If you’ve been following along for a while now, you know we’re big fans of the American Express Platinum card for travel. Recently, we’ve found the $200 Fine Hotels + Resorts or The Hotel Collection annual credit to come in handy when we have an extra day or two in a city before our flight to our next destination.
Recently we got to redeem our $200 credit at the Umbral Curio Collection in Mexico City, El Centro District. We’re sharing our take on redeeming your credit in Mexico City, our thoughts on the hotel and overall if we would stay again!
What is the AMEX Platinum Benefit?
If you own an AMEX Platinum card, you have access to a $200 credit towards any hotel in the Fine Hotels and Resorts or Hotel Collection when booking through AMEX. This $200 credit is applied to the stay itself (must be a two-stay minimum).
Upon arrival at the hotel, you also will receive a $100 credit to use at the hotel typically valid for restaurants (including room service), parking, laundry and other hotel services. Most places we’ve stayed spas and tips are not included in this. Additionally, properties will typically also provide a free breakfast which is in addition $100 credit given. For example, we used our $100 credit mainly on room service, happy hour, and a dinner.
If room upgrades are available at the time of your stay, you will also receive a complimentary room upgrade (just enroll into the Hilton Gold status program with your American Express Platinum card).
The Property
We had a 2-night stay at the Umbral where we used our $200 AMEX Platinum hotel credit. Our stay ended up being free since this was covered by the credit! Overall the property was small but beautiful with a historic vibe. Centered in El Centro, one of the oldest parts of CDMX you’re in a central location to big tourist sites like Zocalo, Pasteleria Ideal, and the famous Los Cocuyos.
The hotel had a pool on the top floor and three restaurants (during our stay only one was open). There was also a gym which was open 24-hours (probably only big enough for one party at a time. We used both the pool and the gym and thought they were nice perks to our stay.
While we didn’t use it, the hotel also had on-site COVID tests for re-entry back to the US which is a definite plus for travelers.
The Room
We were upgraded to a room with an indoor balcony and probably the most amazing shower we’ve ever been in. There were definitely room perks like fancy hand sanitizer, espresso machine, a work desk and nice toiletries. We stayed on the 2nd floor facing inward of the hotel which we found to be quiet despite on a busy road. The 4th floor was another option but that’s closer to the restaurant and pool level so we opted for a lower floor.
The room was comfortable, spacious, and quiet. The bed was super comfortable and again the highlight was the shower and bathroom!
Spending the $100 Credit
It may sound crazy but we found it hard to spend our $100 credit at this hotel! Mainly because we were paying MXN Peso pricing so dishes were already affordable. We ended up purchasing a happy hour meal including a hummus plate and smoothies ($395 MXN, $20 USD), a nice dinner for two ($575 MXN, $28), and breakfast room service to spend the remaining credit ($753 MXN, $37 USD).
We were totally not used to room service but thought it was a fun experience which we only did because we had so much credit left! Be sure to tip for the delivery because that is not included in the $100 credit.
Overall Thoughts
We hadn’t thought about using our AMEX credit aboard until this trip came along and we are so happy we did! Hotels in the US can be expensive, so the credit went way further here than if we were to redeem in the US. I definitely recommend this property if you’re visiting CDMX only for a couple days and want to stay somewhere to enjoy the property. If you’re staying in CDMX for a longer period of time, check out the more neighborhood districts like La Roma and La Condesa.
Overall, this property was extremely worth the value of the $200 AMEX credit and it was such a treat!
If you’re interested in applying for the American Express Platinum card feel free to use my referral link here.
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