The Trip

I was unsure about staying at 25 hours Hotel when I arrived, especially after my Uber driver warned me the area wasn't good and suggested changing hotels. But Natalie greeted me in the foyer and immediately made me feel comfortable and welcome. She was attentive and so friendly that I can already imagine coming back. Her customer service really made an impression.

I'm fussy about hotels and usually stick to four or five stars, so I booked this one with plenty of reservations after seeing the photos. I was in Frankfurt for business, and the All Accor connection, the location near the Messe and my liking for boutique hotels persuaded us to give it a try. Being able to walk to the station and Messe was very convenient, with good quick restaurants and pubs nearby. The surrounding area also has a lot of poverty and drug users. Inside, the place was clean and full of character. I enjoyed working in the lobby, and the staff were always helpful, friendly and in a good mood. They make the hotel feel like a great product put together by ordinary people. The rooms have interesting design and are clean, with a FREE mini bar. The lifejacket and oxygen tank artwork on the wall isn't for me, but I felt at home and would stay here again in Frankfurt. The attached restaurant was a gem in the evening, and the food was the best I had in Frankfurt. Book a table. Breakfast was good, but the buffet felt pricey for what you got, while the menu itself was cheap.

The biggest problem for me was weekend noise: music from the bar in the inner courtyard was so loud that resting or sleeping became difficult. When I brought it up at reception, they said it was “part of the lifestyle experience,” which didn't address the basic comfort issue. The plastic underblankets were another surprise and felt uncomfortable, as well as out of step with the hotel's supposedly conscious, modern image. The 25hours Hotel Frankfurt clearly aims for a young, hip lifestyle feel, and the bold, playful design looks ready for Instagram. There's plenty of branding and attitude, but I didn't find the same attention to the essentials. Style matters, but so does being comfortable.

This stay introduced me to the 25h brand, and I really liked the concept. I'll try other places in the network too. The staff were nice, the bar was great on Friday and Saturday night, and the rooms were cool. My favorite part was the rooftop sauna. I only wish it opened in the morning instead of the afternoon, at least on weekends. I also found little gifts in my shoe the morning after Saint Nicholas, which was a lovely touch. The neighborhood is really bad, though the hotel is very close to the train station and sits on a street that's relatively better and smaller than the other problematic streets. To be fair, all those "locals" seemed harmless.