Apr 15 (edited) • 🏆 Wins & Trip Reports
THE AMERICAN CLUB: HOW WE TURNED ONE AMEX CREDIT INTO A LUXURY THANKSGIVING ESCAPE FOR $225
There is something quietly powerful about walking into a five-diamond
resort in the middle of a snowstorm knowing you paid a fraction of
what the room is worth. That was the feeling my wife and I had on the
evening of November 26th, 2025, when we pulled up to The American Club
in Kohler, Wisconsin — exhausted from a three-hour white-knuckle drive
through the season's first blizzard, and completely floored by what
was waiting for us on the other side of those doors.
This is the story of a one-night Thanksgiving getaway that cost us
$225.47 out of pocket — on a trip worth $625.47 in real value.
And it all came down to one card benefit most people never use
correctly.
THE DECISION
My wife and I have a five-month-old son. That alone changes the
calculus on travel. Long international trips require a different kind
of planning now — but a one-night escape to somewhere genuinely
special? That felt achievable.
We had heard about The American Club through the Fine Hotels and
Resorts program on our Amex Platinum. A quick search confirmed why
it had earned its reputation. The Midwest's only AAA Five Diamond
Resort Hotel. A member of Historic Hotels of America. Consistently
ranked among the Top 100 Golf Resorts in the world. And it sits
just two hours from home in Kohler, Wisconsin — the headquarters
of Kohler Co., the iconic American manufacturer best known for
its kitchen and bath products.
The date was set for November 26th — the night before Thanksgiving,
with family plans locked in for the 27th. One night. One great hotel.
A chance to breathe before the holiday.
THE MATH BEFORE THE TRIP
Room rate for November 26th: $391.17.
Here is where the strategy starts. Every American Express Platinum
card comes with a $600 annual Fine Hotels and Resorts credit —
split as $300 in the first half of the year and $300 in the second.
To receive the credit, you book through the FHR program and pay
in full upfront. Amex reimburses the $300 to your account within
a few days.
availability, then booked directly through the American Express
Travel portal. The $300 credit posted to my account a few days
later. My actual cost for the room: $91.17.
From a pure return standpoint: I spent $91.17 and received $391.17
in hotel value. That is a 329% return on cash out of pocket,
offsetting nearly 77% of the total room cost.
That is what a properly used card credit looks like.
THE DRIVE
We left home in clear weather. By the time we hit the highway it was
snowing. By the time we reached the outskirts of Kohler it was a full
blizzard — the first significant snowfall of the season announcing
itself in the most dramatic way possible. A drive that should have
taken two hours stretched to just over three, with road conditions
that demanded full attention.
We arrived at The American Club a little tense and a lot relieved.
Then we saw the property.
ARRIVAL
Pulling onto the grounds of The American Club for the first time
is a genuine moment. The building has the kind of presence that
stops you mid-sentence. A Tudor-style historic landmark set against
snow-covered grounds, lit warmly against the dark winter sky.
We handed the car to the valet — the service was seamless from
the first interaction — and walked inside.
The interior of The American Club carries that rare quality of
luxury that does not announce itself loudly. It is warm, unhurried,
and immaculately detailed. There is a nostalgic richness to the
design — dark wood, soft lighting, historic photography — that
makes it feel less like a hotel and more like a private estate that
happens to welcome guests.
We checked in, and a bellman escorted us to our room.
THE ROOM
Opening the door was one of those travel moments you file away
permanently.
The room was spacious in a way that mid-range hotels simply cannot
replicate — not just in square footage but in the quality of every
surface, every finish, every detail. Waiting for us was a welcome
letter from American Express and a complimentary bottle of wine,
a standard FHR amenity that lands differently when the setting
is this good.
And then there was the bathroom.
Remember — Kohler, Wisconsin is the hometown of Kohler Co.
The plumbing fixtures throughout The American Club are, unsurprisingly,
exceptional. Our bathroom featured a deep soaking tub with what felt
like an unreasonable number of jets and a walk-in shower with six
to eight shower heads operating simultaneously. It was, by any
reasonable standard, the best shower I have ever taken. I went back
for a second one before bed.
DINNER AT THE WISCONSIN ROOM
That evening we dressed for dinner and made our way to The Wisconsin
Room — the resort's signature fine dining restaurant. The space is
exactly what the name suggests: elegant, thoughtfully appointed,
and thoroughly Midwestern in the best possible interpretation of
that word.
We started with cocktails and spent some time with the menu. The
selection is serious — this is not resort restaurant food designed
to be inoffensive. This is a kitchen with a clear point of view.
For appetizers we ordered the Escargot à la Bourguignonne and
the Maine Lobster Truffle Mac and Cheese. The presentations were
striking. The flavors were exceptional. For the main course I
ordered the Kagoshima Kuroge A5 Wagyu Beef — a cut that needs
almost nothing done to it to be extraordinary. My wife ordered
the Jumbo Shrimp Cocktail. We ate well. More than well.
The dinner total: $234.30, charged to the room.
Here is where the second benefit activated. When you book a Fine
Hotels and Resorts property through Amex Platinum you receive a
$100 property credit applicable to eligible on-site charges —
dining, spa, activities. That credit applied directly to our dinner.
Net dinner cost: $134.30.
Return on the dining credit: 74%, offsetting 43% of the total bill.
THANKSGIVING MORNING
We woke up to the knowledge that breakfast for two was included —
another standard FHR benefit. We returned to The Wisconsin Room.
The breakfast was, in keeping with everything that had come before,
exceptional. The presentation alone would have made it memorable.
The food made it one of the better breakfast experiences either
of us could recall.
After the meal we packed up, said goodbye to the property, and
began the drive home. Thanksgiving with family was waiting.
The baby had been a complete champion throughout.
THE COMPLETE PICTURE
Here is how the numbers fell across the entire stay:
Room rate: $391.17
FHR credit applied: -$300.00
Out-of-pocket for room: $91.17
Dinner: $234.30
Property credit applied: -$100.00
Out-of-pocket for dinner: $134.30
Total out-of-pocket for the trip: $225.47
Total value received: $625.47
Blended return on cash spent: 177%
For every $1 I spent on this trip, I received $2.77 in value.
That is not a rounding error or an accounting trick.
That is the Fine Hotels and Resorts benefit working exactly
as designed — when you know how to use it.
THE LESSON
The American Express Platinum carries an $895 annual fee. I hear
from beginners all the time that the fee sounds impossible to justify.
This one trip — a single night at a single property — returned
$400 in concrete value through two credits most cardholders
either do not know about or do not use.
The FHR credit does not automatically apply. You have to book
through the program. You have to pay in full. You have to know
the property qualifies. These are not difficult steps — but they
require knowing the steps exist in the first place.
That is what this community is for.
The American Club is an extraordinary property and I would
recommend it without hesitation to anyone in the Midwest looking
for a genuine luxury experience. But the deeper takeaway is not
about this specific hotel. It is about the habit of checking what
your cards offer before you book anything.
The right booking, through the right program, on the right card
turns a $391 room into a $91 room. That math does not require
you to be wealthy. It requires you to be informed.
That is exactly what we are building here.
— Izzy Hernandez
Founder, The Upgrade Life
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THE AMERICAN CLUB: HOW WE TURNED ONE AMEX CREDIT INTO A LUXURY THANKSGIVING ESCAPE FOR $225
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