even come up empty.
But what it lacks in reach, it makes up for in quality with some really unique, high-end properties that the big dogs can't match. What's more, LHW allows members to book a wide variety of room types – including suites – with points. Since Leaders Club uses a dynamic pricing model, loosely tied to the cash price, it'll cost more points when you do, but this generally isn't possible with most hotel chains, or the prices are pretty astronomical.
Given the (generally) solid value you can get from Leaders Club points, picking an upgraded room means you're not sacrificing the outsized value you get from your points.
Let's take a look at a few examples.
The Kahala Hotel & Resort (Hawaii)
Everyone wants to go to Hawaii – and for good reason – but hotels here aren't cheap. Even a basic Courtyard by Marriott in Waikiki will cost you 57,000 points (plus a $35 destination fee) per night for a stay this fall.
Marriott is a 1:1 Amex transfer partner, so if you didn't already have a stash of Bonvoy points, you'd need to transfer the full 57,000 from Amex to book.
But head up the coast a little bit – away from the hustle and bustle of Waikiki – and you can book a stay at the Kahala Hotel & Resort for just 6,297 Leaders Club points per night. With Amex's 4:1 transfer ratio, that's just north of 25,000 Amex points for a much, much nicer hotel.
With the cash rate for a four-night stay here clocking in at just shy of $2,400, you're getting nearly 2.4 cents per value from your Amex points.
Given the choice between redeeming 57,000 Amex points for a Courtyard and 25,000 for the Kahala on my next visit to Oahu, I know which one I'm choosing.
Sun Gardens Dubrovnik
On a recent trip to Croatia, I actually considered booking the Sun Gardens Dubrovnik through Capital One Travel's “Lifestyle Collection” for added benefits like a $100 property credit and a chance at a room upgrade.
At the time, I had no idea it was an LHW property – but after checking the award rates, it's definitely on my list for a return visit. Looking at a four-night stay this October – no doubt the offseason in Croatia – you can book a room here for as few as 2,337 Leaders Club points per night.
With Amex's 4:1 transfer ratio, that's less than 10,000 points per night – or just 38,000 points for a four-night stay that would otherwise cost nearly $800 if paying cash. At 2 cents per point, it's not quite the same kind of value you're getting in the example above, but it's still pretty solid.
Imperial Hotel, Tokyo
If you've got your sights set on a trip to Japan, hotels here are almost as outrageously priced as Hawaii – actually, they might be even worse. But don't worry, a stash of Leaders Club points – or Amex points – can help you out here, too.
Just 4,858 points are all you'd need to book a night at the Imperial Hotel, Tokyo, overlooking the city's historic Imperial Palace. That's just under 20,000 Amex points for a stay that would otherwise cost nearly $500 per night if you're paying cash.
At 2.5 cents per point, this was the most valuable redemption of all the hotels I searched. In fact, I'm heading to Japan later this year and am seriously considering booking this hotel for myself with this new transfer option.
The Hotel Chelsea (New York City)
Maybe a weekend in the Big Apple is more your speed. Leading Hotels of the World has a handful of properties to choose from here.
The historic Hotel Chelsea (not surprisingly, located in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan) is available for 11,188 points per night.
While that's quite a bit steeper than any of the other properties on this list – 45,000 Amex points – it sure beats the $1,000-plus cash price. In this case, you're still getting a respectable 2.3 cents for each of your Amex points.
Bottom Line
Amex's new transfer partnership with Leading Hotels of the World's Leaders Club is a welcome breath of fresh air. Even after accounting for the reduced 4:1 transfer ratio, there's real value here – routinely 2 cents per point or better, and as high as 2.5 cents at properties.
If you've got Amex points sitting around and a taste for boutique luxury hotels, this partnership is worth putting to use.
Featured image courtesy of Leading Hotels of the World
