Leading Hotels of the World award nights can look free when you see the points price, but there’s an important catch: Leaders Club points generally cover the room rate, not applicable taxes and fees. Depending on the hotel, that can mean anything from little or no additional cash to hundreds of dollars.

The frustrating part is that LHW may not show the award’s cash portion if you don’t already have enough Leaders Club points to book it. There’s some tricks to figure it out, but you can find easily find those fees by using the LHWMaxxer tool.

The LHWMaxxer not only shows you points rates and cash rates, but also taxes and fees attached to your award stays. It's the only tool out there that allows you to do this.

TL;DR

• Leaders Club points cover the eligible room rate, while you remain responsible for applicable taxes and fees.

• Always consider the points + cash due when calculating the value of an LHW redemption.

• Use LHWMaxxer to find low award rates and potential taxes & fees.

How to Find Leading Hotels Award Taxes and Fees with LHWMaxxer

The easiest the way to find Leading Hotels award taxes and fees is through the LHWMaxxer. When you click on a particular property, it will show you the cash rate, but also the points rate with potential taxes and fees on the award.

When you go into LHWMaxxer, you can click on a particular hotel and toggle the taxes and fees button, and it will show you potential taxes and fees on an award rate.

For example, this hotel in Tenerife, an island off the coast of Spain, has minimal taxes and fees. Other hotels can have pretty significant taxes and fees, so you need to think about that when doing your cents-per-point value. What's cool is that there are around 40% of hotels with Leading Hotels of the World that don't have any taxes and fees.

The Britannia Hotel in Norway is a great example of that. No taxes & fees!

Here's how to check LHW taxes and fees quick and easy: Search LHWMaxxer for your hotel and exact travel dates and toggle for taxes & fees.

LHWMaxxer is the fastest and most convenient way to check taxes and fees on award stays. Manually checking can be a hassle and time consuming.

If you would like to manually estimate/check the taxes & fees, here are the steps:

1. Search the property’s cash rate for the night of your intended award stay

2. Add the night to your cart and continue to the booking process

3. At the final checkout stage, you’ll see the taxes and fees

These fees can vary by room & night, so you’ll want to make sure the room types are close to being the same.

Why you shouldn't transfer points first

Don't transfer credit card points just to reach the final LHW booking screen.

American Express currently transfers Membership Rewards points to Leaders Club at a 4:1 ratio, meaning 1,000 Membership Rewards points become 250 Leaders Club points.

Before transferring, confirm three things: award availability, the Leaders Club points requirement and your cash obligation. The nice thing is that you can do this all with the LHWMaxxer.

That prevents you from moving flexible points into Leaders Club only to discover that the award has higher taxes and fees than expected.

Examples of Leading Hotels Award Taxes and Fees

These examples show how different the cash portion of an LHW award can be.

*Note: these are not live taxes & fees. Use as an approximation, not final say. Always check the Leading Hotels site for final taxes & fees.

The Paris examples are particularly useful. A four-night Ritz Paris award was documented with under €100 in city tax, while Fauchon L'Hôtel Paris had substantially higher separately charged VAT.

How to Calculate the Real Value of an LHW Award Redemption

Cents per point is critical to everything.

The formula: Value covered by points = (comparable cash price – cash charges due on the award) / number of points required

For example, imagine a stay costs $600 cash including taxes, but the award redemption costs:

• 6,000 Leaders Club points

• $100 in taxes and fees on the award

Your points aren't replacing a $600 expense. They're replacing approximately $500 (since you need to factor in the taxes and fees).

That works out to:

$500 ÷ 6,000 = about 8.3 cents per Leaders Club point

If you transferred Amex points at a 4:1 ratio, you'd need 24,000 Membership Rewards points.

Your effective value would therefore be:

$500 ÷ 24,000 = about 2.08 cents per Amex point

Pretty solid value!

Common Mistakes With LHW Award Taxes and Fees

The biggest mistake is assuming award nights don’t charge any taxes and fees. This isn’t Hyatt (sorry). About 60% of LHW properties charge additional fees on top of the award redemption.

LHW specifies that points cover the room rate, while applicable taxes, fees and other expenses can remain your responsibility.

Final Thoughts on Leading Hotels Award Taxes and Fees

Finding Leading Hotels award taxes and fees takes an extra step because the points price doesn't necessarily represent your entire cost. Leaders Club points cover the eligible room rate, while applicable taxes, fees and certain other costs may remain your responsibility.

In order to see the taxes and fees on an LHW award, check LHWMaxxer on a particular property. You can also double-check directly on Leading Hotels of the World's site when looking at the taxes and fees in the cash rate.

Use LHWMaxxer to identify attractive award prices first, then compare the points requirement and cash charges together. That's the best way to determine whether an LHW award is actually a good redemption.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do Leading Hotels award stays have taxes and fees?

Yes. LHW award stays can require cash payments in addition to Leaders Club points. LHW's terms state that members remain responsible for applicable taxes and fees associated with redemption nights. The amount varies by property and destination, so an award shouldn't automatically be treated as a completely free night.

How can I see LHW award taxes if I don't have enough points?

The LHWMaxxer shows all potential award taxes and fees. You can also double-check directly on Leading Hotels of the World's site when looking at the taxes and fees in the cash rate.

Do Leaders Club points cover resort fees?

Don't assume a mandatory hotel charge will disappear on an award. LHW states that points apply to the Member Hotel room rate, while applicable taxes, fees, hotel services and incidentals can remain the member's responsibility. Check the specific property's booking terms for any mandatory charges.

Should I transfer Amex points before checking the taxes?

No. Confirm award availability, the Leaders Club points requirement and the expected cash portion first. You can do this all with LHWMaxxer. American Express currently transfers Membership Rewards points to Leaders Club at a 4:1 ratio. Because transfer rates can change, check the live ratio in your Membership Rewards account before moving points.

Are Leading Hotels award taxes the same at every hotel?

No. Taxes and fees can vary substantially between Leading Hotels properties, including hotels in the same city. Local tax rules, VAT and individual hotel rate structures can all affect the amount due. Always check the specific property and dates rather than applying a generic tax percentage to every LHW award.