Review: Falkenstein Grand Koenigstein, Marriott Autograph Collection (Unique!)

For the next hotel stay of our Good Morning Milan, Goodnight Moon trip, we spent a night at the 112-room Falkenstein Grand Koenigstein, Marriott Autograph Collection, which I’ll be reviewing in this post. Then we spent the following night at the 22-room Villa Rothschild, Marriott Autograph Collection, which I’ll be reviewing in the next installment.

These are two sister properties that share amenities, and there’s an interesting backstory, as they both transitioned from German hotel group Kempinski to Marriott in 2021. Ever since, I’ve been intrigued by them, especially since Koenigstein is essentially a suburb of Frankfurt, so I wondered if this could be a fun stopover point if transiting Frankfurt.

I found Falkenstein Grand to be a fascinating property, though I’m still undecided as to whether I like it or not. The issue is, I’m not sure where exactly to place this property. It’s intended to be a bit of a spa and pool property, which Germans love, though I’m not sure that has the same appeal for foreigners.

On the plus side, I really enjoyed the hotel’s restaurant, and I found the whole experience to be charming (admittedly I’m German and was traveling with my dad, who loves these kinds of properties). However, the hotel feels a little outdated and run down in some areas, and I’m struggling to figure out exactly which kind of international visitor should stay here.

Anyway, enough for the introduction… let me just get into the review, and y’all can tell me what you think.

Booking Falkenstein Grand Koenigstein

I paid cash for our stay at Falkenstein Grand, and the rate was around €200 per room, which you really can’t argue with. As a matter of fact, seasonally the hotel gets even cheaper, and rates can get as low as around €170.

I booked our stay through the Marriott Luminous program, which offers extra perks at Autograph Collection properties. For booking this way, we received complimentary breakfast, a room upgrade subject to availability, and more. Admittedly I get many of these perks as a Bonvoy Ambassador member, but it was useful to also have it for the second room (since elite perks technically only apply to one room).

If we had redeemed Bonvoy points for our stay, the cost would’ve been around 40,000 points per night. For what it’s worth, I value Bonvoy points at 0.7 cents each, so redeeming points here really isn’t a great value.

Falkenstein Grand Koenigstein location & layout

Falkenstein Grand is located in Koenigstein im Taunus, essentially a wealthy suburb of Frankfurt. My dad is originally from the Frankfurt area, so as he explained it to me, the area at least used to be a popular place for well-off bankers to live.

It’s located around a 25-30 minute drive from both the city of Frankfurt, as well as from Frankfurt Airport (FRA). So I think this could absolutely be a nice place to spend a night if you have a layover in Frankfurt, though I wouldn’t use this as a base for exploring the city of Frankfurt.

I wouldn’t say that Koenigstein is a huge destination in and of itself, but it has a small and fairly charming town, and there’s lots of nature, so you can go hiking, if you’d like (weather permitting). The town is only a fairly short walk from the hotel.

Falkenstein Grand accommodations are split across seven different small buildings, and then there’s also a building with the wellness area. The buildings are also connected via underground tunnels, which is sort of cool, and also a little eery.

Let me say upfront that the weather during our stay was horrendous. During our nearly 24 hours at the hotel, there was virtually no visibility. It was so bad that when I was taking pictures outside, my iPhone kept having a message pop up telling me to clean my lens (even though it was perfectly clean).

The main building of Falkenstein Grand is a fairly good size…

…while a lot of the other structures look more like large homes or apartment buildings.

The hotel has a house car (a Range Rover — nice!) which transports guests between this hotel and the sister property, Villa Rothschild. That was convenient, since we decided to spend a night at each.

Falkenstein Grand Koenigstein lobby & check-in

Our arrival experience at Falkenstein Grand certainly left something to be desired. There was no bellmen or anyone initially in sight. Not that it was a huge issue, but since there were only stairs, it would’ve been nice if someone could’ve helped my dad with his bag (which I did, instead).

Reception was located just inside the entrance and to the left, and we were immediately helped there, with a rather odd check-in experience. The associate was friendly enough, but seemed confused. First she noted that I booked a Luminous rate, and asked for my company ID proving that I work for Luminous. I had to explain that this is a Marriott program that offers extra perks.

Then she asked if I wanted to select breakfast as my welcome amenity as an Ambassador member, though I again explained that Luminous includes perks like complimentary breakfast, which she seemed confused by.

On the plus side, we were offered water or sekt upon check-in, and we both just had the former. It also gave me a good chuckle when she pointed out how our rooms would have a great view of the Frankfurt skyline, when at the time, visibility outside was maybe 50 feet.

My dad and I were both assigned deluxe rooms in the main building, next to one another. That’s obviously not a huge upgrade, though these rooms do seem to be renovated, and some of the property’s rooms look scarily outdated, so maybe that wasn’t a bad thing.

At this point we were also helped by a bellmen, who escorted us to our rooms. The main part of the lobby is pretty charming, thanks to the building’s old “bones.”

The hotel has a single elevator in the main building, which we took up to the third floor (the top floor, except the penthouse level).

Falkenstein Grand Koenigstein deluxe room

My dad and I were both assigned deluxe rooms on the third floor, rooms 309 and 310. These rooms are marketed as being 377 square feet (35 square meters), and they’re the property’s most recently renovated rooms.

The hotel’s hallways seem nice enough, though I have to say, housekeeping did a terrible job with keeping the hallways uncluttered during the day. They just seemed to throw all their stuff (including used towels and sheets) in the hallways, which I’m not a fan of.

The room itself was perfectly lovely. Upon entering the room, there was a closet area to the left, and the door to the bathroom to the right.

The room had a very comfortable king size bed (particularly plush by German standards), with substantial pillows.

The room then had a wall-mounted TV, a desk with a chair, a chair in the corner next to the desk, and a chaise lounge at the foot of the bed.

The welcome amenity consisted of a bottle of still water, plus a bottle of alcohol-free apfel wein (apple wine).

The minibar was in the closet area back near the entrance, and consisted of a Nespresso machine, a kettle and tea, and a small selection of drinks and snacks for purchase.

The bathroom consisted of double sinks, a toilet and bidet, and a walk-in shower.

I will never, ever be able to wrap my head around these kinds of shower designs, where the shower is elevated above the rest of the bathroom, with only a half glass shield, since obviously water doesn’t stay in the shower.

Toiletries were in reusable containers from L’Occitane. While that’s a great brand, I found the scent of the toiletries to be a bit funky, so I can’t help but wonder if they were actually being refilled with those products, or…

The room also had a balcony, with two chairs.

Supposedly these rooms offer great views of the Frankfurt skyline, though I can’t personally speak to that…

There’s one other major room quirk worth mentioning — Falkenstein Grand doesn’t have air conditioning, so that’s definitely something to keep in mind in the summer months, especially if you’re an American. Frankly I found the room to be stuffy and warm when it was freezing outside, so I ended up opening the door.

Falkenstein Grand Koenigstein pool

Falkenstein Grand has an outdoor pool located just off the main building, and it’s heated year-round. You enter the pool indoors, and then that leads you outside.

It’s not the world’s most inspiring pool (at least coming from Florida), but it’s wet and warm, and I know that’s enough for a lot of people in Europe, particularly in winter.

There’s also a small hot tub in this area, plus some loungers.

Falkenstein Grand Koenigstein spa & gym

Falkenstein Grand has a dedicated spa building, known as the Ascara Spa. This offers everything from massages to medical treatments. The facilities are open daily from 7AM until 10PM (the gym can be accessed 24/7, but that has to be arranged), with treatments available from 9AM until 7PM.

You can either access this by walking across the street…

…or by going through the hotel’s unusual labyrinth of underground tunnels. The entrance to the tunnels from the main building looks kind of cool.

However, beyond that, they’re rather unusual, and have a bit of a musty smell.

The spa reception feels functional but not terribly luxurious.

The spa area has a pretty impressive gym space (at least if you consider this is a historic property in the country), with a large selection of equipment.

Beyond that, even if you’re not getting a treatment, you can visit the sauna, relaxation area, etc. There are also changing rooms.

Since the pool is separated quite a bit from the spa area, it can be a bit of a trek to get between the two.

Falkenstein Grand Koenigstein restaurant & bar

When it comes to dining at Falkenstein Grand, there are two venues:

• Restaurant Landgut Falkenstein is the hotel’s all-day dining restaurant, and it’s where breakfast, lunch, and dinner are served
• Raffaels Bistro Bar Lounge is the hotel’s bar, and it’s open from the afternoon until late at night, serving drinks and light snacks

I’ve gotta say, the restaurant and bar were really a highlight of the hotel, and we enjoyed both immensely.

Restaurant Landgut Falkenstein serves breakfast from 6:30AM until 10:30AM (7AM until 11AM on weekends), lunch from 12PM until 2:30PM, and dinner from 6PM until 10PM. You can find all the menus here. How charming is this restaurant?!?

In summer there’s also lots of outdoor seating in the hotel’s courtyard, though as you’d expect, that wasn’t relevant during our winter stay. My dad and I enjoyed our dinner here immensely. At the beginning of the meal we were offered an amuse bouche consisting of a cracker and some fish roe caviar, plus some crisp bread.

For appetizers, I ordered the superfood salad with sesame dressing, quinoa, avocado, pickled Hokkaido pumpkin, pumpkin seeds, and sprouts, while my dad ordered the beef tartare with greek yogurt, cashew nuts, and sourdough bread.

For main courses, I had the cauliflower steak with parsnip puree, cauliflower leaves, beetroot, pomegranate, and yakiniku sauce, while my dad had the oxtail essence with vegetable brunoise and meat garnish.

Then for dessert, we split the warm pear tart with walnut frangipane and sour cream ice cream.

It was an excellent (though pricey) meal, with friendly service. In the morning, we also had breakfast at the restaurant, which consisted primarily of a buffet.

It was what you’d expect from a German hotel buffet — it had cold cuts, veggies and dips, pastries and croissants, fresh fruit, yogurt, cereal and muesli, and around half a dozen hot options, ranging from hardboiled eggs, to potatoes, to veggies, to meat.

There was also a self-serve selection of juice and tea, plus sekt, for those looking to get a bit of a buzz.

Coffee was provided by the staff, who I found to be friendly, and they gladly offered refills.

The buffet could be supplemented by a small a la carte selection, primarily with egg dishes.

My dad was delighted to see Bavarian Weißwurst on the menu, with mustard and a pretzel roll, so he ordered that as well.

So while I can’t say I’m generally a huge fan of German breakfasts, I thought this was a solid selection, between the buffet and the a la carte options.

On the evening of our stay, we also visited Raffaels Bistro Bar Lounge, a charming, old school place.

We sat right by the fire, so it doesn’t get much cozier than that.

My dad had a glass of wine, while I had a negroni to drink. If you’re looking for a lighter meal than in the main restaurant, there are also plenty of dishes available here, like burgers, sandwiches, and salads.

Bottom line

As someone who takes an above average interest in the German hotel market, I can’t even say how excited I was to check out Falkenstein Grand, given its proximity to Frankfurt, plus how unique it looked (at least by Marriott standards). There’s little that excites me more than a hotel stay where I don’t know what to expect, and this very much fit that bill.

Unfortunately I’m still not really sure what to make of this hotel, and I’m not sure who exactly I’d recommend this hotel to. Admittedly we had terrible weather, which limited our enjoyment of the outdoors. Speaking of enjoying the outdoors, though, I would think twice about staying here in summer, given the lack of AC, assuming that’s something you’re sensitive to.

The way I view it, this hotel is appealing to some Germans, where the novelty of using a heated outdoor pool and sauna might be a reason to visit. But as someone coming from Florida, I wasn’t really sure what to do with myself. The pool, gym, and sauna, were all fine, but nothing amazing. Perhaps the part of the property I enjoyed the most was the restaurant, as the food was genuinely good.

Either way, this property is reasonably priced, so it’s hardly fair to expect the world, or something incredible. I think it’s probably more targeted at the domestic market than anything else.

I will say, I enjoyed the sister property, Villa Rothschild, quite a bit more, and I’ll be reviewing that next. The property has its quirks, but is without a doubt super charming, and I could see it being a fun alternative one-night layover if passing through Frankfurt Airport.

What do you make of Marriott’s quirky Falkenstein Grand?