25hours Hotel Frankfurt The Goldman

WHAT´S IT LIKE The easiest way to go about describing this hotel is what it is not like, and that would be, not like any other hotel in town. This quirky Design Hotel member is unlike anything else that business travelers will find in this conservative banking city. That starts with its location in an artsy, up-and-coming area of town. The hotel is easily reached by tram number 11 passing by the main train station, which makes it a short train and tram ride from the airport. That same tram ushers you around town with ease. If you eschew public transportation instead of taxis, ask reception about the hotel’s Mini Cooper car that offers free transportation around town. The compact lobby is dim and decked out in eclectic furnishings that spills to either side of the restaurant or lounge bar area.

DINING This area has a few restaurants, namely Chinese, Thai, and Vietnamese, but much more is a short walk away. It is still worth sticking around for the international menu served at the main restaurant, which sees quite a bit of business from locals that live and work in the area. Not included in all rates, the tasty hot breakfast buffet is laid out here each morning with a variety of cold cuts and salmon, fresh fruit, hot eggs and bacon, and international cheese. People watching through the large windows is a popular pastime.

AMENITIES A fleet of bikes is available to guests if they wish to parade around town on two wheels instead of pay a discounted fee to work out at a nearby fitness center. Tetes-a-tetes can be organized in the hotel’s two meeting rooms, and iMac work stations are available for those with corporate needs. The gift shop is as artsy as the hotel itself selling creative knick knacks, clothing, and the Swiss Freitag tote bags also available for guests to use during their stay ensuite. Before you leave, men should pop into the lobby-level restrooms, which have urinals shaped like ruby red, open lips (sure to create conversation!).

ROOMS The rooms are a kaleidoscope of creativity with various color schemes, fabric textures, and shapes. Each is different, and if the hallways mismatched artwork and design scheme doesn’t catch your eye immediately, it is worth peering into open guest rooms while walking to the elevator for a pleasant surprise.

Carpeted floors keep the rooms quiet, and thick doors and windows soundproof rooms amply.

Convenient lamps and power outlets are on the nightstands, and an iPod docking station doubles as an alarm clock. Desks are shaped like small tables while flat-screen cable TVs hang on the walls. Most rooms feature open closet space, which can appear messy to the neat and orderly type. Windows open for fresh air, and they peer out over various corners of the neighborhood.

No view is particularly engaging, but some are quieter than others. Bathrooms are coated in red subway tiles with white porcelain sinks and glass shower stalls featuring organic honey toiletries dispensed from pump bottles. You would not be the first person to snag one of the hotel’s popular door’s do not disturb signs, which have a dozen options of hilarious reasons why you may or may not need service like “You don’t want to know” or “Housekeeping: Keep Out.”

CONCLUSION This hotel appeals to young, hip types, which does not exclude plenty of business travelers, and its membership in the Design Hotels grouping means that it sees trendsetting guests from all corners of the globe.