How I Turned My $300 AMEX Credit Into a 5-Star Staycation at Crown Towers for US$133.68
A one-night staycation with free breakfast, a French dinner, pre-dinner cocktails — and almost nothing out of pocket for our room
What if your $300 Amex credit could unlock a 5-star hotel stay with breakfast included?
If you have the US American Express Platinum Card, you already know about the $300 hotel travel credit.
You get this AMEX hotel credit twice a year—a total of US$600/year. This, is one of 26 benefits and perks that helps to offset the high annual premium credit fee of US$895. And if you haven’t used it yet, this essay is going to show you exactly what a simple US$300 hotel credit can unlock.
My husband and I used ours to book a one-night staycation at Crown Towers Perth.
It’s sits amongst the most luxurious hotels in Western Australia.
With the hotel credit applied, plus a complimentary breakfast for two and a US$100 hotel dining credit — our total out-of-pocket cost for our hotel room came to an alarmingly low cost of US$62.98.
For a five-star hotel. In Australia.
Here’s how the staycation went.
A Quick Note on Crown Towers
Crown Towers sits on the eastern banks of the Swan River, on the other side of Perth City—right in the heart of Burswood.
It opened in 2016 as part of the Crown Perth complex and quickly became the Perth’s most prestigious address. Think soaring ceilings, a grand marble lobby, cascading lagoon pools, a full spa, and some of Perth’s best restaurants — all under one roof.
If you’re visiting Perth for a holiday or just want to experience a little bit of lux, Crown Towers is the place to do it.
How the AMEX Booking Worked
The US American Express Platinum card comes with access to the Fine Hotels + Resorts (FHR) program.
Crown Towers is an FHR property.
Here’s what that gets you:
US$300 hotel credit (twice a year) applied directly to the room rate
Room upgrade at check-in, subject to availability
Complimentary breakfast for two, every morning of your stay
Early check-in (noon) and late check-out (4pm), subject to availability
US$100 hotel credit at the hotel during your stay (e.g. food, beverages, spa)
The room rate we booked was US$362.98 (around AU$490) per night.
After the US$300 credit was applied, we paid US$62.98 out of pocket for the room. Everything else — breakfast, hotel credit, room upgrade, early access and late checkout — came on top of that.
It’s one of the best value perks on the card. And most people even realise.
Checking In Early (No Lines, No Stress)
My husband and I left work at midday and arrived at Crown Towers around 12.30pm for check in.
The usual check-in time is 3pm, but because we booked through FHR, we were entitled to early check-in at 12pm.
This makes check in a much calmer and pleasant experience.
It cuts out all the stress and waiting with the crowd—when we could be relaxing in our room or the pool instead of waiting in line. The reception staff were friendly and efficient. Check in was quick and easy.
The lobby is stunning. High ceilings, warm lighting, polished marble floors. The kind of place that makes you slow down the moment you walk in.
We were upgraded to a Premier King room with city views — another FHR perk.
The room itself was spacious and well-appointed. Big windows framing the Perth skyline. A deep soaking bathtub. Plush bedding. The kind of room you don’t want to leave.
Burgers at Rockpool Bar and Grill
Rockpool Bar and Grill is one of Perth’s premier steakhouses. They do these great lunch special burgers that we’ve been meaning to try but never got around to it.
Since we came straight to Crown Towers after work, trying the burgers was the first thing we did after putting our bags away and changing into more comfortable clothing.
Rockpool offers two burgers, each for AU$23:
Rockpool Cheeseburger, Bacon, Dill Pickle
David Blackmore’s Wagyu Burger, Bacon, Gruyere, Zuni Pickle
We ordered both and went halfsies.
Each had its own unique flavouring, but if I had to pick, I preferred the classic Rockpool Cheeseburger over the fancier Wagyu burger. Honestly you can’t go wrong with either.
At AU$23 a burger, that’s bang for your buck.
The Pool: A Slow Afternoon Well Spent
After dropping our bags, we headed down to the pool.
Crown Towers has a multi-tiered lagoon pool setup. Beautiful to look at. It was a sunny day. The main pool was warm—perfect for floating around and doing nothing.
We found a spot in the shade and lounged for a bit to read. Once we needed to cool down, we headed to the main pool to hang out in the water. Followed by the adults-only spa pool, which was noticeably warmer and more relaxing.
Dinner was booked for 7.30pm so we had plenty of time to spend a couple of hours of our afternoon by the pool.
No rushing. No agenda. Just a slow, quiet afternoon by the water.
It’s exactly what a staycation should feel like.
Other Amenities at Crown Towers
Like many luxury hotels, Crown Towers has a well equipped gym and a full-service wellness spa. Both on the same level as the lagoon pools.
TWR Bar: Pre-Dinner Cocktails
Before dinner, we stopped into TWR Bar inside Crown Towers.
We’ve been there a few times in the past for pre-dinner drinks. A sleek and beautifully designed bar. Dark tones, great lighting, an impressive cocktail menu.
We ordered two cocktails, found a spot to sit, and just talked while listening to the live piano music.
The cocktails were creative and well-made. Not cheap. But absolutely worth it for the setting and art of beautiful cocktails.
If you’re doing a staycation here, build in time for TWR. It’s a lovely way to start the evening.
Dinner at Bistro Guillaume
Our US$100 hotel dining credit converted to approximately AU$135.
We used it at Bistro Guillaume — a French restaurant inside Crown Towers. We ordered:
Duck leg confit
Mussels with fries
Paris mash
A beer and a glass of rosé
I had the duck leg confit and it was the highlight. Tender, fall-off-the-bone, with crispy skin and a rich creamy sauce loaded with chunky pancetta and Brussels sprouts. One of the better duck dishes I’ve had in Perth.
My husband ordered the mussels and fries. I’m not usually a mussels person, but I tried a few of my husband’s. They were tasty. The fries that came with them were excellent—I’m a sucker for any potato side dishes.
Which brings me to the Paris mash. That was the quiet star of our dishes.
Soft. Creamy. Perfectly seasoned. Definitely the kind of side dish I would order over and over if I could.
The full restaurant bill came to AU$137. After apply our AU$135 FHR hotel credit, we literally paid AU$2 out of pocket for the whole dinner!
It was a genuinely great meal. And for AU$2, it was absurd value.
One important Note: Sadly, Bistro Guillaume just permanently closed in April 2025.
But the good news is Crown Perth has no shortage of great restaurants to try:
For a casual, relaxed dinner:
Atrium Buffet or Epicurean — both offer an extensive spread of dishes across multiple cuisines. Great if you want variety and a lot of food. Eventhough breakfast at Epicurean is already included in your FHR booking, the dinner and breakfast menus are different so you won’t feel like you’re eating the same food twice.
For a more elevated dinner experience:
Nobu — Japanese cuisine with a modern twist. Known for its signature black cod miso and rock shrimp tempura. A highly well-regarded restaurant that’s hard to get a booking at, so make sure you book in advance.
Modo Mio — Classic Italian done well. Think handmade pasta, rich sauces, and a warm, inviting atmosphere. A solid choice if you want something comforting but still refined.
Breakfast at Epicurean
Epicurean is Crown Towers’ buffet breakfast restaurant.
Normally AU$62.98 per person. That’s AU$125.96 for two—saved.
We paid nothing. It was included as part of our FHR booking.
The spread was impressive. Hot dishes, a full pastry section, fresh fruit, made-to-order eggs, juices, coffee. Everything you’d expect from a five-star breakfast — and then some.
We took our time. No rushing off to catch a flight or make a meeting. Just a long, leisurely breakfast before late checkout.
It felt indulgent in the best possible way.
I’m not a big fan of buffet style meals, but Epicurean had something for everyone—highly recommend.
Overall Service at Crown Towers
Everyone we interacted with, from check in through to restaurant wait staff were friendly and warm, without being over the top.
Check-in was smooth. The pool staff were helpful. The bar team at TWR knew their menu. Dinner service at Bistro Guillaume was relaxed and professional.
The Final Tally
When I booked a night at Crown Towers, I didn’t expect it to cost me just over US$100.
Here’s exactly how the numbers broke down:
Room (Premier King, city view)—Valued at US$362.98 and we paid US$62.98.
Lunch at Rockpool—We paid AU$46
Breakfast x2 at Epicurean—Valued at AU$62.98 and we paid nothing
Pre-dinner drinks at TWR—We paid AU$53
Dinner at Bistro Guillaume—Valued at AU$137 and we paid AU$2
Room upgrade—complimentary
Early check-in and late check-out —complimentary
Total out of pocket: US$133.68
For a night at Crown Towers Perth. With breakfast. And a French dinner.
The AMEX $300 Credit Is Worth Using Properly
Not every hotel on AMEX Travel that’s part of the FHR program is worth your dollar. A lot of people have the AMEX Platinum but don’t use the FHR program to its full potential.
They might book an overpriced hotel on AMEX travel or they might not maximise the perks and credits they get as part of the FHR program.
Turning a luxury hotel stay into a low-cost getaway is easier than it sounds when you book the right hotel at the right price.
The breakfast alone at Crown Towers is worth AU$125.96. The dining credit covers most of your dinner. The upgrade and early check-in make the experience feel genuinely premium.
Stacked together, the room and these perks turns it into a full staycation experience that costs you less than US$133.68.
If you’re visiting Perth — whether you live elsewhere in Australia or you’re travelling from overseas — Crown Towers is worth considering for at least one night. Especially if you have the card to make it almost free.
Keep Your Credit Cards, Points and Credits Organised
One thing I’ve learned from my years of using credit cards and points and miles to travel more for less:
Staying organised makes it easier to actually use your credits before they expire, make sure your annual fees are worth it and maximise the use of your benefits and perks.
I track all our credit card, benefits, perks, points balances, and redemptions inside a Credit cards and Points command centre I built in Notion, specifically for this.
If I didn’t, I could have easily forgotten about this $300 AMEX hotel credit and miss out on this amazing experience.
It shows me exactly when each credit resets, what I’ve used, and what’s still available.
I’m turning that system into a template — Points Hub Pro— a dedicated system for to stay on top of your points & miles game stress-free and debt-free.
If you’re the kind of person who collects points across multiple cards and programs—even multiple countries if you’re an expat— and wants one clean place to track it all, join the waitlist below.
p.s. Early birds get a discount when it launches!
One Last Thought Before You Go…
If you have the AMEX Platinum card, don’t sleep on your $300 hotel credit or FHR perks.
Have you used your hotel credit somewhere you’d recommend? Drop it in the comments — I’d love to hear how you’ve used yours.
Until next time, happy travelling!
Janice.
Creating memorable experiences is a smart use of your time and money.
I’m on a mission to help you how to unlock premium flights & hotels with points, capture photos worth framing and plan every trip without the chaos—stress-free and debt-free.
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I’m a Travel Writer, Photographer and Notion Consultant based in Perth, Australia. Got questions, comments or just a chat? Email me at hello@travellinglens.co.
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Love this! I shared with my husband - to paint a picture of what is possible!
That view of the pool from the lobby is fantastic. Using the Amex credit for a staycation like this is such a smart move.