Steigenberger Frankfurter Hof vs. Hilton Garden Inn Frankfurt Airport

The sale of all the shares in Steigenberger AG held by the owner family to the Egyptian tourism group Travco was to push the brand and the hotel to new heights. He had the idea, which sounded strange to me, of putting a holding company above the traditional company: today’s Deutsche Hospitality. As a hotelier, this has never fully opened up to me. In any case, for a long time Steigenberger eked out an existence as an undefined brand that had absolutely nothing to do with today’s luxury.

A happy change led the house back into the real grand hotel business. At the end of 2019, the Chinese Huazhu Group acquired the company. The widespread prejudice that purchases by Chinese investors are the downfall of the western world can be refuted with this company.

The opposite is the case. With André Witschi, a competent and excellent hotelier and expert in the industry was placed at the head of the supervisory board of the hotel company. He should ensure that the brand once again enjoys its original reputation both in Germany and internationally. Now he has to leave the company again, Witschi will be replaced by ex-Fraport boss Wilhelm Bender, as was announced last week. This was accompanied by a change in the CEO position: Marcus Bernhardt was replaced by Oliver Bonke, who has many years of experience in the foreign luxury hotel industry.

Marcus Bernhardt’s first coup in the summer of last year was a partnership with the global corporation Porsche: in the future, the Steigenberger Porsche Design Hotels will address young luxury to a target group that is new to the brand. They are thus establishing themselves in an excellent niche on the market. According to Porsche, as a first step up to 15 hotels are planned in global metropolises such as London, Singapore, Dubai and Shanghai.

The modern head office is the Frankfurter Hof

However, I am staying in the flagship of the Steigenberger Group, the Frankfurter Hof, and am quite surprised. In my opinion, an established main house should be a bit more sedate and embody the history of a group with a bit of patina. Not so in Frankfurt. The modernity and almost youthful freshness inspires me.

I am greeted by name before I even reach my room. I notice some employees from other well-known houses. The assistant director comes from the Four Seasons in Doha and greets me like I’ve been a regular for years. This is my first time at the Steigenberger Frankfurter Hof. The Guest Relations representative escorts me to my room and also ensures a warm welcome upon my arrival.

This house is certainly number one in Frankfurt today, although it wasn’t like that for years. Under the leadership of Spiridon Sarantopoulos, the hotel has reached new heights. I look forward to becoming one of the regulars soon.

The new quality also attracts well-known VIP guests such as Justin Bieber and royal highnesses such as the Princess of the Netherlands and the Swedish royal family. Even the royal family of Qatar has been a guest at the Frankfurter Hof. After all, you should know that they own the Raffles in Singapore and the Bürgenstock Resort in Switzerland, excellent hotels. The fact that they are now also staying at the Frankfurter Hof says a lot about the excellence of the hotel.

I experience a very special treat in the Restaurant Français: Head chef Patrick Bittner seduces his guests’ palates with his French haute cuisine. I choose the three-course surprise menu “Soirée tout compris” that is served every Thursday evening. So much in advance: I can promise you that the menu will inspire you. Of course, I won’t tell you exactly what ingredients were on my plate. After all, the surprise is part of the menu concept. In any case, the Michelin star and the 17 Gault Millau points are well deserved.

The Steigenberger-Haus makes the city of Frankfurt and its hotel industry much more attractive. However, I cannot recommend the Frankfurt hotel industry entirely. The same city shows me the other side of the coin at a similar time. I don’t want to withhold this experience from you either.

Hilton Garden Inn Frankfurt Airport: service desert in Frankfurt

Airport hotels are their own niche in the hospitality industry. In particular, they were before the pandemic. You may remember the brisk air traffic that was part of the everyday life of many business people at the time. At that time, houses close to the airport were still part of the fixed portfolio of numerous hotel companies. The business model is simple: I either have an early flight as a guest and want to rest in the hotel before a long journey. Or you can use an airport hotel to meet up with business partners from all over the world in a well-connected location.

The conference rooms are generally very well equipped and are ideal as a business meeting place. Now one would think that those who finally receive guests again after the pandemic only shine with service. You guessed it: That’s not the case everywhere. At least not in the Hilton Garden Inn Frankfurt Airport, where I would like to stay for one night. Processes and procedures seem more important than customer enthusiasm. By the way, not only in the airport hotel of the Hilton Group. I have personally had similarly negative experiences in the other branches.

As a guest, I would like to easily complete a hotel booking online. With a brand like Hilton, I expect the hotel to be right at the top of the first page after a quick Google search. Also and above all for possible inquiries and rebookings. You can usually cancel free of charge until 6 p.m. on the same day via the well-known platforms, should this be necessary.

Now I’m not a fan of recommending booking portals. But my telephone service experience makes it clear to me why the online booking machine is booming. Because: After I finally ended up with a member of staff at the Hilton Garden Inn after being put through several times, they still don’t help me. I would like to cancel my room, a very understandable reason especially in pandemic times. It doesn’t work, and the young lady on the other end of the line may have followed the hotel’s rules. However, service for the benefit of the guest works differently. This is exactly how you can tell before you arrive that you should rather choose another hotel. In any case, I will no longer be staying in a Hilton hotel in the future.

Conclusion: In the Steigenberger Hotels you are in good hands

Back to the jewels of the German hotel industry: I am sure that we will be able to experience a number of innovations and exciting developments from the Steigenberger hotel group in the near future. In any case, I am looking forward to the Steigenberger Porsche Design Hotels and will present them to you in my columns soon. The Steigenberger Hotels & Resorts are rightly among the 101 best hotels in Germany. You can find out how the Steigenberger Frankfurter Hof ranked in 2022 here in the Handelsblatt in November 2022.

About the author: As a former grand hotelier and operator of a travel platform, Carsten K. Rath is a professional globetrotter. He travels to all the hotels he writes about for the Handelsblatt on his own account. Rath is the brain behind the ranking “The 101 best hotels in Germany”, whose partners include the Handelsblatt. The book on the ranking is available here.

More: Ranking “The 101 best hotels in Germany” – Four Seasons Hamburg and Schloss Elmau together at the top