Special report - Frankfurt: Business as an art of living

Frankfurt - Business as a way of life
Interview with Mareike Kitz, Frankfurt Convention Bureau

Frankfurt - Business as a way of life

By The Editor -

Published on 20/05/2015

More concentrated than Berlin and its political institutions, but also more studious, Frankfurt has grown vertically. The towers of the Bankenviertel, the 'banking district', embody the power of Germany's business capital, shaping the skyline of an entire city to the point of costing it its image. Long accused of having sold its soul to the bankers, this metropolis, small in size but big in influence, is now regaining its lustre as its business district is given a new lease of life. The renovation of the historic centre is giving it a certain cachet. Even the Red Light District near the station is getting a facelift every time a trendy hotel or bar opens. Of course, there are far more business travellers and passengers stopping off in Germany's fifth-largest city than honeymooners. Even if the number of Asian tourists is on the increase, the figures bear this out... But business is no longer the only thing to do in this district, which is undergoing a renaissance. When they leave the office, employees take the time to venture out a little later into the streets of the district, to explore the new facets of the city. Similarly, the Bankenviertel no longer has a monopoly on business in Frankfurt, as demonstrated by the recent relocation of the European Central Bank (ECB) to a future district in the east of the city.

How to get there

La Deutsche Bahn (DB) in partnership with the SNCF, provides up to five daily round trips between the Gare de l'Est in Paris and Frankfurt, with a journey time of just under four hours. 1st class passengers benefit from a catering service and free Wi-Fi on board ICE trains (chargeable in 2nd class). DB has launched its m-ticket (mobile ticket) in France and has a Key Accounts and Seminars department. Tel: 01 44 58 95 40 (sales) or 01 44 58 95 42 (groups) - Internet: www.bahn.de

As Europe's third-largest airport, Frankfurt offers a wide range of options for business travellers, while guaranteeing a journey time of around twenty minutes to and from the business district. HOPthe Air France subsidiary, operates at least three daily flights from Paris-CDG, while Lufthansa makes five round trips a day. Tel: 0 892 70 22 22 (HOP) or 0892 23 16 90 (Lufthansa) - Internet: www.hop.com or www.lufthansa.fr

Hotels

The monument

Steigenberger Frankfurter Hof

A historic monument, a strategic location and an acute sense of service: the Steigenberger Frankfurter Hof is THE business address of the Bankenviertel. The atlatls supporting the façade of the palace have seen all the world's greats and most influential businessmen pass through their doors. These are the same people you might bump into at the end of the evening in the cosy surroundings of the Smoking Lounge. Today, a breath of modernity is wafting through these walls inaugurated almost 140 years ago, as evidenced by the 19 high-tech meeting rooms and 303 renovated bedrooms... However, the establishment has not sacrificed its heritage on the altar of modernity. A must for a stay or a business meal at the Michelin-starred Restaurant Français.

Am Kaiserplatz - Tel: +49 69 215-02 or +49 69 215-120 (events) Internet: en.steigenberger.com

The alternative

25Hours Hotel Frankfurt By Levi's

Combining design with a sense of humour, 25Hours by Levi's is contributing to the new trendy image of the Red Light District, next to the station. The hotel adjoins the German headquarters of the famous jeans brand. Each of the 76 rooms, from small to XL, pays tribute to the brand. From the 1930s to the 80s, each floor celebrates a decade through an atmosphere, a look and a model of jeans that was a sensation at the time.

Niddastrasse 58 - Phone: +49 69 25 66 77 0 Email: levis@25hours-hotels.com Internet: www.25hours-hotels.com

Le branché

Roomers

This 116-room boutique hotel has built its reputation on the aura of its multi-award-winning bar. And yet... The discreet Roomers has many other assets, not least a design bias embodied by the likes of Roberto Cavalli and Oana Rosen. The ambience of the premises reflects this 'exclusive' positioning. The whole of Frankfurt loves it and converges on the terrace in fine weather. A sign of this success, two other Roomers are in the pipeline, including one in Baden-Baden in 2016.

Gutleutstrasse 85 - Phone: +49 (0)69 27 13 42 - 0 Email: info@roomers.eu - Internet: www.roomers.eu

The latest

Wyndham Grand

Opened in spring 2014, Frankfurt's new business address boasts an elegant, light-filled lobby, where you can sit at one of the wooden tables with its mismatched chairs. All of the 288 rooms are extremely comfortable, and half of them have their beds facing the bay window to give you a better view of the skyline. However, the Wyndham Grand has not yet reached its full potential: meeting facilities are expected to be installed by 2016.

Wilhelm-Leuschner-Strasse 32 - Tel.: +49 69 9074590 Internet: www.wyndham.com

And also...

Jumeirah Thurn-und-Taxis-Platz 2 - Phone: +49 (0)69 297 237 0 - Email: JFinfo@jumeirah.com - Internet: www.jumeirah.com
Intercontinental Wilhelm-Leuschner-Straße 43 - Phone: +49 (0)69 2605 0 - Email: frankfurt@ihg.com - Internet: www.frankfurt.intercontinental.com
InterCityHotel Frankfurt Poststraße 8 - Phone: +49 69 27391-0 - Email : - Internet: en.intercityhotel.com

One station, one exhibition

The DB Lounge at Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof is located on the first floor of the main station, overlooking the platforms. Here, Deutsche Bahn welcomes first-class passengers from 6am to 10pm on weekdays - from 7am at weekends - in a no-frills setting that prioritises efficiency and capacity over design. Business travellers can enjoy a coffee or sip non-alcoholic refreshments in comfortable armchairs, while staying connected thanks to free Wi-Fi. Press facilities are also available, as are six PC workstations.

A city of business districts

In December 2014, the Bankenviertel saw one of its most eminent guests, the European Central Bank (ECB), pack up and move to the east of the city, creating a new business hub in the process. However, it will take more than this for Frankfurt's economic heartland to shift eastwards. Particularly as the West is establishing itself as a major centre for business events in Germany. Last year's inauguration of the Kap Europa conference centre added to the already plethora of events on offer at Messe Frankfurt, a vast complex dedicated to the world of meetings, where most of the 69,000 conferences and congresses organised in the city in 2013 were held.

Restaurants

Asian interlude

Zenzakan

The trendy atmosphere and subdued lighting in this address, popular with business customers, is reminiscent of the Parisian Buddha-Bar, with its many statues. Playing the Asian card, Zenzakan is a new success story for the Mook group, which already boasts other culinary successes in Frankfurt such as the M-Steakhouse and the Ivory Club.

Taunusanlage 15 - Phone: +49 69 97 08 69 08 Internet: www.mook-group.de

Wandering flavours

At Ima

Like the 25hours by Levi's hotel, whose ground floor it occupies, this restaurant is all about style and conviviality. Its credo is to revisit dishes that a Jewish mother - "ima" in Hebrew - might serve her children. The menu is tasty. However, the relaxed atmosphere of the place lends itself more to an individual dinner than a strategic business meal.

Niddastrasse 58 - Phone: +49(0)69 /25 66 77 280 Email: sascha@imaworld.de Internet: www.25hours-hotels.com

A hearty break

Mittagsgold

Like the buildings on the Bankenviertel, Serkan Dagistanli and Jessica Christl's restaurant has grown vertically. It's a high-ceilinged, low-capacity place where business customers mingle with locals. The dishes are original without being expensive. What's more, the service keeps pace with busy travellers.

Niddastraße 53 - Phone: +49 (0)151 /50 57 33 40 Email: mittagsgold@outlook.com Internet: www.mittagsgold.de

On the go

Maxie Eizen

A quote in the New York Times has earned this little 'buvette' a reputation that is almost out of all proportion to this discreet address, just a stone's throw from the station. But one bite of a tofu, shiitake and 'secret sauce' sandwich is enough to convert even the most reluctant of vegetarian eaters.

Münchener Straße, 18 - Phone: +49 69 76758362 - Internet: www.maxieeisen.com

Italian afterwork

Euro Deli

The setting of this Italian-influenced restaurant lends itself to a dinner with colleagues or an afterwork party around the circular bar. A simple but tasty restaurant, very central and reasonably priced.

Neue Mainzerstrasse 60-66 - Tel: +49 69 29801950 - Email: info@eurodeli.de Internet: euro-deli.de

And also...

Margarete > Braubachstrasse, 18-22 - Tel: +49(0) 69 /13 06 65 00 - Email: reservierung@margarete.eu - Internet: www.margarete.eu

Walon & Rosetti > Moselstraße 15 - Tel: +49 69 25755973

Shopping

Almost all the major international brands are represented on the city's main shopping street, the Zeil, a pleasant pedestrian walkway lined with shopping centres. For shoppers looking for something a little more unusual, it's best to stray slightly from the business district and wander through the shops on Bergerstraße, or cross the river Main to stroll along Brückenstraße, which is full of small designer boutiques.

If you have...

One or two hours...

Before being Germany's economic capital, Frankfurt was also and above all the city of Goethe, who wrote The Sorrows of Young Werther here. This cultural tradition lives on today in the city's thirty or so museums, most of which are concentrated on the south bank of the Main, opposite the Bankenviertel. The museum StädelThe Museum of Fine Arts, where Warhol's portrait of the writer can be admired - along with other masterpieces by Picasso, Munch and Beckmann - is celebrating its 200th anniversary this year. The Congress-Museum ticket, which targets MICE clients, and the Art After Work events are further proof of the efforts made by the tourist office and the Convention Bureau to build bridges between business and culture.

...one afternoon

The city's best museums alone can easily take up a whole day. But if the timing and the weather are right, you might as well treat yourself to a real luxury in a business destination: taking the time to stroll along the banks of the Main - and why not take a mini-cruise lasting an hour and a half - or to wander the cobbled streets of the historic centre, which the local authorities are restoring to its pre-war charm. Another option, further north in the city, is to head for the charming Bornheim Mitte district.