The Reserve by Citi Travel is Citi's top hotel tier inside Citi Travel, open to Citi Strata Elite, Citi Strata Premier and Citi Prestige cardmembers. Every Reserve rate adds daily breakfast for two, a $100 Experience Credit, complimentary Wi-Fi, a room upgrade at check-in, and early check-in and late checkout, with the upgrade and the check-in times subject to availability.
That's a perk set similar to Amex Fine Hotels + Resorts, and the Strata Premier gets you in for $95 a year. I've booked through it and compared it with FHR on the same property. This guide covers which cards qualify, what you get, how the Reserve stacks up against FHR and Capital One's Premier Collection, and the booking traps that strip the perks out.
What the Reserve Actually Is (and What It Isn't)
The Reserve is a curated set of luxury hotels and resorts inside the Citi Travel portal, each rated 4.5 or 5 stars by independent evaluators. Citi's own examples include the Omni King Edward in Toronto, the Omni PGA Frisco Resort & Spa, Anantara The Marker Dublin and The Nantucket Hotel and Resort. The list changes, so search Citi Travel for hotels tagged The Reserve in the city you're visiting.
What it isn't: a discount program. You pay a Reserve room rate and the perk stack comes with it, plus your card's earn rate on the spend. The math only works if the perks have value to you, which for couples or anyone who likes hotel breakfast and a spa credit is a no-brainer; for solo business travelers eating breakfast at the airport, less so.
Which Citi Cards Get You In
Citi lists three cards for Reserve benefits, and the earn rate on a Reserve stay depends on which one you pay with. The Citi Premier and Double Cash don't qualify, and neither does the Custom Cash. Citi stopped accepting applications for the Custom Cash on May 28, 2026, so that last one only matters if you already hold it.
Citi Strata Elite ($595 Annual Fee)
The premium play. It earns 12X ThankYou points per dollar on hotels, car rentals and attractions booked through Citi Travel, which covers Reserve stays. It also earns 6X on air travel booked through Citi Travel, 6X at restaurants on Citi Nights purchases (Friday and Saturday, 6 PM to 6 AM ET) and 3X at restaurants at other times. Each year it includes up to $300 off a hotel stay of two or more nights booked through Citi Travel, plus a Priority Pass Select membership. Say you book a $1,500 Reserve stay: at 12X, that's 18,000 ThankYou points.
Citi Strata Premier ($95 Annual Fee)
The sweet spot for most people, and the one I'd point a new Reserve user toward first. It earns 10X ThankYou points per dollar on hotels, car rentals and attractions booked through Citi Travel, so Reserve stays earn 10X. That's a high rate for a $95 card. It also earns 3X on air travel and other hotel purchases, restaurants, supermarkets, and gas and EV charging, and once a calendar year it takes $100 off a single hotel stay of $500 or more booked through Citi Travel. Say you book one $1,200 Reserve stay a year: at 10X, that's 12,000 ThankYou points on top of the perks.
Citi Prestige (Closed to New Applications)
Citi lists the Prestige for Reserve benefits, so existing holders can still use them. If you hold a Prestige and stay at luxury hotels, check what it earns on Citi Travel bookings against a Strata Premier or Elite before you book.
The Perk Stack on Every Reserve Booking
Every Reserve rate comes with the same benefits, and you get them only by selecting the Reserve room rate.
Daily breakfast for two guests. The format is the hotel's. On a multi-night stay at a luxury property, it's real money, and it scales with the number of nights.
$100 Experience Credit. The hotel sets what it covers and it may come as a credit or a gift card. Some services need an advance reservation. Back-to-back stays within 24 hours at the same hotel count as one stay, and the credit applies once per stay. Unused balance is forfeited with no refund, so learn the hotel's options before you arrive and don't burn it on a minibar grab on the last night.
Room upgrade at check-in. Subject to availability and room category. Treat it as a bonus, not a promise.
Early check-in and late checkout. Both are subject to availability, and the hotel decides at check-in.
Complimentary Wi-Fi. Exceptions apply at some hotels, and at some it's folded into a mandatory resort fee.
Benefits can't be exchanged for cash or combined with other offers, and they must be used during the booked stay.
Reserve vs. Amex FHR vs. Capital One Premier Collection
This is the comparison most people actually want. All three programs offer a similar perk set on paper. They differ in portfolio size, the card you need and how you book.
Amex Fine Hotels + Resorts lists about 1,800 properties on Amex's U.S. site. Access requires the Platinum ($895) or Centurion. If you're already paying for the Platinum, FHR is sitting right there. If you're shopping the Platinum just for FHR, the math gets harder.
The Reserve by Citi Travel offers a similar perk set. The killer feature is the cost of access: the Strata Premier is $95 a year against the Platinum's $895.
Capital One Premier Collection also offers breakfast for two, a $100 experience credit and Wi-Fi, and it's open to Venture X ($395) and Venture X Business cardholders. Capital One describes the portfolio as hundreds of hotels. Venture X earns 10X on Premier Collection bookings, similar to the Strata Premier on the Reserve.
Where I'd send each reader:
If you already have a Platinum, use FHR. Don't add a Strata Premier just for the Reserve unless you want the ThankYou ecosystem.
If you don't have a Platinum and don't want to pay $895, the Strata Premier plus the Reserve is a low-cost way into a premium hotel program.
If you have a Venture X for the lounges, Premier Collection is in your toolkit. Use it when the hotel you want is in the program, and reach for FHR or the Reserve when it isn't.
The one situation where you want all three: high-end luxury travelers who book several premium hotel stays a year and rotate based on which program has the better property in each market. For everyone else, pick one and lean on it.
Hotel Loyalty Numbers and Elite Credit
Add your hotel loyalty number to a Reserve reservation, but don't assume the stay earns chain points or elite night credit, or that it stacks with your elite benefits. Chains set their own rules for bookings made through a card portal, so ask the hotel before you count on it. If you're chasing elite nights at one chain, booking direct is the safer route. A direct booking with the Strata Premier earns 3X on the hotel purchase, against 10X through Citi Travel, and the math often still favors the Reserve unless elite nights are your priority.
How to Book Without Losing the Perks
This is where people slip. The benefits apply to bookings made through Citi Travel with an eligible Citi card, and only on the Reserve room rate.
- Sign in to Citi Travel or the Citi Mobile App with an eligible Strata Elite, Strata Premier or Prestige.
- Enter your destination, dates, guests and rooms.
- Choose a hotel tagged The Reserve and select its Reserve room rate. Other rates at the same hotel don't carry the Reserve benefits.
- Check the rate details and confirm the benefits are listed before you pay.
- Pay with cash, ThankYou points or a mix. Before you pay, you can redeem all your points, a custom amount or none.
The other trap is booking elsewhere. If you book the same hotel through Expedia, Booking.com or the property's own site, you don't get the Reserve benefits, because they're tied to Citi Travel and an eligible Citi card.
When Reserve Is Worth It vs. When It Isn't
Reserve is the right call when:
- You're traveling as a couple or pair, since breakfast for two is half the value.
- You're staying at a resort or destination property where the $100 credit gets used on the spa or at dinner without effort.
- You're staying two or more nights, because the breakfast value scales with night count.
- The Reserve rate is close to what you'd pay elsewhere. Same money, more value.
Reserve is the wrong call when:
- You need elite night credits at a specific chain. Direct booking is the safer route.
- You're chasing the absolute lowest rate. Discount sites and last-minute apps can sometimes beat a Reserve rate, and that gap can exceed the perk value.
- You're on a corporate booking that requires direct billing to the hotel. Reserve bookings go through Citi Travel.
What I'd Actually Do
If you stay at premium hotels even occasionally and don't have the Strata Premier, it's the card to look at: $95 annual fee, 10X ThankYou points per dollar on Reserve stays, and ThankYou transfers to partners including Virgin Atlantic, JetBlue, Cathay Pacific, EVA Air and Choice Hotels.
If you already have a Platinum and FHR, don't add a Strata Premier just for the Reserve. Add it for the ThankYou transfer partners and the 3X on supermarkets, and treat the Reserve as a backup when no FHR property fits.
If you're shopping luxury hotel programs from scratch, start with the Strata Premier. The Platinum makes sense once you'd use its lounge access and credits on top, but if it's just about the hotel program, the Reserve wins on cost.
Updated October 17, 2026: Reserve benefits.
