Late in spring of 2026 Frankfurt Airport opened the newly built Terminal 3 on the location where previously there used to be an American military base. However, it is somewhat surprising that there are no hotels anywhere remotely near the new terminal, which is why I’m staying at the Hilton Frankfurt Airport at the airport’s railway station near Terminal 1.
Location
I’ll only be staying in Frankfurt for a few days, which is one of the reasons I’ve decided to stay out at the airport. I exit arrivals for Terminal 1, make a right turn and take the first escalator going up one floor to the departures hall. And then from there I head up one more floor to access the covered footbridge, following the signs for the Fernbahnhof. Once you’re on the footbridge, there are signs marking the way to the Hilton. The hotel is located at the East end of The Square, the building housing the airport’s long distance railway station.
Check-In & Staff
The hotel is built around an atrium with a glass roof. And that’s precisely the problem. It’s very hot at reception. They’ve even set up mobile air conditioner units to make it less unpleasant, but it’s a hot day and a large space, so that they’re struggling to keep up. Despite the heat, the young lady at reception is friendly. She briefs me on the hotel’s facilities and the opening hours of the restaurant, and then she sends me on my way.
Queen Hilton Guest Room
Owing to my status with Hilton Honours, they’ve upgraded me to a Queen Hilton Room on the tenth floor, which is also where the Executive Lounge is located. If anything, I think it’s even hotter up here, being right under the ceiling. At least once I enter the south wing where my room is, the temperature is a lot more pleasant.
The room is nice. It’s kept in warm shades of brown. I have no idea how old the hotel is or when it was last refurbished, but I’m guessing it couldn’t have been too long ago. Either that, or they’ve taken excellent care of this property. There are hardly any signs of wear and tear and it’s very clean. Straight ahead as I enter the room is a large desk with a transparent glass surface, which makes it difficult to use a mouse. But that’s a minor issue. By the window is a leather recliner, but it’s of no real use because the room looks into the atrium of the building. I think it’s only the uneven numbered rooms that have a view towards the outside.
The bed is rather narrow, especially if you’re travelling as a pair. However, the mattress is pleasantly firm and the pillows are soft.
The bathroom is quite large and features a walk-in shower as well as a bathtub. The Knight of Malta shower test gives a mixed review for this sample. Water pressure and volume are very good and temperature control is on point. However, the absence of a shower door means that there is considerable spillage. The cosmetics are by Crabtree.
Amenities
The amenities in the bathroom are basic, which is typical for the Hilton hotels. It’s basically just a pump bottle each of shower gel, shampoo, conditioner, hand wash, and body lotion. The other amenities in the room include fluffy slippers and bathrobes, and there’s a Nespresso coffee machine and water kettle. The tea is by Dilmah, the coffee capsules have no name. They’re certainly not Nespresso. Extra brownie points to the Frankfurt Airport Hilton for also providing little tubs of cream. In addition, there are two bottles of water on the side table, one of them sparkling and the other still. They’re complimentary for Hilton Honours status holders.
Dining
Breakfast is served on the hotel’s ground floor at Rise Restaurant. I rather like it. The selection is great and the quality of the food is very good. And the staff are lovely. The young man at reception asks us to follow him and guides us to a table by the window. He tells us he’ll flip the sign on our table to red, so that anybody who walks by will see that it’s taken while we raid the buffet. The breakfast buffet is mainly a continental spread, but also features hot items. There’s also an Asian corner, which looks as though it couldn’t quite decide if it wanted to be Chinese, Japanese, or Korean and then decided to mix it all up and offer a little bit of everything.
Hilton Executive Lounge
The Hilton Executive Lounge is enormous – and empty. Perhaps it’s because it’s summer, but it’s surprising just how empty the place is. Between 17h00 and 19h00 the lounge serves its happy hour buffet. On my first day I just missed it by the time I reached the hotel. And on the second day I have a table reservation at Tonka Restaurant in Frankfurt, so I don’t actually get to try the buffet.
Conclusion
The Hilton Frankfurt Airport is a pleasant and conveniently located hotel. Admittedly, the heat in the public areas of the hotel during the day is a bit much, but at least in the rooms the air conditioning works well enough. The only thing that frustrates me a bit at Frankfurt Airport is that none of the hotels seem to have rooms with a decent airport view.
My favourite airport Hilton is the one at AMS.
I’ve never tried the one in AMS because the CitizenM is closer to the apron and the views. How’s the view from the Hilton?
True, it is a bit of a schlep from the main atrium but a little bit of walking can be good if you’re trying to shake off jet lag. Views are decent of the apron. Rooms (and bathrooms) are spacious and the shower would pass your test with flying colours.
All in all, not bad for an airport hotel. I imagine the heating in common areas is going to become a bigger issue in the coming years.
How easy it to connect to the city from the hotel, and how long does it take to get there?
It depends. The hotel sits right above the long distance railway station, from where you can catch an ICE train to the cuty. There’s another, separate station in the basement of the terminal, so in a completely different place. I think quite a few visitors don’t get that.