1. Creative industrialist architecture
Located on Lindleystrasse in Frankfurt’s Ostend, an industrial port district quickly becoming a vibrant creative quarter, the hotel is an homage to British engineer William Lindley, who planned Frankfurt’s drainage and sewerage system in the 1800s. Designed by local architects Franken\Architekten, the striking cast iron and glass façade displays the hotel’s split-level communal areas.
2. Design linked to literature
A copy of the 2018 novel The Immortal Mr Lindley by Polish author Artur Becker, in which a family staying at the Lindley has curious adventures, graces each of the small but beautifully conceived bedrooms. The fictional hotel’s sleek, playful design and pastel colours are reminiscent of Wes Anderson movies, a look brought to life by Frankfurt’s Studio ABERJA, using Art Deco and Art Nouveau touches, mixed colour tones and a combination of vintage and modern furniture – from Thonet chairs to locally made luxury beds.
3. Exceptional attention to detail
From humorous references to Becker’s novel to life-sized bird sculptures paying homage to a late friend of the owners, it’s all in the details. Guests are welcomed to their rooms with personalised notes, while the trim on staff uniforms is made by marginalised women working with non-profit organisation PfefferminzGreen in Sierra Leone. Art from international contemporary artists has been chosen not just for their aesthetic but, as a series of images of women in headscarves by Dutch photographer Roos Quakernaat shows, as a clear message that all are welcome.
4. Stylish guest community
No matter how long you’re staying, you’re encouraged to use the communal living and co-working spaces, where young creatives and business commuters can be found mixing together. Choose a 12-inch vinyl to play in the yellow-toned Parlour with its vast collection, or pick seasonings from the herb farm for dinner in a shared kitchen – one of them opens directly onto the roof terrace of the fifth-floor bar, while the other plays host to events such as wine tastings and meals by guest chefs. Both are stocked with fresh produce from the hotel’s own permaculture plot.
5. Sustainable meat-free dining
The Leuchtendroter wine bar, bakery and restaurant sprawls throughout the ground floor. Its seasonal vegan and vegetarian menu, conceptualised by Ricky Saward, head chef of Michelin-starred Seven Swans, lists small plates for sharing. Dishes such as onion mushroom balls with caramelised cherries and lovage use regionally sourced ingredients; the bakery serves sandwiches and vegan cakes alongside fair-trade coffee roasted at local craft coffee makers Hoppenworth & Ploch, on crockery from Frankfurt’s very own VB Ceramics.
Singapore Airlines flies to Frankfurt daily. To book a flight, visit singaporeair.com
SEE ALSO: Key dates to know for the Frankfurt Book Fair
This article was originally published in the January 2020 issue of SilverKris magazine
