Challenge: find a smaller chain hotel room

Challenge: find a smaller chain hotel room

29

I need to spend a night in Frankfurt early next week, and am trying to decide where to stay. I’ve stayed at the InterContinental, Westin Grand, and Sheraton Airport, so I was tempted to try the Le Meridien (and back off grammar police, we’ve been through this before). 😉

The rate was surprisingly low at 99 Euros and I was about to make a booking until I saw the size of their entry level room:

108 square feet? Given that part of that is a bathroom, that’s tiny. I realize there are plenty of local hotels in Europe and Asia with rooms that size, though has anyone ever seen a room that small at one of the major hotel chains? Prior to this I don’t think I’ve ever seen a room at a Starwood hotel of under 180 square feet, so this is a further huge drop.

Can anyone do better than 108 square feet? There’s a Diet Coke with lime and hot nuts on the line…

Conversations (29)
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  1. Maja Berge Guest

    My friends and I stayed at that hotel. Our room was plenty large although the bathroom was small. We had a large bed and a rollaway and LOTS of space to spread out our suitcases after we'd shopped at the Christmas markets. We did Cash and Points and paid maybe $45 a night. It was really close to the train station. It wasn't luxurious but it was great for what we needed.

  2. Adam S Guest

    In the category of smallest Double, I had a 17sq meter room at the Algonquin (Marriott) in NY last month.

    Odd thing was I was very grateful for it. Got stranded in NY by a storm and the whole City was sold out (apart from 1 Hampton Inn at $900 for the night). A collegue staying at the Algonquin with good relations there persuaded them to give me a room for $400 on the assumption they would lose guests due to the storm.

  3. DavidO Guest

    Try Rocco Forte Villa Kennedy - Virtuoso and probably FHR as well.

  4. lucky OMAAT

    @ Oscar -- Huh? Who are you talking to? And I speak two languages fluently, so...

  5. Oscar New Member

    The the Meridien? I mean... like this is so typical american. Just assuming everyone speaks english and if they do know 2-3 words in another language they are genius. Why don't you open a book? Why do everyone in the whole world can speak 2-3 languages AT LEAST, and you only know english and "uno momento porfavor" which is also wrong.

  6. Simon Guest

    I have stayed at the 14m^2 compact rooms at Radisson Blu Royal Copenhagen many times, works fine for a single business traveller.

  7. Jamison Member

    lucky,

    99 euros is a steal and since you're a PLAT guest, they will not put you in that lowest category room. Possibly use a suite night award? :) good-luck.. i'd stay there if I were you

  8. chemist661 Guest

    Plug in 2 people and see what comes up in price and size.

    That size is equal to a small bedroom in a house. (9ft x 12 ft) equals to 108 sq ft or 10 sq meters. And those figures does not include the bathroom.

    Very small room.

  9. Nick Guest

    When I read the headline I figured you were up for trying one of the smaller chains like Omni or Millenium.

  10. snic Diamond

    That's an easy challenge - literally. There's a European hotel chain called EasyHotel. For instance, the one in Amsterdam has a "small room with window" that is 8.5 to 9.5 square meters:

    http://www.easyhotel.com/hotels/amsterdam.html

    Hey, at least it has a window! I haven't stayed there, but I once stayed at the CitezenM at Amsterdam airport. The rooms have a very interesting design, boasting a "really big bed" taking up 4 of the room's total of 14...

    That's an easy challenge - literally. There's a European hotel chain called EasyHotel. For instance, the one in Amsterdam has a "small room with window" that is 8.5 to 9.5 square meters:

    http://www.easyhotel.com/hotels/amsterdam.html

    Hey, at least it has a window! I haven't stayed there, but I once stayed at the CitezenM at Amsterdam airport. The rooms have a very interesting design, boasting a "really big bed" taking up 4 of the room's total of 14 square meters! The bathrooms are also... interesting:

    http://www.citizenm.com/schiphol-amsterdam-airport/innovative-hotel-rooms

  11. Ron B. Guest

    Try the Sheraton Airport 291 sf for 99E http://www.beatthetimer.com/

  12. lucky OMAAT

    @ Anonymous -- I do my best!

  13. Sam Guest

    Stayed there one night and yes, it is small. Only reason I stayed there was that I had to take an early train. Good number of restaurants near by so the convenience makes up for the smallness of the room. As as a plat member, I'm sure they'll upgrade you to a little bigger room.

  14. CP@YOW Member

    I don't have a smaller example, but I stayed in a 14 m^2 "compact single" room at the Radisson Blu Royal, Copenhagen, and it was perfectly comfortable as a single traveller. Also, I have another example of a Starwood hotel below 180sqft: the W New York "cozy room" is 150-170.

  15. tom Guest

    Steigenberger Metropolitan

  16. oneeyejack Guest

    Remember the Steigenberger at the FRA airport I told you about? Single Standard room is 14-16 m². I'm close! hehe

  17. Steve Guest

    I stayed there for 21 nights earlier this year. My room was fine - a bit small perhaps, but not painfully so, especially if you are not staying for long. I think the rooms in the historic wing are the small ones, though.

    The location is great if you will be traveling by train, but I think overall, if I had it to do over again, I would go for the Westin (which is better access to downtown, anyway).

  18. KevinZ Guest

    Radisson Blu Edwardian Vanderbilt Hotel in London, I booked a single room there, and was apparently given a upgrade to a deluxe one. Still, I was shocked by the size. You can barely walk pass the bed... Thank god it was a mattress run, I got another room booked at Radisson Blu Grafton.

  19. Tobias Guest

    The rooms are definitely small - but they serve ginger-flavored gummybears at their Casablanca bar downstairs.. hard to beat!

  20. Anonymous Guest

    So, you are pretty good at arguing for plat upgrades right?

  21. Samuel New Member

    TripAdvisor, while sometimes questionable, is useful for verification purposes. If rooms are really that small, you'll find people squealing about them.

    http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g187337-d199313-r133249629-Le_Meridien_Parkhotel_Frankfurt-Frankfurt_Hesse.html

  22. Carl Guest

    according to trip advisor, you don't want one of the single rooms, that they are indeed super small and the toilet is tiny. chances are you get upgraded as a platinum anyway. but otherwise, reviews are decent and the price is excellent.

  23. lucky OMAAT

    @ Pat+ -- Same reason I want to stay there (proximity to the train station and there's a nice restaurant nearby I'd like to eat at). And I'd be in the same boat regarding breakfast as you. :D

  24. AK Member

    LHR Yotel is about 7 sq meters. NYC Yotel is about 16. The NYC one isn't bad with a queen bed, so I can see a single in 14 sq meters. And the bathroom might have been generous with a sq meter, so 13 sq meters wouldn't be too bad :P

  25. Frank (j/k) Guest

    Hot nuts?

    Hmm...interesting choice of words there Lucky...

    :)

  26. Pat+ Guest

    Interesting. I stayed there weeks ago and had a large, newly renovated room with a cool design and a somewhat fancy bathroom. The location is very convenient, just right outside the station. I'm surprised by the size too... but as a Platinum I wouldn't worry if I were you. (Can't comment on the Plat breakfast, btw, I had breakfast at the FCT instead :)

  27. Carl Guest

    That is not even four meters wide

  28. lucky OMAAT

    @ Carl -- Given that the square meters and square footage suggest the same size, I suspect it's not a typo, unfortunately. I'd like to be wrong, though!

  29. Carl Guest

    Never stayed there Lucky, always do the Westin Grande or Sheraton airport. But damn, i though my room at the Intercon JNB Airport was small at 32M. This is a third of that! Are you sure it is not a typo?

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Maja Berge Guest

My friends and I stayed at that hotel. Our room was plenty large although the bathroom was small. We had a large bed and a rollaway and LOTS of space to spread out our suitcases after we'd shopped at the Christmas markets. We did Cash and Points and paid maybe $45 a night. It was really close to the train station. It wasn't luxurious but it was great for what we needed.

0
Adam S Guest

In the category of smallest Double, I had a 17sq meter room at the Algonquin (Marriott) in NY last month. Odd thing was I was very grateful for it. Got stranded in NY by a storm and the whole City was sold out (apart from 1 Hampton Inn at $900 for the night). A collegue staying at the Algonquin with good relations there persuaded them to give me a room for $400 on the assumption they would lose guests due to the storm.

0
DavidO Guest

Try Rocco Forte Villa Kennedy - Virtuoso and probably FHR as well.

0
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