Hotel recommendation needed in Frankfurt for one night

I'm not trying to discourage you from going to Frankfurt, but there is an alternative if you want to take it. When I have an early flight out of FRA, I always stay in Mainz, near the Bahnhof. There are several reasonably priced hotels right across the Bahnhofsplatz from the station. I stayed at Hotel Königshof in 2008, and it was nice. A double room is 82€ ($89) for your date. That rate includes a great breakfast buffet; many hotels in the area charge an additonal $25 or more for breakfast. Not just German breakfast items; one table at the buffet had a selection of American breakfast items (bacon, eggs, etc).

When I was at Königshof in 2008, I booked online but was not asked for a credit card prepayment. I could have cancelled at any time. So compare this price to the higher, fully-refundable room rate at other hotels.

I haven't stayed at Hotel Hammer, next door, but it also looks nice.

The area around the Bahnhof is a short walk (¾ km) from the old town of Mainz, with several museums, including the Gutenberg Museum, the 800 y.o. Cathedral, and the Rhein river.

When I was there in 2008, I thought the restaurant pickings were a little slim. There is an Italian restaurant next door to Könighof and an Asian one on the next block, but I wanted German food and couldn't find a German restaurant. According to Google Maps, there are more selctions there now.

There is an S-Bahn from Mainz Hbf to the airport every half hour. It takes 26 minutes (compared to 10 minutes every 15 minutes from the Frankfurt Hbf), but when I was in Frankfurt I didn't find any what-I-would-call-decent hotel as close to the Bahnhof as in Mainz. From both places, the S-Bahn comes into the Regionalbahnhof, under the building across the access road from Terminal 1. Come up the stairs from the station, and you are in Terminal 1.

Termainal 1 services primarily Lufthansa and Star Alliance airlines. A lot of other airlines use Terminal 2. You can get from Terminal 1 to Terminal 2 by using the Sky Line people mover between the upper floors of both terminals.

Mona,

Using a hotel near "transportation connections" in Frankfurt likely means close to the main station, which I believe is situated near the "red light district". Lee's suggestion to stay near Mainz is certainly worth considering. I've stayed in Bacharach prior to a flight, and it's also easy to get from there to the airport.

I've stayed in Frankfurt relatively near the station a couple of years ago and things probably haven't changed too much since. If you look at the area on a map you will see that a main street called Kaiserstrasse runs from west to east starting opposite the station. The area north of Kaiserstrasse is the red light district proper, the area to the south is a bit nicer. I personally stayed at a place called Apartments Duval which is on the river bank within moderate walking distance of the station, through an area that I didn't find intimidating. I would prefer to stay in walking distance of the station rather than in a different town or city where I might be in difficulties if there was rail disruption on the morning of my flight.

You might look at the Hilton Garden Inn Frankfort Airport. We stayed there a couple of years ago the night before our flight home. Arrived by evening train, up on the escalators and into hotel; walk out next morning and ready to go. About as easy as it gets, and what we like at the end of a long but happy trip. A double might be half the cost you mention, and discounts (AAA,Senior, HH) may apply. Non-refundable rates may be lower. The young people at the desk were extremely helpful and we had a good experience.

Like Denny, we are using Hilton Garden Inn at the airport in early June for the convenience and lower stress.

I've stayed at the Westin Grand a few times. It is a very nice business hotel & only about a half block from the Konstablerwache S-bahn station. This station is on the same s-bahn lines (S8 & S9, I think) that go to the airport from the main train station, only two short stops farther out. The location is pretty good, just off the main shopping street (Starbucks, etc). One nice thing about the hotel, it is away from the undesirable elements around the main train station. The hotel can be expensive depending on demand. It can be a bargain during low demand. I've got rooms here thru Hotwire for around $110 to $120 per night.

I've stayed a few times at the Moevenpick & it's fine. It's in the fairgrounds, not immediately near anything except a big new American-style mall, Skyline Plaza. Public transportation is at least a 5 minute walk, but there are usually taxis available.

For the night you mentioned, I would consider staying at the Jumeirah Hotel, $220 per Expedia. It is located in the Hauptwache area, the center of Frankfurt. I've never stayed here, but it is in a great location & appears to by a cut above most of the other premium hotels in town.

Thanks everyone you've given us a lot of good suggestions and places to consider. I don't think there is a major trade fair going on in Frankfurt for the night we'll be staying there, rooms seem to be priced lower than I'd expected so maybe we'll go for an nice upgraded hotel for our last night of our holiday. Thanks for the tips about the red light area around and a little bit to the north of the train station. We'll get busy with your suggestions regarding airport and city center and try to make a decision while I see such good prices!

We're looking forward to spending a day and night in Frankfurt after so many trips to Germany.