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Accomodation during the Frankfurt Book Fair

Finding accomodation in Frankfurt during the Book Fair in October is no problem if you follow these two simple rules:

1. Book at least a year in advance.
2. Be prepared to pay through the nose.

For those who for some reason choose to disregard these two rules, the Trade Fair has a website which might be able to help. (See link below.)

Also you might consider booking a cabin on a cruise ship anchored in the Main River. They don't cruise anywhere during the fair, just stay at a dock in Frankfurt to provide accommodation which I'm told is comfortable and costs about one-third less than a hotel room. http://www.crossgates.co.uk/.

Another solution is to book a room in some neighboring city and commute daily into Frankfurt by train. I know several people who have done this, staying in places like Mannheim, Hattersheim, Mainz, Wiesbaden or Darmstadt. One of them told me his hotel room in Mainz plus train ticket was less that he would have had to pay in Frankfurt for a hotel room alone, assuming he could have found one.

In 2003 the Book Fair threatened to pack up and move to Munich if the Frankfurt hotels didn’t lower their prices. They reached an agreement to this effect with the Frankfurt Hotel and Catering Association. Unfortunately this association can only make recommendations to its members, not issue orders, so it remains to be seen whether the hotels will actually adhere to the agreement.

Unique Qualities:

Update on Sept. 29, 2004:

Today’s Frankfurter Rundschau has an article on hotel prices during the book fair, saying the situation is at least as bad as last year. They say the Maritim Hotel charges EUR 645 for a single room during the book fair and EUR 125 for the same room afterwards. The Inter-Continental charges EUR 642 during and 194 afterwards. Etcetera.

The paper’s explanation for this is that there are actually TOO MANY hotels in Frankfurt. Especially the luxury hotels have low occupancy rates most of the time, so they seize on the book fair as a time to make up for their losses during the rest of the year.

The article also warns against “dubious” internet sites asking up to EUR 645 for a single room without breakfast, in hotels that cost a lot less when you book direct. But it recommends the website I have listed below.

Comparison: most expensive

Theme: Other

Website: http://www.messefrankfurt.com/corporate/en/reisecenter_hotels.html