Germany - 2
Taj Hessischer Hof promises, with justification, to be Frankfurt’s choice for serious business and no wonder the hotel’s GM Albert Mayr, on left above with his regional boss Spirodon Sarantopoulos, was so happy the night of the hotel’s opening party. Sarantopoulos had flown in from New York, where he runs The Pierre, another Taj icon, and also in Frankfurt for the festivities was Dubai-based Gaurav Pokhariyal, Chief Operating Officer of Taj parent IHCL Tata.
The story of the 126-key hotel goes back to 1952, when the imposing eight-floor building opened on the site of the former city palace of Prince Wolfgang of Hesse, destroyed by Allied bombs in 1944. The architect was Werner Wilhelm Neumann (1916–2003), best known for designing churches. In 2022, the Hessischer Hof, which had flirted with Steigenberger along its way, was bought by Peakside Capital, led by Boris Schran: today Taj has a 20-year lease. The entire hotel has been titivated by JOI-Design, forever associated with its founders Peter Joehnk and Corinna Kretschmar‑Joehnk, although they sold on in 2024 (Corinna, the bubbly one, was at the opening party).
Yes, the promise is there. Taj Hessischer Hof Frankfurt is the bankers' base. Opposite Messe Frankfurt, it’s in the prestigious Westend-Süd part of town. Under 10 minutes' walk away are the headquarters of DZ Bank and Sparda-Bank Hessen. If we double that time-frame to under 20 minutes' walk, there are the towering headquarters of KfW and Deutsche Bank and Commerzbank. This proximity to places of serious financial repute makes the facilities of the hotel very important. The gym is well thought out: it's not large, but it's got what serious bankers need. Bedrooms have good lighting, good beds, good soundproofing. Having Europe’s first Chambers, Taj's invitation-only private members' club actually in the hotel is going to bring in even more magnets of money.
Then, of course, we also have the outstanding and justly highly praised Bombay Brasserie. Girlahead was admirably looked after at dinner by the Manager of Chambers Bar, Juri Reiss, an interesting internationalist who was lastly running a restaurant in Nicaragua. The menu is French-themed Indian. Think lobster thermidor revisited with a creamy lobster sauce, and steak au poivre, and black miso cod has got in there too. Girlahead went for lasooni palak burrata, garlic-tempered spinach and burrata, and also the highly recommended Bhatti prawns, with garlic naan. (There’s a different story at breakfast, which currently is plated-only, Indian, Western or healthy but fortunately hotel GM Albert Mayr is a foodie and the Bombay Brasserie product, which has no alternative, is fortunately evolving.)
Following the premise that variety is the spice of life, it should be mentioned that as a change from Bombay Brasserie, it is a good idea to try some of the outstanding restaurants within the immediate Westend vicinity. Girlahead was able to try two Italian restaurants. A casual lunch, seven minutes' walk away, was at L'Unico, run by Andrea Milicia, a character with a big, big dog. Dinner was at another Italian, about ten minutes' walk from Taj: La Scuderia. Family-run, no printed menu. They tell you what they suggest for tonight - Girlahead's calf's cheek and mash was truly memorable. Of course, anything related to Frankfurt has got to bring into the picture the Rheingau wine area, and this is the next part of the story.....
