I have used the Sheraton Frankfurt Airport hotel a few times now and twice in two weeks. I figured it would be about time I wrote a review on it, especially since it is located in the hub airport for Lufthansa should any of you take some trips to Europe.
Sheraton Frankfurt Airport Hotel
The Sheraton Frankfurt Airport is an excellent hotel for the transit passenger. It is located across a walkway from Terminal 1 and between Concourses B and C. There are two separate entrances/exits that have points near both Concourses. It took me 5 minutes to get from my room to the check-in counter for Singapore Airlines on my trip back to the US and only 10 minutes to get from the room to the security area to get to our Lufthansa gates on the return.
Here are the hotel facts about the Sheraton Frankfurt Airport:
- Located in Terminal 1 of the Frankfurt Airport
- Phone # +49 69 6977 0
- SPG Category 4
- Award Night: requires 10,000 Starpoints per night
- Cash & Points: requires 5,000 Starpoints per night and $75
- Website
- Trip Advisor Reviews
Lobby and Welcome
The lobby is very large and has a welcome area at one of the entrances for pilots and crewmembers. When it gets very busy with incoming flights, their is a representative (whether from the airline or the hotel, I am not sure) that meets the crews and helps them get checked-in. While I was in the lobby on one visit, they actually put a sign-up for a particular airline to separate those checking in.
Part of the lobby
Another part of the lobby
When I was traveling through there by myself, I got there in the evening and went to the front desk to check-in. As is the case at all SPG hotels, they had lines for general customers and a separate line for SPG Gold/Platinum members. As I am a Gold member and there was no one in that line, I went there. There were two people in the other line. Those two people were quickly waited on and I had to wait as 4 more guests came into the general line and were waited on while I stood there. It was not until after the 6th guest (total) that one of the agents called me up. I knew they saw me, so I have no idea why they made me wait that long. Now, to be clear, I am not trying to be some important person but that is one of the benefits of being a Gold/Platinum member with SPG. You have priority lines for check-in. My total wait-time was 20 minutes. I find that to be unacceptable considering that there were 6 other customers that were waited on (over half came up after I was already there) before they checked me in. Again, that seems very strange but I have never had a problem with that there before so I hope it was just a one time thing.
Rooms
I stayed there last year on our way home from Greece. Because award rooms did not allow more than 2 people in the room, I went ahead and booked two rooms for our family of 5. I then called in to ask for adjoining rooms. While on the phone, the agent said that if I preferred, they could just confirm me in a Superior room for my family instead due to my Gold status. Gold status does not guarantee upgrades to different room types (rather an upgrade to a better room in the same category), so this was very kind on behalf of the agent. It only cost me the standard points for the regular room and it was a perfect upgrade for our family.
Superior Room
The Superior Room had a lobby inside the entrance with the minibar and a changing area. Off of that lobby was the bathroom with a stand-up shower. Inside the bedroom was a work area, two twin beds, and a queen bed. They had also kindly rolled a crib in for our little guy. As rooms go in Europe, it was quite spacious. It easily had enough room for our family.
Classic Room
There are a couple of types of classic rooms. My favorite has a deep soaking tub in it while the other has only a shower. Also, the room with the tub has a desk and workspace while the other does not. I have stayed in both and definitely prefer the tub room. Both rooms have King beds and large TVs.
The classic room is an excellent choice for a stay at the airport. It is still large enough for a family for a short time (our family had a day room last month there).
The Area
Since this hotel is located inside the airport, you have easy access to anything located in the airport itself. The train station is almost directly below where the hotel lets out into the airport. In the lower level before the train area, there is a food court with many food options available (including McDonalds). At the entrance to the hotel from the airport, there is a small food stand that has some basic foods and drinks that you might need during your stay.
Fitness Center
I am a big fan of 24 hour fitness centers in hotels. I had really been looking forward to using the fitness center at the Sheraton Frankfurt Airport but had forgotten to bring my running shoes with me on my way home :(. I will be staying there somewhat often, so I will be able to use it at some point! A fitness center at this hotel is a wonderful benefit as it gives you an opportunity to really stretch your legs in between flights.
Rates
There is excellent availability of award nights should you want to use points for the stay. I do not find this to be the best of value since you can get the room(s) for around $170 a night if you plan enough ahead. That would peg your Starpoints at a value of 1.7 cents per point. I consider my Starpoints to be far more valuable than that so I would avoid going that route.
Which is okay since there is also a conservative amount of available nights for Cash & Points. At $75 and 5,000 points, that puts your points at least at 2 cents per point. This is the option I took for my recent stay there on my own.
When our family transited back through there last month, we took advantage of their Day Rate option. This costs 149 euros for check-in after 8AM and check-out before 6PM. That sounds pretty steep but it was an excellent value for our family as our kids were able to sleep for about 4 1/2 hours in between flights. Even though we had lounge access, they would never have slept well int he lounge. So if you have a long layover in Frankfurt, the day rate is a good way to go.
