Tl;dr – Amex has unveiled a new round of targeted offers with the luxury hospitality association.
Amex has a targeted merchant offer out for Relais & Châteaux, where you can receive a $100 statement credit when you spend $500 or more at participating Relais & Châteaux properties in the US, Canada, and Europe.
Relais & Châteaux has quite a robust roster of luxury properties, many of which are ‘bucket-listy’.
However, here’s the kicker that caught my eye: as Relais & Châteaux is an association of individually owned and operated luxury hotels and restaurants, it appears that this merchant offer is valid on reservations at several Relais & Châteaux dining institutions, including multiple two and three-star restaurants.
Peep the participating properties list here:
Restaurants Arzak and Akelarre in San Sebastian? Mirazur in Paris? Da Vittorio in Italy? Dal Pescatore, also in Italy? Canlis in Seattle? Eleven Madison Park and Jean-Georges? The Meadowood Napa Valley?
All of the above are listed as participating ‘properties’.
Back in 2018, I did the ‘B-to-B’ Michelin tour, a two-week jaunt from Barcelona to Bilbao, which included meals at both Arzak and Akelarre.
Saving $100 on an extravagant meal for two at one of these depots could be a great look.
Right? RIGHT?
Hold the phone. The terms and conditions state that the deal “Excludes restaurants and any service or amenity not charged to a room.”
So help me understand what’s going on here, Amex. Though the list of participating properties squarely identifies several restaurant-only properties, they presumably won’t qualify? Amex, what are we doing here?
I have to believe this is an oversight, and these restaurants do, in fact, qualify. That said, perhaps I’ll go ahead and playtest this to find out for myself.
Reservations must be made directly through Relais & Châteaux online (relaischateaux.com), by phone at 1-800-735-2478, or through the Relais & Châteaux app. You’ll, of course, want to add this offer to your card and use that same card when booking your reservation, paying or your stay/meal. A quick phone call to Amex may be enough to resolve this issue.
