Leading Hotels of the World

Leading Hotels of the World Map: Find LHW Hotels and Book Them With Amex Points

Luxury hotels that aren't part of a big chain are hard to find

Some of the world's best hotels don't belong to Marriott, Hilton or Hyatt. Places like Le Sirenuse in Positano, the Ritz Paris or Adare Manor in Ireland are independent, so they don't show up when you search a chain's app for a points stay.

Many of them do belong to The Leading Hotels of the World (LHW), a collection of independent luxury hotels with its own loyalty program, Leaders Club. And since July 28, 2026, you can transfer American Express Membership Rewards points to Leaders Club, which makes these hotels bookable with points you may already have.

The LHW Hotel Map puts all 470 LHW hotels in 78 countries and territories on one map, with filters for what you actually care about: a beach, a Michelin-starred restaurant, an adults-only policy or ski access. Sign in and you'll also see the lowest nightly rate we found for each hotel.

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How to use the LHW Hotel Map

1. Search by hotel, city or country. Type "Amalfi", "Tokyo" or a hotel name. The search matches hotel names and addresses, so partial words work too.

2. Filter by features. Open Filters and choose from 41 property features, such as Beach Resort, Wine region, Adults Only, All-Inclusive, Snow Skiing or 2-Michelin Starred Restaurant. Pick more than one and you'll only see hotels that have all of them.

3. Switch between Map View and Search View. The map clusters hotels by region; zoom in to see individual properties. On a large screen, the Properties in view panel lists every hotel in the area you're looking at. Search View shows the same results as cards.

4. Sign in to see and sort by price. With a free AwardHack account, each hotel shows the lowest nightly rate we found and the date it applies to, and you can sort from lowest to highest price (or the reverse).

5. Open a hotel for details. You'll see the address, amenities, every property feature and a button to book on the Leading Hotels of the World website.

Tip: Your search, filters, sort and view are saved in the URL. Use Share to copy a link and send a shortlist to whoever you're traveling with.

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How Amex to Leaders Club transfers work

Leaders Club is the fourth hotel program you can transfer Amex points to, alongside Hilton Honors, Marriott Bonvoy and Choice Privileges. It's also the only one built around independent luxury hotels instead of a chain.

Before Amex joined, Citi ThankYou was the main way to move flexible points into Leaders Club, at a weaker 5:1. If you have both currencies, Amex usually gets you 25% more Leaders Club points per point transferred, unless Citi is running a transfer bonus. Check the Transfer Bonus tracker before you move points, and the Transfer Tool to compare ratios and transfer times across programs.

Transfers are one-way. Once Amex points become Leaders Club points, you can't move them back. Find your dates and the points price on LHW.com before you transfer.

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Is 4:1 a bad ratio? Do the math first

A 4:1 ratio looks terrible next to Amex's 1:1 airline partners. But the ratio only matters relative to what each point buys.

Leaders Club award stays are dynamically priced: the points cost moves with the hotel's cash rate and demand, and there is no award chart. Frequent Miler and Upgraded Points both estimate Leaders Club points at about 8 cents each when redeemed for stays. At 4:1, that works out to roughly 2 cents per Amex point. At Citi's 5:1, the same estimate gives about 1.6 cents per Citi point.

That's an average, not a promise. Work out the value of your specific stay instead:

Cents per Amex point = cash price ÷ (Leaders Club points × 4) × 100

A worked example

Our data shows a lowest rate of $828 a night at Le Sirenuse in Positano, before taxes. Suppose LHW.com prices that same night at 10,000 Leaders Club points (a hypothetical number for illustration; check the real price for your dates).

• Leaders Club points needed: 10,000
• Amex points to transfer: 10,000 × 4 = 40,000
• Value per Amex point: $828 ÷ 40,000 = 2.07 cents

If the same night instead cost 14,000 Leaders Club points, you'd transfer 56,000 Amex points and get about 1.48 cents each. That's the kind of gap that decides whether a transfer is worth it. Upgraded Points reports that award nights start around 4,000 Leaders Club points (16,000 Amex points), so the cheapest hotels can need far fewer points than this example.

Check taxes and fees too. Cardholders have reported cash taxes and fees on some award bookings, which vary by country and hotel. Compare the all-in cost of the award against the all-in cash price.

Not sure how you value Amex points to begin with? The Points Valuator and Points vs Cash calculator help you decide whether a redemption beats paying cash.

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Amex Platinum cardholders get Leaders Club Sterling status

The Amex Platinum and Business Platinum include complimentary Leaders Club Sterling status (enrollment required). Sterling is the program's elite tier, which normally takes $5,000 in qualifying stays in a calendar year. Benefits include:

• Daily continental breakfast for two
• Five confirmed pre-arrival room upgrades per membership year (suites and villas excluded)
• Upgrade priority at arrival, based on availability
• A 5% bonus on Leaders Club points earned from stays
• Complimentary Wi-Fi
• Early check-in and late checkout consideration, not guaranteed
• Sixt Platinum car rental status

A few rules matter. Leaders Club benefits generally apply to eligible rates booked through LHW (LHW.com or LHW reservations), not rates booked directly with the hotel. Sterling benefits can't be combined with an Amex Fine Hotels + Resorts booking. And reports suggest the pre-arrival upgrades apply to paid stays, not award stays, so confirm with LHW if an upgrade is part of your plan.

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LHW, Fine Hotels + Resorts, or points?

Many LHW hotels can be booked three ways, and the best one depends on the stay:

• Through LHW with Sterling status: pay cash, earn Leaders Club points, get breakfast and a shot at a confirmed upgrade.
• Through Amex Fine Hotels + Resorts: pay cash and get FHR benefits like breakfast, a property credit and a room upgrade when available.
• With Leaders Club points: transfer Amex or Citi points and pay little or no cash for the room.

By our count, at least 228 of the 470 LHW hotels, about half, also appear in our Amex Fine Hotels + Resorts data. Compare them on the Amex FHR map, or see LHW, FHR and other premium hotel programs side by side on the Hotel Credits Map.

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What the data shows

These numbers come from the hotel data behind the map.

470 hotels in 78 countries and territories, using LHW's own country labels (which list England and Scotland separately). About two-thirds are in Europe.

Italy alone has almost one in five LHW hotels. Rome has the most of any city (10), followed by Florence (7), then London, Paris and New York (6 each).

Food is a big part of the collection. 63 hotels are tagged with a 1-Michelin-starred restaurant, 33 with a 2-star restaurant and 4 with a 3-star restaurant.

Niche filters narrow things fast. 112 hotels are tagged Beach Resort, 129 Wine region, 23 Adults Only and 23 All-Inclusive. Seven offer safaris.

Prices vary more than you'd think. At our last update we had a lowest nightly rate for 310 of the 470 hotels. The median was $482 a night before taxes. 53 hotels came in under $300, including The Reserve in Funchal, Madeira ($135) and The Hotel Chelsea in New York ($154), while 28 hotels started at $1,000 or more.

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Tips for booking LHW hotels with points

Find the hotel first, then check points. Use the map to shortlist hotels, then search your dates on LHW.com to see the real points price before transferring anything.

Transfer only what you need. Leaders Club points expire after 24 months without earning or redeeming activity, and transfers can't be undone. Move points when you're ready to book.

Price the cash booking too. With Sterling status (or Fine Hotels + Resorts) on a Platinum card, a paid stay comes with breakfast and upgrade benefits that an award stay may not. Sometimes paying cash and saving your points is the better deal.

Match your Amex email to your Leaders Club profile. When enrolling for Sterling status through your Platinum card, use the same email on both accounts so the status links correctly.

Track your status and credits in one place. Your AwardHack dashboard keeps tabs on card credits and hotel status so nothing goes unused.

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What the LHW Hotel Map doesn't show

• No award prices or availability. The map shows cash rates only. Check LHW.com for the points price on your dates.
• Rates are a snapshot. The lowest rate shown is for a specific date, before taxes and fees, and may be gone by the time you search. Final prices are often higher.
• No booking. Each hotel links to LHW.com, where you book directly.
• Hotel list can lag. Hotels join and leave the collection. If a property matters to you, confirm it's still part of LHW before you transfer points.

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Frequently asked questions

Can you transfer Amex points to Leading Hotels of the World?

Yes. Since July 28, 2026, Amex Membership Rewards points transfer to Leaders Club, the LHW loyalty program, at a 4:1 ratio. The minimum transfer is 1,000 Amex points, which becomes 250 Leaders Club points.

How much are Leaders Club points worth?

Frequent Miler and Upgraded Points estimate about 8 cents per Leaders Club point, which is roughly 2 cents per Amex point after the 4:1 transfer. Because awards are dynamically priced, the actual value depends on the hotel and dates, so divide the cash price by the points price before you transfer.

How long do Amex transfers to Leaders Club take?

Many transfers post right away, but they can take up to 72 hours. Don't transfer for a specific night until you've confirmed the points price on LHW.com.

Is it better to transfer Amex or Citi points to Leaders Club?

Amex, in most cases. Amex transfers at 4:1 while Citi ThankYou transfers at 5:1, so Amex points go 25% further. A Citi transfer bonus can close that gap.

Does the Amex Platinum come with Leaders Club status?

Yes. The Amex Platinum and Business Platinum include complimentary Leaders Club Sterling status after you enroll. It includes daily breakfast for two, five confirmed pre-arrival upgrades a year and a 5% points bonus on eligible stays.

Is Leaders Club free to join?

Yes. LHW dropped the Leaders Club membership fee in 2021. Members earn 1 point per dollar on qualifying room rates booked through LHW.

How many hotels are in Leading Hotels of the World?

Our map includes 470 LHW hotels in 78 countries and territories, with the most in Italy (90), Switzerland (35) and France (34).

Do Leaders Club points expire?

Yes. Leaders Club points expire after 24 months with no earning or redemption activity.

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The bottom line

Leading Hotels of the World gives your Amex points a path into independent luxury hotels that the big chains can't reach. The 4:1 ratio looks steep, but at around 8 cents per Leaders Club point it can still return about 2 cents per Amex point. Use the LHW Hotel Map to find the right hotel, check the points price on LHW.com, and run the math before you transfer.