- Introduction: O-man, IB Crazy AF
- Review: American Business Class A321 Los Angeles To New York
- Review: British Airways Lounge New York JFK
- Review: Iberia Business Class A340 New York To Madrid
- Review: Iberia Arrivals Lounge Madrid Airport
- Review: Hilton Madrid Airport
- Review: LAN Business Class 787 Madrid To Frankfurt
- Review: Oman Air Business Class 787 Frankfurt To Muscat
- Review: Oman Air Lounge Muscat Airport
- Review: Oman Air Business Class A330 Muscat To Bangkok
- Review: Le Meridien Suvarnabhumi Resort & Spa
- Review: Oman Air Lounge Bangkok Airport
- Review: Oman Air Business Class A330 Bangkok To Muscat
- Review: Oman Air New Business Class A330 Muscat To Frankfurt
- Review: Sheraton Frankfurt Airport Club Suite
- Review: Air France Lounge Frankfurt Airport
- Review: Air France HOP Business Class Frankfurt To Paris
- Review: The World’s Best First Class Ground Experience
- Review: Air France Business Class 777 Paris To Toronto
Introduction
Review: American Business Class A321 Los Angeles To New York
Review: British Airways Lounge New York JFK
Review: Iberia Business Class A340 New York To Madrid
Review: Iberia Arrivals Lounge Madrid Airport
Review: Hilton Madrid Airport
Review: LAN Business Class 787 Madrid To Frankfurt
Review: Oman Air Business Class 787 Frankfurt To Muscat
Review: Oman Air Lounge Muscat Airport
Review: Oman Air Business Class A330 Muscat To Bangkok
Review: Le Meridien Suvarnabhumi Resort & Spa
Review: Oman Air Lounge Bangkok Airport
Review: Oman Air Business Class A330 Bangkok To Muscat
Review: Oman Air New Business Class A330 Muscat To Frankfurt
Review: Sheraton Frankfurt Airport Club Suite
Review: Air France Lounge Frankfurt Airport
Review: Air France HOP Business Class Frankfurt To Paris
Review: Air France First Class Ground Experience Paris
Review: Air France Business Class 777 Paris To Toronto
My layover in Frankfurt was about 12 hours, as I was landing from Muscat at around 7PM, and departing the following morning to Paris at around 7AM.
I decided to book the Sheraton Frankfurt Airport, which I’ve stayed at about a dozen times before. It’s connected directly to Terminal 1, so is extremely convenient if you just have a quick overnight.
The Element Frankfurt Airport is also quite nice, though is about a 5-10 minute drive from the airport. Meanwhile the Hilton Frankfurt Airport is also walking distance from the terminal (it’s located in the nearby Squaire), but the walk is about an extra 10 minutes in each direction.
Besides, I’m a Starwood loyalist, so the Sheraton Frankfurt Airport was an obvious choice. The rate I paid was about 115EUR, which was pretty good for this hotel, especially on a weekday.
This review will be brief, given that I didn’t leave my room after checking in, and left early the following morning. So check out my previous review of the Sheraton Frankfurt Airport for more details. What do I love about the Sheraton Frankfurt Airport?
- It’s extremely convenient
- The staff are professional and friendly (especially by German standards)
- The club lounge is fantastic, with a great food & drink spread
- There’s just some quality to this hotel I love which I can’t quite explain; maybe it’s a function of all the memories I have of Frankfurt Airport growing up, from visiting family in Germany, but staying at the Sheraton makes me sort of nostalgic
The reason I’m writing this review is because this stay was the first time I’ve ever been upgraded to a suite at this hotel. I’m not sure if it’s because they were busy, if it’s because my Ambassador is awesome, because I’m a frequent guest, or what, but I figured I’d review it.
I’d note that at this hotel SPG Platinum members aren’t technically entitled to suite upgrades in the club tower. That’s because the club area of the hotel is considered to be a separate “tower,” and as a Platinum member you’re entitled to the best available room (including a standard suite), with certain exclusions. Here are the relevant terms (bolding mine):
Upgrades to best available room at check-in, including Standard Suites.1
Subject to availability at check-in for the entire length of the stay, provided the room was not booked through a pre-paid third-party channel. Specialty Suites such as, but not limited to, premium view, Presidential, Honeymoon, and multiple bedroom suites are excluded. This benefit does not apply to all-suite hotels. Best rooms are identified by each property and may not include upgraded Towers level accommodations unless Towers level accommodations were booked originally.
So you can either get a renovated room in the club tower, or a suite in the non-club tower, which largely isn’t renovated. I always choose a club room. However, in practice Platinum Suite Night Awards can be used to upgrade to the club suites at this hotel, which is why I think this review is worth writing.
With that in mind, upon landing I took the train from Terminal 2 to Terminal 1, which took just a few minutes.
I then proceeded to the check-in hall.
Frankfurt Airport Terminal 1
From there I took the escalator up a level, and then turned left into the hallway which leads to the Sheraton Frankfurt Airport.
Walkway to Sheraton Frankfurt Airport
The check-in process was quick, and the associate was friendly. I used my Citi Prestige® Card to pay for the stay, given that the card offers triple points on hotel stays.
Within minutes she gave me a key to my suite on the seventh floor, #7219.
Sheraton Frankfurt Airport floorplan
Upon exiting the elevator, the suite was located at the very end of the hallway and to the right.
The living room was just past the entrance, and was quite nice. It featured a couch which seats three, as well as a chair, all facing a coffee table.
Sheraton Frankfurt Airport club suite living room
Then there was a dining table with four seats close to the entrance.
Sheraton Frankfurt Airport club suite living room
Sheraton Frankfurt Airport club suite dining area
Waiting on the dining table was a pretty awesome welcome amenity consisting of a chocolate cake (great, just what I needed after stuffing myself on four Oman Air flights), which I promptly devoured. It also had my Twitter and Instagram handle on it. This hotel is big on social media, and I’ve interacted with them on social media in the past, which might explain this (I’ve never before received a welcome amenity from them).
Sheraton Frankfurt Airport club suite welcome gift
Across from the couch was a coffee machine as well as the minibar. Oddly this hotel charges for in-room coffee, which you don’t see often. On the plus side, they do set up a complimentary coffee and croissant station in the lobby in the wee hours of the morning, which is a feature I love.
Sheraton Frankfurt Airport club suite living room
Back by the entrance was a small guest bathroom, with a sink and toilet.
Sheraton Frankfurt Airport club suite guest bathroom
The living room was separated from the bedroom by a door.
Sheraton Frankfurt Airport club suite bedroom
The bedroom was about the size of a standard room at this hotel, and was even designed almost identically. It featured a chair in the corner, a desk with an office chair across from it, and a king size bed.
Sheraton Frankfurt Airport club suite bedroom
Sheraton Frankfurt Airport club suite desk
Sheraton Frankfurt Airport club suite bedroom chair
The bed was comfortable, though wasn’t your typical Sheraton Sweet Sleeper Bed. As I often find to be the case in Europe, the bed wasn’t quite as plush.
Sheraton Frankfurt Airport club suite bedroom
Sheraton Frankfurt Airport club suite bedroom
Past the bedroom was a large room with a closet, which was connected to the bathroom. The room featured a luggage rack in addition to the closet.
Sheraton Frankfurt Airport club suite closet area
The suite bathroom was virtually identical to the bathroom in a standard room, with a toilet, sink, and shower/tub combo.
Sheraton Frankfurt Airport club suite bathroom
While I usually hate shower/tub combos, I love the ones in Germany, since they also have a handheld “nozzle.” The water pressure and temperature control were excellent.
Sheraton Frankfurt Airport club suite shower
Sheraton Frankfurt Airport club suite shower
Toiletries were the Sheraton brand standard ones, which are… bleh.
Sheraton Frankfurt Airport club suite toiletries
I got some work done upon landing, and then got to bed at a reasonable hour, before waking up again at 4AM the next day to fly back to the US. I checked out at around 5AM, and then took the train from Terminal 1 back to Terminal 2.
Sheraton Frankfurt Airport bottom line
This was a fantastic stay at the Sheraton as usual, and that’s not even accounting for the fact that I didn’t use the club lounge. The suite was nice and spacious. While there’s not much value to a suite when I’m traveling alone, I would have found this really useful if I were traveling with someone. I tend to have really crazy hours when traveling, so it’s nice to have a separate living room so someone can sleep while I’m working.
Given that the suites aren’t part of the upgrade pool, I might consider applying a Suite Night Award here at some point, if I were staying for much longer. Then again, when staying longer I tend to go into the city, so perhaps the need for that won’t arise.
However the queues can get pretty huge sometimes so if you are short of time maybe it's better to remain airside.
I still vote for Sheraton but it helps a lot of you have SPG status and can get an upgrade.
I'm so late on this thread but I'm wondering if for a 7 hour layover you would recommend this or the MYCLOUD hotel for a bit of sleep even with access to the Asiana lounge.
@Lucky, since they renovated the suites and named them "club suites" I don't believe they are considered as rooms in the "tower". I've been upgraded the last 4 visits to a club suite, 3 times without prompting and once when I asked nicely if they had any available. Prior to this the upgrades were always to a (renovated) club room or if you pushed at check-in to a standard suite which was not in the...
@Lucky, since they renovated the suites and named them "club suites" I don't believe they are considered as rooms in the "tower". I've been upgraded the last 4 visits to a club suite, 3 times without prompting and once when I asked nicely if they had any available. Prior to this the upgrades were always to a (renovated) club room or if you pushed at check-in to a standard suite which was not in the tower and was far from renovated (horrible rooms!), but since the renovation in 2014/2015 they seemed to add renovated "club suites" to the Platinum upgrade pool.
Also, I can confirm what Carlos says - you get 2 free pods in the room (a "crema" and something else, maybe the second one is tea but I don't recall), the minibar has additional ones and different varieties if you want them. Perhaps you missed them or the free pods weren't replenished.
I don't know if I could call this a premium product. Sure, it's a suite but it's a suite at an airport -- yes, an airport! -- hotel. I certainly wouldn't pay for a suite. I also don't think the decor is even that nice. Then again, it seems like so many of the hotels in Europe have a utilitarian feel to them. The fact that this Sheraton doesn't have the brand standard bed is a puzzler, too.
Why would you use Prestige when SPG Amex now has no foreign transaction fees? Are you saying that it's better to put SPG spend on Citi Prestige/Premier?
@ NB -- Yep, see this post:
https://onemileatatime.com/ultimate-guide-spg-marriott/
I value 3x points on the Citi Prestige Card slightly more than 2x points on the SPG Amex, which is why I'd use the Citi Prestige Card.
I stayed in the suite a couple of times. The second time when I tried to use my gold member benefit to checkout at 2pm. The very creepy house cleaning staff pounded at door literally once every 15minutes, till I called the front desk to ask them to stop. Never again, I paid premium so that me and my parents could have a restful day before long-haul flying. It was unprofessional of them to do that for a frequent customer.
Ignore the reasons for upgrade, and just focus on what we can actually see, the pictures of the product. Even then, certain things like the quality of food, the service, the comfort of bed & seats, etc, is all subjective to the person doing the review. The main things we can take from all TRs, not just Lucky's, is what does the room/premium cabin look like, what options are offered, what's on the menu, how...
Ignore the reasons for upgrade, and just focus on what we can actually see, the pictures of the product. Even then, certain things like the quality of food, the service, the comfort of bed & seats, etc, is all subjective to the person doing the review. The main things we can take from all TRs, not just Lucky's, is what does the room/premium cabin look like, what options are offered, what's on the menu, how the food is presented, etc.
I doubt anyone should base their travels on just Lucky's reviews, or the views of any one blogger. A person should compare this to other reviews and see what tends to be consistent in many reviews. There have been products Lucky has raved about and others have been indifferent to, and vice versa, and there have been others were opinions were more consistent across the board. Take it all with a grain of salt, I suppose.
The first two pics make me nostalgic...even though it is my home airport :-).
I'm just not there as often as I really want to be.
And a couple of pump/pimp card links too. It's all about conversions bb! ;)
Lucky -
I read this because it has been a few years since I stayed here, and I was curious how it was. I actually thought this was a great review.
BUT...
To suggest that you didn't know why you got upgraded to a club suite is, to say the least, a bit disingenuous.
You've publicly disclosed (which the FTC says you kind of have to do) that you at least previously have been...
Lucky -
I read this because it has been a few years since I stayed here, and I was curious how it was. I actually thought this was a great review.
BUT...
To suggest that you didn't know why you got upgraded to a club suite is, to say the least, a bit disingenuous.
You've publicly disclosed (which the FTC says you kind of have to do) that you at least previously have been a member of the SPG Amex Stars program. They provide you with access to all sorts of special events and promotions. You make what I assume is a pretty substantial amount of income from Starwood credit card referrals. All that is totally cool. It's good to be you.
That said, we read your blog entries, in part, because they're pretty intelligent and sophisticated, and assume a certain level of both from your readers.
When you suggest that you're not sure why a Sheraton would give a highly favored blogger a non-standard upgrade, though, even posting a picture of the welcome amenity that flags your twitter handle, it really comes across that you think your readers are neither intelligent nor sophisticated.
Just call it the way it is. You get special treatment from time to time because the name "Ben Schlappig" is well known to many travel companies, *especially* SPG - acknowledge it. Even the NY Times restaurant critics acknowledge that they're quite quickly known to the NY restaurant biz.
What makes your reviews less legitimate is when you somehow position yourself as a "regular" traveler. You may be a traveler, but you ain't a "regular" traveler...
Greg
Yah...interesting definition of logic, lol.
Not feeding the trolls. Thanks for playing.
@mdtravel
You're really not gonna win anyone over in the comment section by being logical. The fanboys here will construe all situations as favorably as possible for their idol.
You can't stop the circlejerk so don't even try!!! All hail Lucky!!! He truly lives up to his name!!!
For everyone information. This weekend my wife was traveling with our daughter and she checked into a Hyatt Place where I had made reservation with my Hyatt Diamond credentials. When the person doing the check in he commented to my wife all the locations I had stayed. Hotel know who is coming and they know who and how to impress people
Respectfully, this is b.s. How can the review be done without notice when they freaking put his blog name on a customized dessert? Oh, I know...it's the twitter handle. So I'm sure there are plenty of other folks who have received a customized gift with their twitter handle on it.
Look, I like the blog. But if readers at all imagine they will be treated the way the bloggers get treated they're just being sheep.
...Respectfully, this is b.s. How can the review be done without notice when they freaking put his blog name on a customized dessert? Oh, I know...it's the twitter handle. So I'm sure there are plenty of other folks who have received a customized gift with their twitter handle on it.
Look, I like the blog. But if readers at all imagine they will be treated the way the bloggers get treated they're just being sheep.
This is about as unbiased as is the latest review of the awesome never seen before SPG AMEX sign up bonus...just click here to apply.
And this hotel review is meant to generate clicks, and to ensure the next hotel stay gets an even better upgrade.
@mdtravel
Notice = name on reservation.
He clearly stated he's stayed there regularly over the years. Sure, at this hotel they know him -- just as they'd know another frequent guest.
Don't think anyone's dumb enough to believe they're going to be treated this way because...it happened to some guy in a blog
BTW, I received a personalized dessert on an Etihad 787 in First, when I mentioned it was my first ride...
@mdtravel
Notice = name on reservation.
He clearly stated he's stayed there regularly over the years. Sure, at this hotel they know him -- just as they'd know another frequent guest.
Don't think anyone's dumb enough to believe they're going to be treated this way because...it happened to some guy in a blog
BTW, I received a personalized dessert on an Etihad 787 in First, when I mentioned it was my first ride in a Dreamliner. I'm not a blogger.
And...surprise, blogs ARE in the business (also fully disclosed) of generating clicks.
Of course, no one is forced to click through...
@mdtravel
From OMAAT's website disclosure statement:
"I fund all of my own travel, and all airline and hotel reviews are done without notice or approval of the companies involved. No airline or hotel chain sponsors or endorses content on this blog with the exception of certain reader giveaways, which are clearly labeled as such."
Ben has been around long enough to know what he can and cannot get away with when it comes to...
@mdtravel
From OMAAT's website disclosure statement:
"I fund all of my own travel, and all airline and hotel reviews are done without notice or approval of the companies involved. No airline or hotel chain sponsors or endorses content on this blog with the exception of certain reader giveaways, which are clearly labeled as such."
Ben has been around long enough to know what he can and cannot get away with when it comes to taking freebies -- and what is/looks inappropriate. And, even if he wanted to, he's smart enough to NOT pull a DYKWIA, because word of that kinda stuff gets around.
Do some airlines/hotels/staff know or recognize him? By now, absolutely. So there are, clearly, cases where he's given special treatment or acknowledgement, even if he tries to avoid it. But I have to say he's more transparent and honest about these things than most other bloggers.
quid pro quo
"The reason I’m writing this review is because this stay was the first time I’ve ever been upgraded to a suite at this hotel. I’m not sure if it’s because they were busy, if it’s because my Ambassador is awesome, because I’m a frequent guest, or what, but I figured I’d review it."
Um, it's because you told them:
1. You are a blogger.
2. You'd be writing a review.
How coy Lucky.
So glad you get the VIP treatment in exchange for being a shill for the hotel...or do all guests get a dessert w/ their names spelled out on them? dykwia big time.
From the comments, I think we see how the hotel treats normal people.
I hope nobody ever decides to stay at a hotel based on reports of upgrades or elite treatment found here. The bloggers get a treatment different than elites do.
I got stuck in an old room here in November due to the Lufthansa strikes. Absolutely revolting, probably the worst hotel and room I've stayed at in well over 10 years. Why anybody would actively choose to stay here if there were other options, if only slightly better, is beyond me. Totally depressing property.
@Lucky Do you think those half-glass, swinging shower doors are a little useless? I recently stayed at a Best Western in Paris with one and no matter how hard I tried I couldn't keep water off the floor.
@J
Yes, you can find lots of reviews on TripAdvisor, some of which are more helpful than others. From my perspective, Lucky's reviews of hotels are more thorough than what you'll find on sites like TripAdvisor, allowing me to get a better idea of what to expect than simply reading one or two reviews on another site. The other thing is that for regular readers of OMAAT, we know that Lucky isn't just a random...
@J
Yes, you can find lots of reviews on TripAdvisor, some of which are more helpful than others. From my perspective, Lucky's reviews of hotels are more thorough than what you'll find on sites like TripAdvisor, allowing me to get a better idea of what to expect than simply reading one or two reviews on another site. The other thing is that for regular readers of OMAAT, we know that Lucky isn't just a random person reviewing a hotel. Often, on review sites, people will review a hotel like Sheraton or Hilton and complain that it doesn't include free breakfast (or in the past, free wifi) and give the hotel a terrible rating rather than reviewing the hotel for what it is. I think Lucky tries to factor in the type of hotel in his review. He doesn't look at an Aloft the same way he would look at a Park Hyatt. In summary, I think Lucky does a great job providing his perspective on things and giving a well rounded review of a hotel. I'll still look at TripAdvisor when searching for a hotel because in many cases it is helpful.
@Lucky
On a different note, the Sheraton tends to get worse reviews than the Hilton or other nearby airport hotels. You have always favored the Sheraton for the club lounge and the location (plus being loyal to SPG), although for some reason the Hilton and Hilton Garden Inn are rated as having a better location (despite being further from the airport and from the trains to and from Frankfurt). Having stayed at all three of these hotels, do you have an explanation as to why people might find the Hiltons to be better than the Sheraton (both in terms of location and other aspects of the hotel, such as comfort, cleanliness, and staff)?
@ Adam, I once got placed into the old rooms at the Sheraton and they were very old and bad, Hilton is all new rooms, the new rooms at Sheraton are much nicer than old rooms
Why have you started doing so many random airport hotel reviews when there are literally thousands of such reviews online for the same airport hotel:
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g187337-d202274-Reviews-Sheraton_Frankfurt_Airport_Hotel_Conference_Center-Frankfurt_Hesse.html
Its an airport chain hotel. Does it really need reviews?
Its better to just focus on flights which don't have as many reviews online.
Hey Lucky, Your link to: "Review: Oman Air Lounge Bangkok Airport" is broken. FYI.
Really enjoying the Oman Air series of reviews!
@ Jimmy -- Fixed, thank you!!
Lucky you get 2 pods of free coffee in the room. Check it out next time you go. I use this hotel about 3-4 times per year and never pay for the coffee.
The Sheraton FRA has also been my favorite hotel at FRA (and has been among my favourite hotels worldwide) - well, until last year, when they really messed up my one-night stay. I had booked just the suite you are reviewing here, but somehow, due to an overbooking situation, they were unable to vacate it until 7 o`clock in the evening, when we finally chose to downgrade to a standard club room. The entire thing...
The Sheraton FRA has also been my favorite hotel at FRA (and has been among my favourite hotels worldwide) - well, until last year, when they really messed up my one-night stay. I had booked just the suite you are reviewing here, but somehow, due to an overbooking situation, they were unable to vacate it until 7 o`clock in the evening, when we finally chose to downgrade to a standard club room. The entire thing had been handled in quite an unprofessional manner (telling us to wait in the club lounge for 4 hours without any updates or alternate suggestions), and they even seemed proud to tell me that they'd only charge the standard club room instead of the suite (heck, why would they charge something I didn't receive?). The entire thing is a bit annoying, as I really like the hotel itself, but probably won't return, as they didn't even try to contact me after departure (although they seemed to have a note on my reservation to contact the FO manager on my departure, whom they couldn't reach on check out).
By the way: is it just me, or has the quality of catering in the club lounge really deteriorated gradually over the last few years? It hasn't "gone down the drain", but I feel that food quality and quantity had been a notch better two or three years ago.