Frankfurt, Germany, will finally be getting a full service Hyatt hotel, which I’m quite excited about. I first wrote about this several months ago, but I wanted to provide an update, as more details about the hotel are now being made available.
In this post:
Kennedy 89, a Hyatt Unbound Collection property
Kennedy 89 Frankfurt is “opening soon,” though unfortunately we don’t have a more exact timeline than that. The latest project I’ve heard is that the hotel should open in the second half of 2024. This property will join Hyatt’s Unbound Collection, which is Hyatt’s collection of independent properties. This will be a Category 3 World of Hyatt property, meaning a free night redemption will cost 9,000-15,000 points per night.
The property will feature 181 guest rooms, 68 of which will be suites (I love that ratio, as that should be good for upgrades). All rooms will feature private balconies, and will also feature integrated kitchenettes, ideal for those guests making extended stays.
At Kennedy 89, entry level rooms will be 30 square meters (~323 square feet), while standard suites will be 46 to 48 square meters (~495-517 square feet), for the purposes of Globalist upgrades and suite upgrade awards.
The project is being marketed as a 5-star hotel that will feature 14 stories:
- The Ground Level will have the lobby and reception, as well as Eighty Nine Restaurant & Bar, an all-day dining restaurant serving Middle Eastern dishes “with a dash of Frankfurt”
- Level 1 will have a gym, meeting rooms, and Kasa Lounge & Bar, a lobby bar serving cocktails, coffee, and more
- Levels 2-12 will have guest rooms
- Level 13 will have Jack’s Rooftop Bar, featuring views of the Frankfurt skyline
As far as the location of the hotel goes, it will be in the Sachsenhausen district. That’s just a 10-minute drive from Frankfurt Airport, and a pleasant walk to most of Frankfurt’s sites. This is also near many consulates and nineteenth century residential buildings.
The hotel will be located on three combined plots, at the intersection of Kennedy Allee and Stresemann Allee. The hotel’s name is inspired by its location on Kennedy Allee, a street paying homage to John F. Kennedy, and his well-documented stay in Frankfurt in 1963.
Below you can see some renderings of the property — I have to say, the hotel looks gorgeous!
No, sadly Villa Kennedy won’t become a Hyatt
I am delighted to see that a full service Hyatt will be opening in Frankfurt. As someone who transits Frankfurt constantly, and who has family in the area, I’ll likely be staying at this hotel a lot.
For context on Hyatt’s portfolio in the area, there’s the Hyatt House Frankfurt Eschborn and Hyatt Place Frankfurt Airport, but those are limited service properties. Furthermore, there’s a Hyatt Regency Mainz, but that’s in a neighboring city. With Hyatt’s acquisition of Linder Hotels, there are several new Hyatt options in the area, though they’re not necessarily all that luxurious.
Anyway, for years my favorite hotel in Frankfurt was Villa Kennedy, which used to be a Rocco Forte Hotel. That hotel closed in April 2022, and initially the plan was for this to no longer operate as a hotel. Fortunately we recently learned that Villa Kennedy will in fact be reopening as a hotel, but under different ownership and management. The current plan is for the hotel to reopen in the spring of 2025, as an Althoff Collection property.
There had been some speculation that perhaps Hyatt would be taking over this property, based on the name Kennedy 89. However, that’s not the case, as Kennedy 89 is a distinct property. Kennedy 89 and Villa Kennedy are almost next to one another, though.
Bottom line
Hyatt will be getting its first full service property in Frankfurt, in the form of Kennedy 89, which is expected to join Hyatt’s Unbound Collection at some point in 2024. I’m happy to see Hyatt getting a full service hotel in Frankfurt. This hotel looks really nice, and I also love the ratio of suites to guest rooms.
What do you make of Hyatt’s new Kennedy 89 Frankfurt?
I agree with Mike, many Hyatts have grey coloured walls and without decorations, ie' paintings, photos on the walls. The matching colour thru out the room is light and medium browns in wood trims, furniture.
It could be better. I would certainly like more colours.
Also starting to find brand new Hyatts including Regencys, that do not have bathroom doors. Ok maybe for Place or House, but not Regency. It is just an uncomfortable...
I agree with Mike, many Hyatts have grey coloured walls and without decorations, ie' paintings, photos on the walls. The matching colour thru out the room is light and medium browns in wood trims, furniture.
It could be better. I would certainly like more colours.
Also starting to find brand new Hyatts including Regencys, that do not have bathroom doors. Ok maybe for Place or House, but not Regency. It is just an uncomfortable situation in the bedroom, unless of course one is travelling alone.
I don't know if it's me growing old, me getting over hotels or hotels designers just being lazy, but the visuals from that hotel - so *yawn*.
To me it looks like AI generated hotel interior (which it probably is)- definitely not offensive in any way, but also with zero uniqueness, or a sense of the city you are in.
The hotel is directly opposite Villa Kennedy (right across the street).
I drove by it last Wednesday and it seemed to me there's still construction going on on the outside. Didn't look like "opening soon" to me.
No Pool?
Last I heard was when speaking to some of the old staff from Villa Kennedy that work now at The Sofitel. This was back in the spring when I last ran into them. They told me they had received interview offers for the “new” Villa Kennedy and that they were talking about opening in March of ‘24. Clearly that is not happening as I’ve seen no announcements. The reality is that Kennedy 89 looks fantastic and being Hyatt means it’s where I am going regardless.
I think Villa Kennedy will join Althoff Hotels and is expected to re-open in spring 2025.
Wish the date was right, Ben. I emailed them a week or two ago to try to book an extended stay for work starting in May, and they told me they will not be opening until December 2024.
Their site says Spring 2025
https://www.althoffcollection.com/en/althoff-frankfurt
@ Andrew -- Good catch, thanks! Will update the post now.