Aman Hotels Gift Card Promo: Don't Even Bother

Got that offer this morning, but not a good deal if you can't combine it with promotions, which are worth at least as much, if not more, and don't require you to pay in advance and let them hold onto your money until you're allowed to actually travel to an Amanresort, the majority of which are inaccessible to those outside the country in which they are located at the moment. Probably a non-zero credit risk too.

Aman isn't what it used to be. It's opening up locations in the same old cities everyone else has.

Not being able to use Virtuoso/FHR bookings, and having to use terrible hotel conversion rates, AND putting money down in advance + expiration. Hard pass.

Ben, Six Senses is also running a 20% bonus deal. And all Hyatt hotels in Bali (including Alila) are running 50% bonus.

@ benjinito

Can you share a link for the Hyatt Hotels in Bali and 50% bonus

@AD

Apparently you need to contact the hotel directly, and must use some Indonesian digital wallet (?) app called "TADA". Loyalty Lobby has a post with more details and rules.

Thanks David. Will give it a shot.

Bali is always great, and even better with a bonus. Hope the stay can be made later in 2021.

so these gift cards cannot be combined with promotions?

Not that I am traveling anytime soon, but a recent check for fun of some Aman properties shows a strange increase in the normal rates. I wonder if this is to make up for lost revenue as those places are not open to international tourism.

Although the terms don’t allow it, I would be surprised if they could prevent you from using a gift card on a non-prepaid TA booking like FHR at checkout.

Ben, I think you need to update your post as Aman appears to have added some new restrictions to how the 20% bonus is used (if used for accommodation), including a much narrower list of properties that it can be used at. If you go to the T&Cs, this language appears:

Using Gift Card - Limited Time 20% Bonus

You can apply your Aman Gift Card Bonus towards any Aman experience – from accommodation to spa treatments and dining occasions – at select Aman hotels and resorts worldwide: Amankora, Amansara, Aman Villas at Nusa Dua, Amandari, Amankila, Amanjiwo, Amanwana, Amanbagh, Aman-i-khas, Amantaka, Amangalla, Amanwella, Amanpulo, Amanpuri, Amanjena. Gift cards cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer, promotion, negotiated benefit or agreement.

Purchasing Gift Card - Limited Time 20%

...One 20% bonus gift card may be purchased per guest and, if used for accommodation, may be redeemed for reservations made after July 15th 2020 at select Aman hotels and resorts worldwide: Amankora, Amansara, Aman Villas at Nusa Dua, Amandari, Amankila, Amanjiwo, Amanwana, Amanbagh, Aman-i-khas, Amantaka, Amangalla, Amanwella, Amanpulo, Amanpuri, Amanjena.

Hey Ben! I think you mean this excludes tons of popular properties instead of "This includes tons of Aman’s popular properties." 🙂

So many aman properties are excluded from using this gift card promo. what a disappointing promotion

Seems like Aman is having second thoughts about this deal as they are continuing to update the terms and conditions to make it worse and worse for potential buyers. As of this evening, the 20% bonus certificates expire 12 months from issue (base gift cards still good for 3 years). Also, you can only use the base value of your gift card for reservations booked through Aman and expressly not for any "pre-booked, or pre-paid [reservations] outside Aman channels." Of course the 20% bonus certificates are subject to the same restriction. So I guess you can't use even the base gift cards if you book a Virtuoso or Amex Fine Hotel rate.

I don't see the point in bothering with these given the onerous restrictions.

This is all very well and good, but we have yet to answer the truly pressing question: What, exactly, does one hope to do with a $10 Aman gift card?

Many states in the US have laws against gift card expiration dates. It's probably legal for the bonus gift card, but I would imagine that the 3-year validity of your base amount would be illegal in many states.

While I know this blog is about miles, points and deals, I do not think Aman's core guest-base is using (or even thinking of) gift cards. Could explain why they didn't put much effort into this, or don't have much experience with a promotion like this.

On another note, Ben you need to go review Amangiri's new "camp," Sarika.

@ Peter -- That doesn't at all match my experience with Aman's core guest base, but I suppose "your mileage may vary."

@Ben - can you provide some more insight into that - genuinely curious. You'd think Aman guests would be the .001%, generally speaking, and that is my experience in working with them.

Gosh I was going to purchase this - now I'm not.

I used to book Amans via Citi Prestige to get 25% off. That's obviously off the table now with ThankYou's crappy website. 20% off sounded good initially but I didn't buy any gift cards as the terms wasn't clear. Now it's plenty clear and given the short one year time frame to use these gift cards, I see the promotion as useless because I don't know if Covid19 will be a thing of the past 360 days from now. I'm not interested in giving away free money or loaning money to Aman interest free. If I'm based in Southeast Asia and I can now travel between Indonesia, India, Cambodia, Laos freely, then this would be somewhat attractive.

This is not targeted towards an Aman guest.

What's worse is that they're only including the most uninteresting properties.