By Shalu Chandran THE Villa Kennedy is Rocco Forte’s luxury hotel located on Kennedyallee in the centre of Frankfurt, just off the south bank of the Main River and a block away from the financial district and the shopping area. An amazing combination of tradition and innovation, the hotel is built around the existing Villa Speyer (first constructed in 1904). The building surrounds a lush courtyard and offers 134 rooms, 28 suites and one Presidential Suite and, as you walk in, you are welcomed by mahogany staircases and futuristic metal chandeliers. The rooms offer state-of-the-art facilities, yet exude an old-school charm with their neutral tones, wooden floors, full-length mirrored walls and dedicated work stations. Suites are larger and offer lounge and dining areas, walk-in wardrobes and dedicated dressing areas and all bathrooms are fitted with separate shower units. The Presidential Suite, the largest in Germany at 326 sq m, is the ideal choice for diplomats and state officials with its high level of security with bullet-proofed windows and separate entrances, sitting across the top floor of the original Speyer Villa. The suite also has a separate kitchen and dining room with additional interconnecting rooms available, if necessary. The Villa Kennedy welcomed President Kennedy, who was in Germany to give his famous ‘Ich bin ein Berliner’ speech, shortly before he was assassinated, and hence the street was renamed Kennedyallee. The hotel followed suit and renamed itself from Villa Speyer to the Villa Kennedy and now even has a JFK bar inside. JFK’s is popular among non-resident regulars too offering live piano and jazz music. The other dining outlet, Gusto is located on the ground floor and opens out onto the central inner courtyard garden providing a refreshing setting for breakfast or a romantic setting for dinner. Business travellers have access to seven meeting rooms and a 330-sq-m ballroom with a separate entrance and lobby. Leisure time is all about the Villa Spa. Spread over three levels, this 1000-sq-m facility features an indoor pool, gymnasium, sauna, steam bath, a refreshment bar, a unisex Jacuzzi and eight treatment rooms offering Asian and Ayurvedic treatment massages with relaxing views onto the garden. Amidst all the quaint luxury, the hotel also offers a comprehensive five-star kids’ programme which is pre-arranged to suit individual children’s needs and provides special amenities such as kids’ robes, slippers, toiletries and magazines, use of a Sony Playstation and suitable DVDs, bedtime milk and cookies on their own children’s beds, tailored kids’ menu and fun activities including a scavenger hunt around the hotel or just access to painting-books, games or Lego bricks and crayons. As you would expect from a Rocco Forte hotel, Villa Kennedy has managed to blend to perfection the old and new, the classic and modern making it an ideal choice of hotel in Germany’s financial hub
