Luxury Hotels Atlas / Places / Germany / Frankfurt / Steigenberger Icon Frankfurter Hof
Steigenberger Icon Frankfurter Hof
Frankfurt, Germany · Steigenberger Icons · Core Luxury
Mylius and Bluntschli opened the Frankfurter Hof at Kaiserplatz in 1876, among the first German hotels with electric light and a long-distance telephone line. César Ritz took the keys in 1895. Albert Steigenberger bought a majority stake in 1940; March 1944 bombing left only the façades, and by 1961 it was West Germany's largest hotel. Locals still call it the First Lady of Frankfurt.
- 303 rooms
- Opened 1876
- Neighborhood: Banking district / Innenstadt
- Rooms from 269 sq ft (25 m²)
- Architect: Karl Jonas Mylius and Alfred Friedrich Bluntschli
About Steigenberger Icon Frankfurter Hof
- Foundation stone 29 October 1872; opened 26 June 1876 with 250 rooms, elevators, and steam heating on the old Weisser Hirsch site.
- César Ritz took over management in 1895.
- March 1944 bombing left only the façades; it reopened provisionally in 1948 with 20 beds.
- The Steigenberger family sold to Egypt's Travco in 2009; H World bought Deutsche Hospitality in 2019.
- Goethe House is a three-minute walk; the 300-square-metre Royal Suite has its own Finnish sauna and steam bath.
History
The Steigenberger Frankfurter Hof stands on the site of the medieval Weisser Hirsch estate near the Kaiserplatz. The Frankfurter Hotel-Aktiengesellschaft, formed in 1872, commissioned architects Karl Jonas Mylius and Alfred Friedrich Bluntschli to build the grand hotel, whose foundation stone was laid on 29 October 1872. On 26 June 1876 the "Frankfurter Hof" opened with 250 rooms, 20 banquet rooms and a dining hall for hundreds of guests, astonishing visitors with elevators and steam heating; it was among the first German hotels to use electric light (1891) and a long-distance telephone line (1892). In 1895 the celebrated Swiss hotelier César Ritz took over management.
In 1940 Albert Steigenberger acquired a majority stake and assumed management, beginning a nearly seven-decade family era. In March 1944 wartime bombing gutted the building, leaving only the façades; it reopened provisionally in 1948 with 20 beds and was fully rebuilt in simplified form, becoming the largest hotel in West Germany by 1961. The Steigenberger family sold its stake to Egypt's Travco Group in 2009, and in 2019 Deutsche Hospitality was acquired by China's Huazhu (H World International) group. Today the landmark operates as the Steigenberger Icon Frankfurter Hof and celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2026.
The setting
Steigenberger Icon Frankfurter Hof stands at Am Kaiserplatz, Bethmannstraße 33, a prestigious Innenstadt address the hotel has held since its opening in 1876. Designed by architects Mylius and Bluntschli, it was the first hotel in Germany to install electric lighting and the city's first with a telephone exchange. Goethe House is a three-minute walk; the Römerberg square, Frankfurter Römer city hall, and MAIN TOWER are each seven minutes on foot; Frankfurt Cathedral is eleven minutes away. Flanked by two other luxury properties within 700 meters, the Frankfurter Hof remains Frankfurt's "First Lady" — a living monument that has hosted emperors, Nobel laureates, and heads of state for over 140 years. 2.3 km from Palmengarten.
Restaurants and bars
- Français Jour — Restaurant
Amenities
- Spa
- Sauna
- Hot tub
- Fitness center
- Cigar lounge
- Pet-friendly
Open Steigenberger Icon Frankfurter Hof in the atlas for live weekend rates, photos, and the full folio.
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