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The place
began its life as a crew hotel for the pilots of the Berlin Airlift.
Frankfurt International
Airport’s InterCity Hotel, located in Cargo City Süd, is a
compact place steeped in character, with every corner echoing a time long
since gone.
Of course the
hotel is completely updated, but it still retains a rich history that
sets it apart from other local stays.
Breakfast
of Champions
 Everything
about this experience is stellar, including the “hackfleisch,”
which is served daily as an elegant, piquant combination of bratwurst
and spices, with beef and raw sweet onion served as a tartar (mett).
The hackfleisch
sits innocently enough near the cold cuts on the breakfast buffet.
But I promise,
one bite will tell you why you have taste buds.
Restaurant
Fluggi is bright and cheerful, in classic “good morning” colors,
and it is usually filled with Asiana crew who bring a certain feeling
of the excitement and expectation of flight.
And oh! The
food . . .
Eggs any way
you like them, always hot and fresh, and coffee freshly brewed from several
machines in any configuration you can imagine.
Crepes, pancakes,
waffles, and stewed tomatoes, rice, bacon, sausages, and oatmeal, a dozen
cheeses, cold cuts, and breads winding around and half way up a column
centered in the middle of everything.
Broad windows
offer a super view outside while you are dining; one of the most important
aviation artifacts of the world is on display for the public, sustained
by this lovely, small hotel.
In the center
of an outdoor garden sits a column with a stylized globe of the world,
bands of aircraft encircling it, atop which a bird of peace holds a gilded
olive branch in its beak.
The view is
both beautiful and inspirational.
Once upon a
time in 1933, until the redevelopment of Frankfurt International Airport,
the column was situated in the center of all the action at the FRA outdoor
restaurant. It was a bit higher then.
 Credit
Anton Wüstefeld for both building a better breakfast than many people
have ever seen in a public place and creating a dreamlike atmosphere of
relaxation and enjoyment.
Herr Wüstefeld
is general manager of Intercity Frankfurt in Cargo City Süd.
He is in every
sense an “olde world innkeeper,” keeping his eye on every
detail and taking nothing for granted.
InterCity not
only permits their guest to pack up a snack from the breakfast buffet,
but also provides the bags and wrapping paper—a rather endearing
touch.
“Families
with a stopover night in Frankfurt especially appreciate the opportunity
to pack a snack, which their little ones can munch on while going through
security or waiting at the gate,” Anton confides.
But as you
might guess, he is no pushover either.
This
place sings, from its spotless rooms (small, compact, and efficient) and
corridors to the aforementioned restaurant Fluggi, to the airport’s
most inviting and cozy saloon, The JU52, with its old airline pictures
and artifacts and Harry, JU52’s legendary bartender.
 Last
time we were there, Intercity Cargo City Süd was packed, with meetings
occurring everywhere.
It seems word
is getting out.
So can a Berlin
Airlift-era USAF hotel find a spot in the hearts and minds of the 21st
century world?
InterCity has done just that and in the rubber-stamped era, this place
looks better every day.
Typically downplaying
himself, Mr. Anton confides:
“It’s
all about the location.”
But we say
it is also about knowing what to do wherever you are, and on that score
the big hostels up and down the strip could learn a lesson from InterCity.
InterCity is
conveniently located 500 meters off highway exit “Cargo City Süd/Moerfelden”
of the German Autobahn A7. You simply can’t miss it.
InterCity is
also just a few 100 meters walking distance (or a few minutes by airport
bus) away from the offices and warehouses that form the Cargo City South
of Frankfurt Airport—the part of the airport where 75 percent of
its cargo is not just handled, but also administrated.
Handlers Fraport
Cargo Services, LUG, Celebi, and WfS as well as the major airlines, trucking
companies, and other cargo-related businesses reside there.
More than
just location
But of course,
while the location is important, there are a multitude of other factors
attracting more than cargo-related businessmen on a regular basis, to
which a considerable number of semi-permanent and long-term guests bear
witness:
 Rooms
With A View
The rooms are
small, bright, cheerful, and nicely furnished (with a desk, office chair,
and equipment that actually make productive work possible).
A huge business
center as well as laundry rooms much appreciated by longstay guests ease
the burden on those deployed for considerable lengths of time.
Bring Your
Ciggies
About 30 percent
of the hotel’s 360 rooms are smoking rooms.
Unlike what you find in some other parts of the world, these rooms are
as well appointed, immaculately clean, and cozy as those for non-smoking
guests.
“Less
and less people smoke,” Mr. Wüstefeld points out, “but
those who still do really stick to it. I can’t see any reason to
make the stay for any of our guests inconvenient or miserable, as long
as the non-smoking guests are not inconvenienced,”—which they
aren’t.
More Upgrades
Unlike most
other hotels, the InterCity Frankfurt is just four stories high, which
means that all windows can be fully opened, allowing the smoking rooms
to be aired out.
InterCity Cargo
City Süd, with utilization in excess of 80 percent and 120,000 guests
annually, proves that Mr. Wüstefeld and his team must be doing something
right.
Intercity will
complete further upgrades of the rooms and facilities effective February
1st, 2015, for about 5.5 million Euros (US $7.29 million).
And in case
you haven’t heard, the thumbs-up has been given to go ahead with
the expansion of the airport and begin construction of terminal 3.
The hotel has
already planned to expand by another 400 rooms and 800 beds, having acquired
the necessary property rights adjacent to the existing hotel back in 1999.
Sustainability
& Goofing With The Bees
Speaking another
politically incorrect truth, more than a few airline professionals (and
not only those from the cargo section) may have grown a bit weary of hearing
about carbon footprints while gladly supporting another sustainable and
environmentally friendly mandate.
True sustainability,
to our mind, is when you can’t see and won’t notice the changes:
things simply work.
For example,
the roof of the InterCity Hotel is covered with green moss that filters,
rainwater and channels it into tanks where it is used for anything but
tap water (toilets and alike).
You may encounter
another nice touch on the breakfast table:
House-made
honey is available, produced by hundreds of thousands of honey bees who
occupy the hotel’s roof, producing enough of a crop that travellers
can even purchase a bottle for carry away.
Both the honeybees
and the green space farm on the InterCity roof have existed since 1995,
way before the go-green mantra reached deeply into the airline business.
Suspend disbelief:
there really is a lovable, enjoyable airport-adjacent hotel!
In fact, we
feel confident saying InterCity Cargo City Süd Frankurt is the best
cargo area hotel on earth.
Here’s
hoping we see you there.
Geoffrey/Jens/Flossie
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Last
year FedEx expanded its facility at Beijing Capital International Airport
to increase its handling capacity for international shipments, and in
April this year the company commenced operations at its new North Pacific
Regional Hub at Kansai International Airport in Osaka, Japan.
100%
Green