ARKADEN Hotel Kelkheim

The location deserves a star, but it was noisy at night, so I had to keep three windows open to make it bearable. The room was meant to be non-smoking, yet it smelled awful. It was clean, but the smell was unbearable, and the bed linen seemed to stink too, even though it should have been washed and ironed. Disgusting.

The location worked well for being in town: several restaurants and coffee shops are only a minute or three away, and there's a big supermarket across the road. Kelkheim itself isn't especially interesting, though, and this feels like somewhere to stay when you have a reason to be here instead of Frankfurt, not a holiday hotel or destination. It's a small, fairly cheap place, so I wasn't expecting luxury. Still, the room was very dated and service was close to nonexistent beyond room cleaning and changing the bed if requested. After a long trip, I found nobody at reception and only eventually realized I had to phone for someone to come with the key, then wait for them. The bed was comfortable, the radiators worked well, and the shower had hot water, though it was cramped. Those basics are why I'm giving it three stars.

I paid €400 for five nights, €80 each, for a spacious private single room with a comfortable bed, TV, fast Wi-Fi, bathroom, and continental breakfast each morning. Housekeeping cleaned the room and changed the towels daily. The one annoyance was the missing kettle, even though the room description said there would be one, so I bought one at the nearby Woolworths for €8. I stayed from January 21st to the 26th, 2025, while recovering from a hernia repair at the clinic across the street, before I was well enough to travel home to Ireland. The Arkaden hotel met that need well. It's basic and no-frills, but clean, warm, comfortable, with nice staff. It's centrally located beside the market square in Kelkheim, Germany, about 25 minutes from Frankfurt city and Airport. If you want an affordable base while enjoying the picturesque surroundings, it's a good fit. It served my needs and I'd stay again.

I can't believe how dirty this hotel was. Nobody seemed to clean the rooms, and I felt uncomfortable, with everything itching. The cleaning staff should come back to their country because they don't care, so I don't care what I write here. This is the first review I've ever written. I hate this place and can only give it one star, though I'd give zero if I knew how.