Starwood Preferred Guest - Which Starwood Property for Frankfurt Germany?

Hi guys. Will be in Frankfurt Germany. Need help with catching the train from FRA and also which starwood property to stay at. Deciding between Westin or the Le Meridien. Any help would be greatly appreciated. I am a female and traveling alone should I just take a cab to the hotel? Silly question but I guess that I will be receiving silly answers. Thanks.

The LeMeridien is 2 mins walk from the main train station.
Try to get a room in the "old" part of the building, they are much nicer than the new wing.

Thank you for the information. Would you happen to know what train I am to take to the Le Meridien and stop?

Hi guys. Will be in Frankfurt Germany. Need help with catching the train from FRA and also which starwood property to stay at. Deciding between Westin or the Le Meridien. Any help would be greatly appreciated. I am a female and traveling alone should I just take a cab to the hotel? Silly question but I guess that I will be receiving silly answers. Thanks.
This information on Frankfurt properties can be found in this thread : Frankfurt: Which Starwood? [Master Thread] (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/starwood-preferred-guest/654734-frankfurt-starwood-master-thread.html) individual information on properties in Frankfurt can be found in this thread: The SPG Forum FAQ & Hotel Master Thread Links (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/starwood-preferred-guest/699676-spg-forum-faq-hotel-master-thread-list.html)

Never stayed at the Westin but I have stayed at the Sheraton Airport and the LeMeridien several times. Overall I really like the LeM and would recommend the hotel to you for your stay based on my past experiences there. I don't mind the location of the hotel and like the proximity to the train station for travel to/from FRA HOWEVER I have read/experienced negative comments about the location from other travelers. In most large German cities like Frankfurt and Berlin the area directly around the main train station can be what most americans would consider kind of seedy. This is not an issue and you shouldn't feel uncomfortable but I just wanted to point it out since you are a single female traveler. The area is safe but you might notice people loitering around the area. In addition, you might notice a few sex shops, etc. if you walk around. I don't want to scare you or anything but I just wanted to point this out in case you are really bothered by such things. It is in no way dangerous or "in your face" but some people may be bothered by this. Just remember that in Germany they have a more open and not closeted view about sex like we do in the US. Oh.....unlike Rambuster I actually like the rooms in the new wing. The rooms are smaller but I like the newer furnishings....to each his own!

Never stayed at the Westin but I have stayed at the Sheraton Airport and the LeMeridien several times. Overall I really like the LeM and would recommend the hotel to you for your stay based on my past experiences there. I don't mind the location of the hotel and like the proximity to the train station for travel to/from FRA HOWEVER I have read/experienced negative comments about the location from other travelers. In most large German cities like Frankfurt and Berlin the area directly around the main train station can be what most americans would consider kind of seedy. This is not an issue and you shouldn't feel uncomfortable but I just wanted to point it out since you are a single female traveler. The area is safe but you might notice people loitering around the area. In addition, you might notice a few sex shops, etc. if you walk around. I don't want to scare you or anything but I just wanted to point this out in case you are really bothered by such things. It is in no way dangerous or "in your face" but some people may be bothered by this. Just remember that in Germany they have a more open and not closeted view about sex like we do in the US. Oh.....unlike Rambuster I actually like the rooms in the new wing. The rooms are smaller but I like the newer furnishings....to each his own!

You actually don't see any part of the city that is seedy when walking from the railway station to Le Meridien. It is completely safe and uneventful. I usually walk further towards the river to the IC. It is only if you take a wrong direction that you could find yourself in the district with a lot of sex shops. Still safe, in any case.

You actually don't see any part of the city that is seedy when walking from the railway station to Le Meridien. It is completely safe and uneventful. True since the walk from the train station to the hotel basically takes you across the street and down the street that the LeM is on. You will however see the area I mentioned if you walk from the hotel to the main shopping area. I had stated that the area is completely safe in my post but I felt I should point this out to the OP since she is a single female traveler who may or may not feel comfortable if she happens to end up going down one of the streets.

I personally use the Grand. Was an Arabella but has now been refurbished (late last year) and is a Westin. Right by the central shopping street Zeil. IMHO the Grand is miles ahead of the Meridien.

Catch the S-Bahn from T1 at FRA to Konstablerwache station or get a cab from FRA.

PS have a look at Tripadvisor for Hotel comments and the Frankfurt Tripadviser forum for train fares etc

I've stayed in both (although it was before the refurb of the Westin). Both are ok. It really depends what you're doing in Frankfurt.

For example, I'll be in Frankfurt next week. The first day I have meetings and the rest of the trip is for a trade fair at the Messe grounds. I'll be staying at the Westin for the meetings because it was about $80 less for the night. For the Messe, to me it's worth paying the extra money because you can walk to the fairground from the LeMerridien.

As an added note, from my experience going to Frankfurt every year for this show it's very odd the the Le Merridien is more expensive. I don't know if others have had different experiences.

I'll be happy to report back on both when I return.

IMHO the Grand is miles ahead of the Meridien.

This is not really helpful. As others said, it depends what you are looking for. The Westin is just another Westin (one of the better ones), the LM is (when you stay in the older part) a pretty traditional place. Locationwise they are comparable - walking from the Westin to the LM might take you 15 to 20 minutes. However, there is plenty of wisdom on the forum, there is plenty of wisdom about Frankfurt in the German Forum and everything you need to know about trains in the European Train Forum.

True since the walk from the train station to the hotel basically takes you across the street and down the street that the LeM is on. You will however see the area I mentioned if you walk from the hotel to the main shopping area. I had stated that the area is completely safe in my post but I felt I should point this out to the OP since she is a single female traveler who may or may not feel comfortable if she happens to end up going down one of the streets.

I fully agree with you and I sincerely appreciate the additional insight you have provided to the OP ^. I just wanted to reinforce your comment that, although it might seem surprising if you are unprepared, it is absolutely safe.