Niu Hotels were recently added to the HI portfolio in Germany, Austria and Holland as part of the Novum Hospitality joining IHG. Novum Hospitality joining IHG

I decided to try the HI - Niu Charly in Frankfurt last week because I needed a quick one night stay before flying out of FRA. TripAdvisor reviews of the hotel were generally good but since it’s in the Bahnhofsviertel the comments on the neighborhood were not good. As a German/American that is fluent in German and has lived in Germany and knows that these areas are generally not nice but definitely safe I decided to give it a try. Room rate was the cheapest hotel I saw and came in at around $85.

Location as expected is a bit sketchy being on the edge of the train station red light area. Hotel sits at the end of a cur-de-sac and next to the Accor Hotel Group 25 Hours - The Goldman Hotel. Parking is available via the gated parking entrance in a nice lower level garage.

Staff was super friendly at check-in and I was given a room facing the front street. There's an area off to the left of the check-in counter that has drinks for purchase and to the right there is an area with couches and other seating options. Hotel has 7 floors and a below ground parking area as noted before. Hallways were nice and bright. Decor of the room was nice, modern and new but not large which is ok for one night. They offer 3 different size rooms and I think I picked the standard (which was the middle size) room. I actually liked the decor better than other similar trendy chain hotels I had stayed at recently like the Marriott Moxy or Aloft hotels. For the money I thought the hotel was very nice! Clean and modern decor with a comfortable bed and free wi-fi. The AC in the first room I got (as pictured) was not cooling well (it was VERY hot in Frankfurt the week I was there and AC units in Germany are not great at cooling when the temps get way up there) and the staff quickly moved me to a room with a more functional AC without issue. Breakfast was in the breakfast room on the top floor of the hotel and offered a typical German breakfast spread. Visitors of the hotel were certainly a mix of tourists and all ages.

Based on price and hotel itself I would stay here again without hesitation! I was just checking some rates for December and the Niu came in at $76 vs the HI Alte Oper around the corner at $144 so there is a significant difference in the two hotels that aren't far apart. I know some people (especially Americans) would be turned off by the area as there are clearly some sketchy people on the streets outside and around the hotel. I did not feel unsafe in any way shape or form but I could see how some people might feel uncomfortable in the area. There are numerous hotels in the area and the HI Alte Oper and a HGI are not far away and they also border this area.