Frankfurt Airport Hotel

There's a Sheraton attached to the airport by a walkway. Some of the posters on this website have a reflexive aversion to large hotels, but you can't beat this place for convenience. And the breakfast spread is amazing, although you have to pay extra for it.

Have stayed in the Airport Sheraton mentioned above. Very nice hotel and very convenient- you just walk over an (enclosed0 bridge. We found it significantly cheaper if we reserved ahead

We've stayed at the Sheraton, too. Depending on your airline, and if you have luggage to check, it might be possible to check in the night before your flight. We did that, and it was great to be able to skip all that madness and just head straight to security.

Oh, and there's beer in the vending machines at the Sheraton. :)

Unless you are staying at the Sheraton, it will actually be faster to get to and from the airport from the city center and the main train station. The S-bahns only take 11 min. and run every 15 min. The shuttles going to most of the "airport hotels" will run every 20-60 min. and take about 15 min. to get to the hotel from the airport. Some of them even charge you 5 euro per person to get back to the airport from their hotel. You can take a train for 3.90. Or get a Frankfurt Card which will cover your transportation all day long, plus give you 50% off of museums, the Palmengarten, and the Zoo. Cost is only 8.90. Less than 2 one way tickets going and coming from the airport. If you stay in the city, you can take advantage of all the restaurants that are there, as well as concerts, plays, museums, farmers markets (depending on the day of the week that you are there of course) and the historic sites of Frankfurt.

The only aversion I have to large hotels, other than that they deliberately insulate you from what you came to see, and this is totally objective, not reflexive, is spending too much money on services I don't need. A few years ago, I stayed at Hotel Koenigshof, in Mainz. It's right across the street from the Mainz station. The S-Bahn to the airport takes a few minutes longer than from Frankfurt, but like the one from Frankfurt, drops you off at the Regionalbhf, a level below the check in counters at Terminal 1. My room was €62 (still is) including a great breakfast buffet, with bacon and eggs for those with a reflexive aversion to German food. The S-Bahn to the airport is €3,90.

The last time I was by that hotel in Mainz, Lee, it was completely surrounded by Spiel Salons and betting parlors. It looks really run-down and not very attractive to stay in, to be honest. This was just a couple of months ago. Frankfurt has some beautiful B&B's, even some pensions and private apts. to rent if someone wants that. By the way, isn't this whole thing being discussed over on another thread? You know, the front desk folks at a chain hotel can be just as friendly and helpful as at a small hotel. The food can be just as good too. Who depends on the hotel employees for their "local contact" anyway? I would rather be out and about, sightseeing, meeting people in cafes or parks or museums than chatting with some pension employees or owners. For me, a hotel is just to sleep in and shower in, so it doesn't matter if it is a chain or not.

And the Sheraton serves breakfast for all tastes. I've seen only one better selection of breakfast meats, cheeses and smoked fish, and that was at a business class hotel in Hamburg.

"it doesn't matter if it is a chain or not". So, Jo, if a chain hotel costs 3-6 times (or more) what a B&B costs, don't you think someone who insists on staying in the over priced chain hotel is reflexively shunning the smaller places.

Oh, you must mean the Ibis or Motel One for 59 euro a night?

What's the old saying about real estate? Location, Location, Location. It's not always about trying to save as much money as possible. Can we please dispense with the myth that the type of lodging where you stay in Europe can constitute some kind of metaphysical barrier? Perhaps if you never leave the hotel, OK, maybe, but except for extreme introverts who are dragged to Europe by a spouse (and hence, aren't going to experience much anyway), who goes to Europe just to stay in a hotel? The Caribbean, with it's all inclusive resorts, maybe as well... PS- Add that place the US military runs in Garmisch... the hotel literally has a barbed wire fence surrounding it. But the majority of people on this website aren't eligible to stay there anyway.

I stayed at the Ibis Centrum. 10 minute walk from the Frankfurt train station. There is much to see, afternoon and evening, in the center of Frankfurt. From Gothic churches to super-modern mall.

Steve, I agree there's no reason to stay at the airport. We stayed a few blocks in front of the train station, and for various reasons the 4 of us took a quick taxi ride to the airport. We were dropped off right in front of our check-in counter. The price was very comparable to the train, and again the time was something like 5-10 minutes more than the train, but we also didn't have to walk to the train station, find the platform, buy the tickets, etc., so I considered it a wash. If it's just my husband and me, we'd probably take the train.

I was alone, took the train from the airport, then a short taxi ride (~ €5) to the Ibis.

When using the Frankfurt Airport, I use the Steigenberger Airport Hotel as well. Its not a "budget" place, but to me the location right at the edge of the airport, plus the service is worth the cost. There is a shuttle bus directly from the terminal, and it is only a 3-4 minute ride to the hotel. I just ditch my rental car at the end of my vacation time, ride the shuttle over to the hotel, and check in. I always have an excellent dinner at their restaurant, "Unter Schweinsteige," and I spend my last evening in Germany totally relaxed. Then I grab the shuttle back over to the airport the next morning, and fly home with no last-minute hassles. Very pleasant way to end a trip.

Except all that you have seen of one of Germanys' most historic city is the airport. Seems like such a waste and you have missed so much. I don't understand staying at an airport when a wonderful city is barely 10 min. away? Explain please?

Jo - don't get me wrong - Frankfurt is an interesting, vibrant city. Not my favorite place in Germany, but certainly worth a visit. Having read so many of your posts here over the past several years, you have convinced me that there is even more to see in Frankfurt a M. than I have done already. I will definitely take the time on a future trip to see more of the city, so thank you for adding to my education. Your in-depth knowledge is appreciated. In contributing to a request for a suggestion for an airport hotel, I was simply adding my 2 cents to a previous poster, who also had a positive experience @ the Steigenberger. I'm sure some people choose airport hotels simply because they are scared to venture onto public transit and go into the city (and yes, they miss out if they never make the time or effort to get into the city proper). Some people don't want to drag a suitcase one foot further than necessary, and an airport hotel is the easy choice. Some people have flights @ odd times, and are uneasy about getting back to the airport in the wee hours of the morning, for example. Some people, like me, just like to end a trip without the stress of a last-minute traffic jam, missing a train, or whatever. However, if someone specifically wishes to stay @ an airport hotel, I don't necessarily think it means that they intend to skip seeing the nearby city altogether. Steve, the poster, did not provide much info. .... maybe he DOES intend to see the city earlier in his trip, or maybe he has already been to Frankfurt. Or maybe he will tour the area that afternoon and evening, and then just wants to head to the airport area to meet a colleague, or for an early flight the following day. Or maybe he will choose to tour the area south of the city, like Heidelberg or the Odenwald for his final afternoon, and simply wants to drive north, but not quite as north as the city itself to end his trip.