2022.12 German Christmas Markets (Part 12)

2022.12 German Christmas Markets (Part 12) – Doubletree by Hilton Frankfurt Niederrad

We left Nuremberg a day earlier than planned because once Little Miss learned of how much driving I had planned to tackle in one day, she was not on board. And with me starting to recover she demanded it be split into two. Our stop after the first day of driving was here, at one of the stranger hotels we’ve visited out of all our trips together.

Location

The Niederrad area of Frankfurt is a purpose built business park south of the river and outside of downtown. It has easy access to the main north/south highway, and is not far from Frankfurt International Airport. If taking transit, this location does have a tram line, however service on weekends is definitely more infrequent than weekdays. Upon arrival, parking options are either on the street or in the hotel’s surface parking lot beside the building. I was unable to find a parking spot, and didn’t have the energy to patrol the nearby streets for a parking spot and elected we park in the hotel’s parking lot.

Check-in, Amenities

Upon entering the main level had a large interior area that was open to all the floors above. The lighting though came from just above the lobby level and gave me a descending darkness feeling from the floors above. The wall treatment also stopped so the bare concrete was visible for most of its area.

There are no other guest at check-in, and it proceeded without issue. We were informed of the limited hours of the bar/dining area on weekends and it only serves pizza during evening weekend hours. I wasn’t surprised as I expected this hotel to be fairly empty. How many business travelers would stay in a non-central hotel on weekends? Based on the groups of hotel guests sitting in the chairs in the lobby, more than I expected. As well, the hotel rate was significantly lower then others. For context a standard room at this hotel was almost 50% lower than the rate we paid for the Hampton in Nuremberg. For other hotels in Frankfurt it was between 35%-50% cheaper. Even the Hampton by Frankfurt Messe was more than this hotel for the single night I looked up.

I did a short walk around the hotel, and beyond the lobby area, the only other public space was downstairs. It contained many conference and meeting rooms along with a sizeable gym considering the size of the hotel. The cardio machines are separated from the weight area by frosted glass panels.

Room

This was a last minute booking, and even though the regular room rate was low, I decided to pay a little extra to have their “Suite”, on the basis that we’d arrive early, and probably have dinner in the room. The room was a good size. Upon entering there was a small table for two that we used for dinner. The cabinets opposite the table had a small fridge, and sink, and lots of storage space.

There was more space once the cabinets ended as there was a TV above a desk and chair giving the area a living room feel.

There are no doors that separate this area from the bedroom and bathroom area of the room. Turning right into this space what immediately stood out was the location of the shower.

Yes, right in the middle of the room. Now credit to the design of this space, the exhaust fan is in the shower area, and the tiles in the bathroom area are heated.

Lots of counter space around the single sink, and although there were bottle holders on the wall, we had single use toiletries. Perhaps a perk of staying in the larger room?

Just a few pictures of a glass shower surround in the middle of the hotel room.

Past the sink and shower area was a short hallway where the toilet was at the end in a separate room. The wall across from the bathroom had additional storage. This room had a lot of storage!

The view from the room truly highlights that this hotel is located in a business park.

We ordered in food, enjoyed it when it did finally arrive. The evening though wasn’t restful. Whatever I had, Little Miss came down with it. Unlike me though, she took it to a new level, and she also required an audience during multiple times during the night.

Neither of us got much sleep, however as I was feeling a bit better, I was able to manage to head downstairs for something to eat before breakfast service ended.

Breakfast

While she tried to sleep more, I went downstairs for breakfast.

The area serves as the bar, and during the week, ads proclaimed a 9.99 Euro lunchtime meals option. Breakfast was good, with all items at one end of the restaurant area.

In addition to coffee and tea, milk, water, and sparkling wine was on offer. Obviously as I’d be driving I passed on having a mimosa with my breakfast.

Similar to the Hampton brand hotels we’ve visited, a waffle maker was available for use.

An assortment of vegetables were available along with cold cuts and cheese.

Don’t forget about a healthy serving of bread as part of breakfast.

Cereals were available with Chocolate Muesli sounding like an idea I’d have “It’s healthy for you, until you realize how much chocolate is in it.” I had a mouthful as part of my breakfast and it was good, as your taste buds didn’t get smacked with any sugary sweetness.

There were six hot food items available. As I was on the mend I think I had a small amount of the scrambled eggs, and skipped anything that looked greasy.

So, What’s so Strange?

Let’s start with the design. Why poorly illuminate an interior concrete tower? Both elevators had windows into the interior space, and every time I took the elevator, it felt like I was in a very fancy concrete bunker with blue mood lighting.

Convenience of access to the parking lot. As the parking lot faces the bar/restaurant area, not only do you have to walk around to the front, but there is about half a dozen stairs to walk up to the lobby. This required lifting of one’s luggage, and there was no ramp, instead a small, exterior lift was available to enable wheelchair accessibility to the hotel.

Within the room, was the design and location of the shower. This design element is in every room, not just ours. Obviously, this hotel design is not expecting modesty between hotel guests sharing the same room and planning to have a shower. 😉

Next up was customer service. After arriving in our room, I called the front desk to request additional towels. How long should this task take to be filled? The answer is four hours! They arrived after we had dinner in the room! Now, I did ask a second time in person while I was shuttling things between the rental car and room. Was this Karma for asking a second time? Hours worked by staff. I noticed as we checked out that the same individual who checked us in was working. Although I asked, my lack of German, and his lack of English had me feel the answer was either “We’re short staffed” or “I need the hours”.

Explore other parts of this trip:

Part 1 – Air Canada Signature Class Lounge & Flight Toronto to Amsterdam

Part 2 – Doubletree Hotel by Hilton Amsterdam Centraal Station

Part 3 – DB ICE Train Amsterdam to Dusseldorf

Part 4 – A Christmas market in the countryside

Part 5 – Hampton Inn by Hilton, Berlin West (Zoo Station)

Part 6 – Lego Berlin and other stores

Part 7 – Berlin Christmas Markets

Part 8 – Hilton Dresden

Part 9 – Dresden Christmas Market

Part 10 – Nuremberg Christmas Market

Part 11 – Nuremberg Hampton by Hilton