Background
Spanish operator Meliá operates 26 properties in Germany. The four-star Meliá Frankfurt City, part of upscale The Meliá Hotels and Resorts portfolio, opened as the group’s fourth property in Frankfurt in June, 2021. The others include Hotel Frankfurt Messe, INNSiDE Frankfurt Eurotheum and INNSiDE Frankfurt Ostend.
The hotel is located in the new 45-storey One Forty West Tower in Frankfurt’s Senckenberg district. Also opened in 2021, the striking glass skyscraper is billed as the city’s first hybrid tower, with the top 19 floors dedicated to luxury apartments.
Where is it?
The hotel lies between Frankfurt’s West End and the Bokkenheim district, conveniently located 15 minutes from the airport, 10 minutes from Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof central railway station and 10 minutes from the main finance district. The enormous Frankfurt Trade Fair grounds (Messe Frankfurt) and Festhalle are a 10-minute walk away, making the hotel popular with trade and MICE delegates.
Nearby attractions include the next door Natural History Museum (which explains the velociraptor roaming the streets below) and the Palmengarten Frankfurt botanic gardens.
Being slightly out of the CBD gives the hotel a fantastic view over the skyscraper-studded city line. Floor to ceiling windows throughout the building make the whole place bright and airy.
What’s it like?
We arrived at the private side driveway of Meliá Frankfurt City before stepping through rotating doors into a bright expansive lobby. The airy space was very appealing with a distinctive giant-sized house plant and comfortable lounge area.
The large private side entrance is useful for the hotel’s regular stream of VIP guests, which has included international royalty and the German national football team. Meanwhile, a private underground car park with dedicated lift also means VVIP guests can bypass the public altogether.
Guests staying in a The Level-category room will be whisked up the the 15th floor Level Lounge for a more personalised check-in experience. This is a chic multipurpose space, with stunning glass walls offering panoramic city views, plus an outdoor terrace with heaters.
A mix of seating options includes sophisticated grey sofas for lounging and comfortable office chairs for casual meetings (you’re allowed to bring a guest). The space is open all day and serves breakfast, all-day refreshments (tea, coffee, soft drinks and pastries) plus tapas and cocktails from 6.30pm-8pm.
The hotel also has some impressive sustainable credentials: it cleans its own water; the lifts produce electricity to put towards building use; the building regulates its own temperature with a clever cooling system; and fresh air is cycled six times per hour. There is also automated lighting in areas such as the lift lobbies – although this does mean you sometimes unnervingly emerge into darkness before the sensors detect you.
Rooms
The hotel has 431 rooms in 7 categories, plus five accessible rooms. The top four categories are part of the premium The Level offering. Size-wise there is little difference, with all rooms offering a fairly spacious 25 sqm, and suites starting from 36 sqm. What differentiates them is a private outdoor terrace on a higher floor, in-room amenities (such as a coffee machine in The Level rooms, versus kettle in standard Meliá rooms) and access to the Level Lounge. All rooms have a window that can open, which coordinates with smart air conditioning that automatically switches off.
I stayed in a Level Room. The room itself felt spacious and elegantly presented, with a separate lounge area featuring a large sofa, round table and two arm chairs. The neutral palette was enlivened by some nice design details, including an artsy asymmetric standing lamp and modern city photography shots. There was also a good use of lighting and mirrors throughout: the room had two full-length mirrors, a large bathroom mirror, and mirrored panels by the door, while backlighting on the smart TV and headboard added a feeling of luxury.
As you walk in there is an open wardrobe with a selection of drawers, hanging space (with normal hangers), two bathrobes and the in-room safe, which has a power supply so you can charge your devices while you store them – a useful and thoughtful detail.
The kingsize bed was firm, which will please some, though personally I like to sink into my mattress. The sheets felt rather standard, but the pillows were very comfortable, with a simple design detail adding a subtle touch of elegance.
By the bed are a selection of master switches to control the lights, although this doesn’t control the floor lamp at the far end of the room. USB outlets are built into the a cream textured headboard, with European plug sockets located in the wall by the bed. There are attractive bedside lights, bed side tables and a phone.
The smart TV was facing the bed above a range of amenities included a Nespresso machine and kettle, plus a paid-for minibar (a Coke was €5). There was also an informational leaflet with a QR code of things to do in the area.
A large glass desk with a wheeled office chair provided a good space for working, with a selection of plug sockets (all require a British adaptor) and a desk light. Wifi was fast and easy to log on, but annoyingly, it cut out on the balcony. This was a shame as I would have loved to spend more time out there, even wearing a coat in the chilly April weather.
The balcony itself was very large and offered stunning views of the Frankfurt city skyline from the 20th floor. It would have been nice if there was an outdoor light for the evening.
The bathroom was clean and functional, with a bath/shower that offered a powerful hot shower, lovely Ritual shampoo, conditioner and shower gel, plus a range of amenities including lotion, soap, shaving kit and a hairdryer.
I did have a few niggles. The most inconvenient was the heating. There is a touchscreen panel by the bedside with a temperature control that appears easy to use (simply select up or down to raise or lower the temperature), but for whatever reason the temperature kept resetting to the default 23 degrees, which was far too warm and made the room uncomfortable. I had to open the balcony door in the middle of the night to try and let some cool air in.
The bedside light was also flickering – and it was not an isolated incident, as a fellow guest reported the same phenomenon, which was rather annoying.
Food and drink
Oben Restaurant (meaning “above”) on the 15th floor is the hotel’s star dining venue. The sleek space has floor-to-ceiling glass windows and a dark ceiling that merges with the inky night sky, creating the impression that you are floating in the sky overlooking the twinkling lights of the Frankfurt skyline. Inside, there’s a cool buzzy feel, with a separate bar area and funky artworks, plus an in-house DJ.
The Mediterranean menu, headed up by Spanish chef Iñigo Urrechu, encompasses tasty starters like beetroot tartare (€18) and baked king prawn (€26) with an impressive selection of “From the Sea” mains including Spanish bread soup (€34) – which features pisto (Spain’s answer to ratatouille) confit cod flakes and Iberian ham, plus “From the Land” options such as the braised Iberian pork cheeks in a red wine sauce with carrot and orange puree (€32). The wine cellar features a nice selection of German and Spanish wines.
This space is also open for breakfast to The Level guests, with a continental buffet featuring breads, pastries, jams, yoghurts and cereal, plus a hot menu with everything from cooked-to-order eggs and waffles.
Meanwhile, Neu on the ground floor is the hotel’s main all-day dining area. It is a bright and airy space seating up to 150, with a modern menu of both Germany and Spanish influences.
Leisure facilities
There is a fairly standard gym on Level 2, which all guests have access to 24/7. On the same level is a unisex sauna (open until around 9pm) along with an outdoor terrace and sun beds.
We also enjoyed a yoga lesson one morning, held in one of the venue’s multipurpose events spaces, which again featured full-length windows and opened onto a small terrace. A lovely way to start the day.
There’s no spa or pool, which is really the only thing holding this property back from five-star status.
Meetings and events
The hotel is a popular events location with 23 rooms spread across 2,800 sqm.
The largest ballroom can host up to 800 people and has been used to host car shows (thanks to a purpose-built opening), or can be subdivided into five separate rooms. There is also a breakout lounge, catering facilities and 14 conference rooms with digital video-conferencing equipment and professional technical support.
Verdict
I really enjoyed my stay here, despite a few tech complaints. The rooms were spacious and comfortable, with excellent facilities. Oben is a fantastic dining destination, and the staff were very friendly. Extensive business and conference facilities also stand out.
Best for
Enjoying a private balcony for guest rooms in The Level categories
Don’t miss
Sundowners in the Level Lounge followed by dinner and a DJ set at Oben Restaurant and Skybar
Price
Internet rates for a flexible stay in The Level room in mid June start from £242 (entry level £146).
Contact
Senckenberganlage 13, Frankfurt, 60325 Germany; +49 69 6681980; melia.com
