- Introduction: A Spring Trip To Italy & France
- My Eurowings Discover Flight Was Canceled, And I Messed Up (Kind Of)
- Review: Eurowings Discover Business Class A330 (TPA-FRA)
- Review: Lufthansa Senator Lounge Frankfurt Airport (FRA)
- Review: Lufthansa A321 Business Class (FRA-VCE)
- Review: St. Regis Venice, Italy
- Review: Gritti Palace Venice, Marriott Luxury Collection
- Impressions From Our Trip To Venice, Italy
- Review: Trenitalia Business Class (Venice To Milan)
- Review: Bulgari Hotel Milan, Italy
- Review: Trenitalia Executive Class (Milan To Chambery)
- Review: Les Airelles Hotel Courchevel, France (WOW!)
- My Experience Learning To Ski In Courchevel
- Review: SWISS Senator Lounge Geneva Airport (GVA)
- Review: SWISS A220 Business Class (GVA-FRA)
- Review: Marriott Frankfurt Airport (FRA)
- Review: Luxx Lounge Frankfurt Airport (FRA)
- Review: Singapore Airlines A380 Suites (FRA-JFK)
We had a roughly 12 hour layover at Frankfurt Airport (FRA), after arriving from Geneva in SWISS’ A220 business class, and before departing to New York in Singapore’s A380 Suites. We spent the night at the new(ish) Marriott Frankfurt Airport, which really impressed me… for the most part.
In this post:
Background on the Marriott Frankfurt Airport
For years I used to stay at the Sheraton Frankfurt Airport, which I for some reason had a real soft spot for. The hotel featured 1,000+ rooms, so it was an absolutely massive airport hotel. In early 2020 it was announced that the hotel would be split into two.
Rather than having a single Sheraton with 1,000+ rooms, there would instead be a Marriott with 233 rooms and a Sheraton with 779 rooms. As part of this redevelopment, the hotel has also undergone a major renovation, which seems to largely be wrapping up.
Booking the Marriott Frankfurt Airport
I booked the Marriott Frankfurt Airport a couple of weeks in advance with a flexible rate, which was only around 140 Euro per night. I thought that was pretty low, since typically I find the Marriott is priced quite a bit higher than the Sheraton.
Interestingly by the day of arrival, the hotel was charging 260 Euro for a base room, which is a good reminder to always book early, especially with a flexible rate that you can cancel.
Marriott Frankfurt Airport location
The single biggest selling point of the Marriott Frankfurt Airport is the location, as it’s connected directly to Terminal 1. To access the hotel, just go to the check-in hall on the departures level (one level above arrivals). There’s the A & Z check-in hall, and then there’s the B & C check-in hall, and between the two you’ll see an escalator.
Take the escalator up a level, and then take the enclosed bridge that goes toward hotels, the Squaire, etc.
You’ll then just want to follow the signage toward the Marriott and Sheraton, as the two hotels share an entrance.
There’s then a central area where the Marriott is in one direction, while the Sheraton is in another direction.
Marriott Frankfurt Airport lobby & check-in
I’ll just say it upfront — I couldn’t believe how nice the Marriott was, from the lobby, to the guest rooms, to the food & beverage outlets. The lobby was pretty, with tons of seating that wasn’t only nice to look at, but was actually practical. For example, I wish more hotels had cafe-style seating in the lobby, so that you can easily come down there and work on a laptop without ordering anything to eat or drink.
Our check-in experience was also great. We were helped by a really friendly guy. Not only did he thank me for being a Bonvoy Titanium member, but he proactively explained that we were entitled to a suite upgrade subject to availability, and he offered to take a look at any available upgrades. A moment later he said he had upgraded us to a suite.
Seriously, I should buy a lottery ticket, because I don’t remember the last time I stayed at a Marriott and the check-in agent proactively offered a suite upgrade that wasn’t pre-blocked.
He also explained that the hotel’s club lounge was closed for the time being, and that breakfast and an evening happy hour were instead served in other venues:
- The club lounge breakfast was served from 6:30AM until 10:30AM at Flavors Restaurant
- Soft drinks were available from 10:30AM until 5PM at Eatery Kitchen & Bar
- The club lounge evening happy hour was served from 5PM until 10PM at Flavors Restaurant, with a snack “bento box,” plus alcoholic drinks
Now, I have to apologize about something in advance — I didn’t take pictures of anything related to the club lounge. After way overindulging in Courchevel, I needed a solid 12 hour food and drink detox prior to getting on a Singapore Suites flight.
Marriott Frankfurt Airport suite
We were assigned room 6222, a suite on the sixth floor. The elevators were right across from reception, and I remembered them from the Sheraton days (though the walls have been treated).
Our room was near the elevator — we just had to turn right, and then it was the first room on the right.
The suite was massive, and really well done. Inside the entrance was the living room, which had a large “L” shaped couch, a desk with a chair, a dining table with four chairs, and then a more comfortable seat in the corner by the TV.
The room had a mini-fridge with two bottles of water and a kettle. I didn’t see any in-room coffee — I know (rather controversially) the Sheraton Frankfurt Airport used to charge for in-room coffee pods, so I’m not sure what’s going on here.
Also off the living room and right by the entrance was a half bath, with a sink and toilet.
There were double doors separating the bedroom from the living room. The bedroom had a king size bed and a chair.
At the back of the bedroom was a closet, and then past that was the main bathroom.
The bathroom had a sink, a bathtub, a walk-in shower, and a toilet.
Toiletries were from Acca Kappa, as is pretty standard for Marriott.
Sadly the Marriott doesn’t have much in the way of apron or runway views, but rather mostly faces the terminal and the Squaire.
Obviously it was awesome to get a proactive upgrade to such a large suite. Even more impressive to me, though, was the general way these rooms were renovated. Is this a St. Regis? No, of course not. But I thought the effort that was put into the finishes, and in particular the wall treatments, made a big difference. For example, this felt at least as luxurious as the rooms at the Ritz-Carlton Turks & Caicos.
Marriott Frankfurt Airport air conditioning problems
Now let me share my one real criticism of the property. When we walked into our suite, we noticed how warm it was. I know everyone likes to sleep at different temperatures, and in Germany people generally like to keep it pretty warm.
For example, I know when my relatives from Germany visit the United States, they always ask us to make it warmer at night, because anything below 74 degrees is just too cold for them.
That brings us to the Marriott Frankfurt Airport:
- For our stay in early April, the hotel hadn’t yet turned on air conditioning for the season, so the only thing you could do was control the amount of heat that the room got
- There was no way to open the windows
- They didn’t have any fans (or anything) that guests could borrow to cool off their rooms
I don’t want to exaggerate and suggest that the room was like a sauna, but both Ford and I slept on top of the sheets, because it was just too warm otherwise. I don’t remember temperature being an issue at the Sheraton in the past, so I think we just got unlucky in terms of the time of year where we stayed.
In winter this wouldn’t be an issue, and in summer the air conditioning is turned on.
Marriott & Sheraton Frankfurt Airport public areas
Anyone who stayed at the Sheraton before it was renovated (and split into two hotels) probably wouldn’t recognize the hotel at this point. Most of the public facilities of the two hotels are shared, as the lobbies are right next to one another.
The Sheraton lobby is much nicer than before.
Like, really nice…
Eatery Kitchen & Bar is the primary restaurant of the Marriott and Sheraton, and it’s such a significant improvement over the old setup.
Marriott Frankfurt Airport gym
One area of the hotel that hasn’t been renovated is the gym. This is shared between the two hotels, and it’s on the small side when you consider that there are 1,000+ rooms. Then again, perhaps airport hotels don’t get as much gym use as some other hotels.
Marriott Frankfurt Airport club lounge
I also spent a night at the Marriott Frankfurt Airport last year. However, I didn’t review the hotel at the time, since it was still fully under renovation. However, at the time I did snag some pictures of the club lounge, even though it wasn’t open.
This is the same lounge space that the Sheraton used to have, but it looks much nicer than before. Hopefully this lounge opens again at some point in the not-too-distant future.
Bottom line
The Marriott Frankfurt Airport is an impressive airport hotel. The main reason to stay here is the location — you can’t beat being connected directly to the terminal, without even having to go outside.
The way that the Sheraton Frankfurt Airport has developed, while being split into two hotels, is impressive. The rooms are nicely done, I was offered a proactive elite upgrade, and the food & beverage outlets are nice-looking as well (though I didn’t actually eat or drink anything at the hotel).
My only real criticism is the lack of air conditioning during our stay, as our room was quite warm. Hopefully that’s an isolated incident, though, as air conditioning should soon be turned on for the season.
If you’ve stayed at the Marriott Frankfurt Airport, what was your experience like?
Currently at this Marriott. Both clubs are now open. The window in my standard room does open and looking at the other wing this appears to be the standard, so I'm unsure why Ben thinks otherwise. Maybe it is a "feature" of the Suite.
This is a very good review and I concur on most points and observations you wrote.
I stayed at the Marriott in October 2022 and November 2022 and again just now in February 2023.
Just a few updates:
You said " The club lounge evening happy hour was served from 5PM until 10PM at Flavors Restaurant, with a snack “bento box,” plus alcoholic drinks" This is no longer the case. The Marriott M...
This is a very good review and I concur on most points and observations you wrote.
I stayed at the Marriott in October 2022 and November 2022 and again just now in February 2023.
Just a few updates:
You said " The club lounge evening happy hour was served from 5PM until 10PM at Flavors Restaurant, with a snack “bento box,” plus alcoholic drinks" This is no longer the case. The Marriott M Club on the 9th floor continues to be closed and all services - from 5 pm - 10 pm - are now in the Sheraton Club Lounge at the far end of the Sheraton lobby. When I was there in Oct & Nov 2022 I was assured that the M Club would reopen in Jan 2023. It has not. Oddly, whenI stayed here in Oct & Nov 2022 no mention about availability of soft drinks and coffee at The Eatery during the daytime.
I have Ambassador status and got 7222 2x and agree the room/suite is VERY well designed. Sadly, all suites in the Marriott do not have great views.
The building that now houses the Marriott used to be the Sheraton "Towers" rooms.
One thing that continues to anger me is the gym & relax area. When it was all Sheraton, they had a great relax area next to the gym. Sauna, Steam room, showers and relax lounges. To date it has not been reopened yet they advertise on the website the Spa is open. What's open is an outside spa only open in the evenings M-F. I loved that I could use the facilities after a long haul flight. I was told three different reasons for the closure. Front Desk said a part has to come from Eastern Europe, another agent said there was a fan that was broken....and the janitorial service said it has been closed since March 2020! Oddly, there is a small gym and sauna on the 9th floor directly behind the M Club Lounge but it also is closed indefinitely.
Lastly, signage at the airport is very bad about where the hotels (Marriott, Sheraton, Hilton, and Hilton Garden Inn) are located. The hotels have been working with the airport to rectify this. People who stayed at the Sheraton and may remember the Check-in desks of the old Sheraton will remember the large lobby windows where The Eatery is now located. Soon, when the new Airport People Mover is completed - there will be a new connection to the hotel from the People Mover (Terminals 1 - 2 - 3) which should make it easier to get to the terminals directly from the lobby.
The Sheraton Club attendants - Kevin and Saady are SO professional and attentive. My key did not work for the lounge and they personally took care of it.
Bit disappointed that an early check-in at this hotel turns into a haggling match as they charge 15EUR per hour for check-ins before the standard 3pm check-in time.
I just arrived and there was no early check in fee. We arrived about 1 pm and have platinum status (not sure if that affects it).
Stayed here in December and agree it was mostly excellent. However, the lounge had the same bento boxes which were one of the most disgusting lounge foods I've ever had in all of Europe.
I was there Saturday and checked out Sunday noon. The bed is one of the more comfortable I've had in years. Plus, they had our room available at 10am for a speedy check in. I didn't eat there at all but the space is very nicely designed. Our view was miserable but zero aircraft noise. A solid choice for a quick overnighter. My only complaint is coming from Terminal 2 on shuttle the signage is...
I was there Saturday and checked out Sunday noon. The bed is one of the more comfortable I've had in years. Plus, they had our room available at 10am for a speedy check in. I didn't eat there at all but the space is very nicely designed. Our view was miserable but zero aircraft noise. A solid choice for a quick overnighter. My only complaint is coming from Terminal 2 on shuttle the signage is terrible for the hotels once you exit the bus. We walked in circles before we stumbled upon the correct path.
Bet the they knew who you are. They usually don’t care about Bonvoy status. As ambassador I got “upgraded” the last 3 of 4 last stays to an executive ( same size, on executive floor with no service) room with worst possible view.
Only as a day room got a suite when booked via ambassador service. As others already mentioned, their AC is the worst for any hotel I’ve ever stayed. It’s like a...
Bet the they knew who you are. They usually don’t care about Bonvoy status. As ambassador I got “upgraded” the last 3 of 4 last stays to an executive ( same size, on executive floor with no service) room with worst possible view.
Only as a day room got a suite when booked via ambassador service. As others already mentioned, their AC is the worst for any hotel I’ve ever stayed. It’s like a sauna during winter and you can’t open the window. Only good thing is the location. Hopefully the pcr testing before travel will find an end so I don’t have to stay there again
I stayed at this Marriott Frankfurt airport 3 weeks ago.
I had booked at the Sheraton, but the hotel "upgraded" me to the next-door Marriott. Not knowing what was in store for me, I accepted.
The room I was allocated was hot as a sauna. It was 80 degrees outside, and after complaining to reception I was told there was nothing they could do about the air conditioning as it's "turned off" in...
I stayed at this Marriott Frankfurt airport 3 weeks ago.
I had booked at the Sheraton, but the hotel "upgraded" me to the next-door Marriott. Not knowing what was in store for me, I accepted.
The room I was allocated was hot as a sauna. It was 80 degrees outside, and after complaining to reception I was told there was nothing they could do about the air conditioning as it's "turned off" in the winter months. All they said I could do was turn off the heating.
I tried to ask for a room back at the sheraton, and was told that it was fully booked. The hotel offered to upgrade me to a suite (which they did not proactively do even though I am a Titanium member by the way), which was no less warm. They finally gave me a room where the window opened at a 10 degree angle.
I hardly managed to get any rest that night and will never stay at this hotel again. Will only stay at the Sheraton which has no such problems with air conditioning.
Looks like your suite is what used to be a Sheraton Suite - all the way down the hall.
Hopefully they have replaced the bathroom door knobs. Had a bad experience in the suite - with having closed the bathroom door to get a shower in the morning, and then the lock mechanism was loose and you could not open the door. So i was trapped in the room with no clothes.
No phone and...
Looks like your suite is what used to be a Sheraton Suite - all the way down the hall.
Hopefully they have replaced the bathroom door knobs. Had a bad experience in the suite - with having closed the bathroom door to get a shower in the morning, and then the lock mechanism was loose and you could not open the door. So i was trapped in the room with no clothes.
No phone and the bathroom and my cell phone was in the room. Shouting did not help since the bathroom is through the suite and off the bedroom section.
After fooling with it for a half hour - I was able to get it to catch inside in open. I was on a LH fight in F - and was getting ready to head over to the F terminal. I did make it though.
Lesson learned I never fully close the bathroom door in a hotel room.
@ Randy -- Ouch, that's kind of terrifying! Happy to hear you figured it out after 30 minutes, at least.
Glad this Marriott is up to par. We are booked later this year after a River cruise.
How the heck did you get two suites seats? I can’t find any date lower than 200,000+ each. Maybe the FRA-SIN segment is the problem. We want to go NYC to SIN.
@ Bill -- There was a brief period several months ago where Singapore opened the floodgates for Suites award availability (I wrote about it at the time). Unfortunately these seats are otherwise quite tough to come by, if not nearly impossible.
@Lucky - no air has always been a problem at that property. Way too hot.
Shame because otherwise it is great.
i used this property as my home base when in Europe. I eventually figured out the issue was the thermostats were hard to decipher and the setting was always too warm. It took hours for the room to get cooler but it did.
What I noticed during my Marriott stays in North America, South America and Europe as a Titanium Member is that usually you receive a proactive upgrade to a suite in one-day stays. It’s kind of common except during really peak times.
In stays of 2 or more days, it’s also common to get proactive upgrades to better rooms and executive/club level rooms.
Since I’m always traveling alone, I don’t actively ask for upgrades.
What I noticed during my Marriott stays in North America, South America and Europe as a Titanium Member is that usually you receive a proactive upgrade to a suite in one-day stays. It’s kind of common except during really peak times.
In stays of 2 or more days, it’s also common to get proactive upgrades to better rooms and executive/club level rooms.
Since I’m always traveling alone, I don’t actively ask for upgrades.
I don’t have an exact success rate, but if I had to guess, I’d say that my proactive upgrade success rate is on average 60%.
In Europe and in South America the success rate is higher than in US and Canada.
You American guys really love to live in a fridge … in Germany I put on my jacket when leaving a house, when in the U.S. I have to put it on when entering a house ;)
It is insane even as an American... I live in the South and am frequently cold in the summer when going inside. However, I have also seen the opposite as I was in Anchorage and Syracuse last year and found it hot/stuffy in establishments in both cities even though it was still chilly outside. It's a total waste of resources in addition to being a hassle trying to dress comfortably!
After seeing a few of the Marriotts with their new interior style, I must say I find them, and this one in particular, terribly generic, even more than you could expect from Marriotts. The suite in the pictures looked terribly barren, not comfortable at all. I‘ll have to do an overnight at the airport soon, but will give the Marriott a hard pass.
I had a similar issue as you with the AC at the Westin Berlin back in October. The room was extremely hot and there was no way to turn on the AC. We tried opening the windows but there were constant sirens all night so we had to just deal with the heat.
Some paintings in the rooms wouldnt hurt tbh
Stayed at the Hilton FRA last year in August for 2 nights. Diamond recognition was almost non existent. Executive Lounge was at that time but is now reopened.
My reservation was a bit special. Let me explain:
Originially I had booked the DoubleTree Frankfurt Niederrad at a cheap 60 Euro flexible rate but they decided to close the hotel over the summer . They simply cancelled the reservation which is not in line with German...
Stayed at the Hilton FRA last year in August for 2 nights. Diamond recognition was almost non existent. Executive Lounge was at that time but is now reopened.
My reservation was a bit special. Let me explain:
Originially I had booked the DoubleTree Frankfurt Niederrad at a cheap 60 Euro flexible rate but they decided to close the hotel over the summer . They simply cancelled the reservation which is not in line with German law. They need to rebook you. Hilton Diamond desk did not care. So I wrote a very negative review and was contacted by the GM. She agreed to rebook me and asked me for hotels I would like to stay. I asked for Hilton FRA Airport (retailing at 145€) or Hilton Franfurt City Center (200€). Unsurprisingly, they took the Hilton FRA Airport and the GM was happy as I was happy. She also added that she would make sure that I receive a nice room.
As it was a different franchisee, they simply asked the Hilton FRA to put their rate on my booking and presumably they paid the full difference.
Then I decided to extend the stay by one night. 145+60 205 so that I qualified for 50€statement credit via Amex Offers.
Now the check-in
It was the first time I was not welcomed as a Diamond. I was simply given the room keys without any information on the room type. So I asked about the bed configuration to start with. It was a Queen bed. The room I booked but nearly every category was available up to suites. As there have been good reviews with suite upgrades going around, I actually expected a suite. I asked whether my Diamond status was not in the system and asked for an upgrade specifically to a suite. She denied and I referred also to the rebooking and the GM‘s statement that I will receive a nice room. Really, I expect something different than a standard Queen. As I did not really care about a suite I asked for a room with a king bed. She said that they more or less all kings room are gone. What a joke. She ended up with a king room, but guess it was not an Executive king. Anyway, the minibar was free as a compensation for the closed executive lounge.
The check-in experience was really frustrating.
The next morning I had a weird experience. Someone was knocking at the door. First, I thought I was dreaming it but then I realized that someone from housekeeping opened the door. That was freightening. About an hour later the alarm clock started…
Besides this I enjoyed my stay. In particular, the breakfast might be the best of all Hiltons in Germany. I would return since I feel I simply had bad luck. Some years ago I booked it also for my parents and they fully enjoyed their stay.
Another fun fact. I ordered an Uber to go the Hilton FRA and the driver ended up at the Marriott.
The Hilton at FRA is so much better. The FRA Marriott is ok (the complexed Sheraton there is dreadful) but not nearly as nice. The Marriott might have slightly better F&B options but the plenty of restaurants at The Squaire 3 minutes walk from the Hilton.
Only downside to the Hilton is it is consistently 20-30% more expensive than the Marriott properties at FRA but the facility is much, much better.
I have a similar itinerary coming up (including Singapore Suites) and will be staying at FRA the night before. Have you reviewed the FRA Hilton/Garden Inn? I know it's just a little more of a walk, but are the differences great enough to recommend one over the other?
I stayed at the FRA Hilton a few months back and thought it was quite nice. The rooms seemed recently updated and the shower in the bathroom was spectacular.
We had a King bed room and booked it with 10k UR points.
I am heading to Frankfurt for one night this Wednesday. Any recommendations for hotels with good views Of rhe runways planes etc
I stayed at the Garden Inn before the pandemic after a transatlantic flight. Very good bed, room very quiet and dark, and friendly staff. Aka perfect for a one night layover.
And fairly close to the terminal as well.
@ DENDAVE -- I have reviewed that hotel as well, though it has been some time:
https://onemileatatime.com/review-hilton-garden-inn-frankfurt-airport/
I think they're all great options, it just comes down to your brand preference and loyalty.
I can recommend the Garden Inn. It does what an airport hotel should deliver: Close to the terminal, clean rooms which stay quiet also during the day, blinds that make the room pitch dark, reasonable rates and smiling staff.