Express by Holiday Inn Frankfurt Messe
The hotel is a quite new (opening 2005) and has small and functional rooms like any other Express by Holiday-Inn Hotel. The classification is Three-Star.
The hotel could be reached by public transportation easily; a bus stop is in front of the hotel (7 minutes by from Main Station by bus “37”); if you arrive by car take the A 5 to exit “Westhafen” and follow signs “Innenstadt”.
The area is not very nice; you look to an Old Peoples Home and the neighbourhood is a mixture of business and residential area and not the nicest part of the city.
If you enter the hotel there it the reception desk in front of you and left hand side the bar area and the part, where in the morning breakfast is served. On the left hand side are the elevators and a small function room. There is also a small business corner and two screens with the arrival and departure times of Frankfurt International Airport.
The breakfast buffet consists of the normal items like rolls and bread, jam and marmalade, cheese and salami and cereals. You could also get boiled eggs and pastries and fresh fruit. Coffee, cappuccino, tea and two sort of fruit juice were also available. The buffet is restocked quite often and there was plenty of room. The buffet is placed in the middle of the breakfast area, so is could be reached very well and it was not as narrow as in other Express by Holiday-Inn were the buffet is placed right at the wall
and therefore very narrow and sometimes very crowded, especially in the “breakfast rush hour” in a fully booked hotel.
The Bar is open till midnight. But it is not closed right at midnight; it remains open if there are some guests sitting. Prices are very reasonable in this hotel.
A garage is available for a fee (10.00 EUR)
Stays: 19 August 2005
direct link to hotel:
Holiday Inn Express FRANKFURT - MESSE
Arrival Date: 19 August 2005
Departure Date: 20 August 2005
Room type booked: Standard
Rate Plan: 3 Day Advance Booking
Room Number: 214
Room Rate: 63.00 EUR (including breakfast / night)
Status of Guest Program: Gold
I had a room facing the parking lot, really not a nice view but I doubt the view to the street was better.
The telephone has a data port and there was a small working desk and a couch, which I think could be used as a bed. Tea and coffee facilities were available, but there were one empty coffee stick and an empty tea bag wrapping. Also one of the cups was used. Housekeeping seems to oversee this.
The bathroom is normal; it had a shower cabin with a curtain and a toilette. The sunk was in the corner. The shower head was in a not so good condition, surprising, as the hotel is only a few months old. Towels were placed in the bathroom, two of every seize. A typical bathroom for an Express by Holiday-Inn
The room consists of a double and the couch, which could be used as bed for a third person. The desk was large and it was easy to work there with a notebook. The lamp was a little bit dark, I would have preferred a lamp with more brightness, especially as the whole room was quite dark (why on earth has the average hotel room no lamp at the ceiling?).
But the room was in a really worse condition. A big coffee stain on the carpet and several damages on the wall as a wall socket, which was loose are very surprising in a hotel, which opened only a few month ago. The coffee stain in the carpet seems not to be cleaned with “carpet cleaning”. The stains at the wall could have been also cleaned easily and I do not understand, why housekeeping had not mentioned this to the management of the hotel. I told this the staff at check out and they told me no one had informed
them. Seems to be a lack of communication. Housekeeping seems not to be the best; I told them to get another clean cup and headed to the rooms of my parents. Coming back several minutes later, the door to my room was wide open and no one inside but the cup was gone. I entered the rooms but let the door opened and waited. Some minutes later housekeeping returned and I asked why on earth they let the door wide open? She looked at me with big eyes as if I looked like an alien... (Sorry no pictures of the damages
in the room)
The air condition was noisy as usual, but I am used to this and therefore no problem.
During check out I asked about the hotel promotion 1000 Points for a weekend stay. I had called the hotel prior to my booking, if this had to be two consecutive night or if one night was also eligible for this promotion. They called me back telling me the rate had to be higher than 60.00 EUR and one night stay on a weekend was eligible for this promotion. The lady at check out had no clue what I was talking about and searched the web for the promo and found it but never had heard about it. As there was nobody
available she told me to call the hotel on the Monday. Why did they not call me? This would be service. To make s long story short, I called them and was told it had to be a two night stay. I mentioned my phone call (I mentioned the name) but had no luck.
My overall impression is not the best. The location is not so nice, but if you arrive by car is okay. You also reach the city centre of Frankfurt easily but Trade fair is more fare away. You get a hotel near the city for a reasonable price, but I will prefer the Holiday-Inn City South for further stays, though they are in a bigger distance to Frankfurt’s places of interest, but they are less expensive. A rate for 30.00 EUR in this hotel is possible, the cheapest rate at the Express I saw was 58.00 EUR. Okay,
breakfast is included. I will stay there again only if I am not able to get a better rate in any other of my favourite hotel chains.
