Location: Sheraton Airport is located at Frankfurt Airport, connected by a skybridge from Terminal 1, Hall C. The hotel is literally above the local airport train station. Also connected to the ICE or long distance train by a walkway. Even though the hotel is right at the airport, you cannot hear any of the jet noise thanks to the double-sided and strong windows. There are no rooms with any good views; either you will have the airport/runway, one of the towers on either side or the construction of the new Movennpick hotel behind it, on top of the new ICE (long distance) train station. Quite cleaver design, but that is a different review.
The Frankfurt airport does also have many nice restaurants, full bars and a full grocery store if you will be staying at the hotel for a short period of time and do not want to venture too far. However, the Frankfurt city main train station (Hauptbanhof) is located only 10-15 minutes by the local train service which is available 24 hours a day. During the day the service runs every 15 minutes and at night once an hour. However, other trains further into the city stop service at 1am and do not re-start until 4am. If you want to go further into the city for shopping and sightseeing, it is an extra 5 minutes to the Hauptwache or Konstablerwache stops; which is in the middle of the Zeil or shopping district and a few steps away from the Alte Oper and Romer Platz.
Lobby: Lobby area is nice and open with a glass ceiling. It does look nice but in the summer gets too hot and in the winter too cold. The lobby has an atrium style café, business center and sitting area. Business meeting rooms are nice with a great staff that will attend and cater to all your needs.
Check-in: Due to the fact that we were arriving at 6am, the hotel reservation was made for a ‘late check-in’ the night before; meaning that we would have a room when we arrived. However, upon arrival, the check-in desk attendant could not find the reservation. Finally, after much looking and calling, the reservation was found. In addition, the guest should be given a “user code” to be able to connect to the in-room internet and hotel wireless services. But we did not receive such and we had to call the guest services line to get the user code.
Rooms and Bathrooms: The rooms were very nice and clean. My favorite part of most European hotels is that they have large and deep bathtubs were taking a long bath is actually enjoyable and comfy. However, the only problem with European hotels is that mattresses tend to be a little hard; which was the case here. But comfy and thick comforter and bed sheets made it bearable. Lighting was nice with plenty of indirect light, which made it nice and comfy ambiance.
There is quite a selection of channels for the international traveler such as Italian, Japanese, Chinese and English channels among others. The 4 channels available in English are CNN International, Bloomberg News, CNBC Europe and BCC. After 2 hours, I knew all the world problems and I just wished they had another channel besides news 24/7.
Amenities are good with shampoo, soap, hair dryer and a bathrobe. A motion-sensor minibar is available but have to be careful with moving any items as it will be automatically charged to the room. Internet is available in the room (cable or wireless) when receiving a ‘user code’ when checking-in.
Fitness Room: The Fitness Center is great with a good selection of modern and functional cardio and weight machines. The men’s locker room has private showers, a dressing area, bathrobes, towels and hairdryers. The Fitness Center also has a unisex spa and relaxation room. After I worked out, I went to use it. They have a great selection of magazines to read (Men’s Health, Business Traveler, USA Today, Herald Tribune, Time and others) while laying down in the heated wooden lounge chairs. Flavored water (orange, lemon and lime) is available. A dry sauna and a steam bath are available in the area as well as refresher showers. The fitness center is available 24 hours a day with your room key. An attendant is available to clean machines, restock towels and clean locker room areas.
Restaurant: The “Flavour” Restaurant is open pretty much all day. Décor is nice with nice comfortable chairs, tables and a great selection of wines, champagnes and full bar drinks.
We came for lunch and the guest has 3 options: (1) the a-la-carte menu, (2) the salad (cold) bar or the (3) full (hot) bar. The salad bar has, in addition to the salad, many cold-cuts of fish (salmon and tuna), hams (parma) fruits, cheeses and dessert among other selections. The hot bar will have a great selection of one pasta, different steam vegetables, fish and meats. This was my option and I enjoyed the hot bar quite much.
However, as it is a ‘business’ restaurant, it was quite expensive; one salad and one hot bar with a sparkling water and a diet coke cost 75 Euro (about $100 US dollars in today’s currency exchange). Dinner? Would have gone to one of the other nice and less expensive restaurants at the main terminal at the airport just a 5 minutes walk!
Staff: The Sheraton staff was very nice, accommodating, professional and friendly. I do give this hotel high ranks for their professionalism and availability to assist any and all of their guests.
Check-out: The process was quite fast and painless… much less than the check-in one. It took less than 5 minutes to check-out. We left our bags at the concierge desk while we waited for our flight.
Price: as most Sheraton Hotels, it is not a cheap hotel costing about $200 a night for a double room per night. Price varies depending on the season and availability of rooms.
Final Comment: This hotel is nice for easy access to Frankfurt city and the airport. However, for the budget conscious traveler, other hotels are available a short bus ride from the airport. Some are located in the city, which makes it convenient if you want to go sightseeing and enjoy downtown Frankfurt. For those that want to stay at this Sheraton, they will find a good, comfortable and clean room, a good fitness center and hotel facilities that will make this stay an enjoyable one.
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