Due to its worldwide reputation as a business hub, the skyscraper city of Frankfurt often surprises first-time visitors with its heavyweight cultural offerings, its picturesque city center, and its well-established alternative side.

The city’s burgeoning accommodation scene — an attractive blend of chic and arty boutiques as well as luxury and corporate options — is a direct reflection of the diversity of travellers who come to enjoy the city these days.

The centrally located Ameron Neckarvillen, for example, effortlessly straddles upscale refinement and a savvy art-and-design aesthetic. A short walk from the main train station — and within easy striking distance of cultural attractions such as the Goethe Haus, Schirn contemporary art museum and the historic Römer square — it offers 113 spacious and tastefully decorated rooms complete with Mühldorfer linens and Rubelli pillows on the beds, mirror frames by Font-Barcelona, and carpets by Alexander McQueen.

The interiors of the eponymous villas that host the hotel have been beautifully restored by Italian designer Luigi Fragola, and come with marble floors, swish Art Deco flourishes and mid-century furnishings; the real eye-catcher though, is Roland Burkart’s ‘Artist’́s Bridge’, which connects the two main buildings and whose LED lighting system installed on the ceiling changes colour twice a day. There’s also an upbeat art-filled steak and seafood restaurant (Le Petit Royal Frankfurt) that’s popular with locals as well as guests.

Over in historic Osthafen, which is fast becoming one the city’s hippest neighbourhoods, the Lindley Lindenberg is pushing the traditional hotel format by offering long-term co-living suites and high-end community spaces along with standard hotel rooms.

Designed by Studio ABERJA, it’s a striking and defiantly modern building inside and out, with contemporary artworks and photography on the walls, and open-plan rooms with Bang & Olufsen sound systems, stylish furnishings, and book and vinyl libraries for all to use.

To stay connected with the city’s cultural side, the Lindley also hosts regular concerts and cultural events, and there’s a very chic vegetarian restaurant on-site along with a small but upbeat bar and charming. Sights in the area include the Atelier Frankfurt art gallery next door, the Zoo, and the pleasant Hafenpark.

The city’s best luxury option remains the Rocco Forte Villa Kennedy, which skillfully blends the classic and the contemporary. Located on the tranquil southern bank of the Main (the same side as the museum embankment, which is a short stroll away), its large, high-comfort rooms — by Swedish designer Martin Brudnizki, who also did the general interiors — have high-wooden floors, elegant colour schemes, and marble bathrooms.

The on-site restaurant, Gusto, has a full range of Italian classics plus special treats like Wagyu entrecôte grilled on a Himalayan salt stone, and there’s a lovely terrace and garden for al fresco summer dining, and live music from Thursdays to Saturdays.

The real piece de resistance though is the 10,000 square feet, three-floor spa. As well as a 15-metre indoor pool, Jacuzzi, steam bath and sauna, it also boasts a fitness centre and studio space with offers yoga and pilates classes, and treatment rooms for massages, body treatments and pedicures.
The spa also has family-friendly options, and with a kids’ menu in the restaurant and games consoles on request, it’s also a wonderful option for family stays.