Airrail Centre, Hilton Hotels, Frankfurt, Germany

The Airrail Centre in Frankfurt is set to be one of the newest concepts in travel in Western Europe. The groundbreaking architecturally significant building will become a brand new agent in the centre of mobility for Frankfurt. The Airrail Centre will seek to integrate air and rail travel in Frankfurt, providing an important link between Frankfurt Airport Terminal 1 and the ICE high speed rail network.

In addition the centre will contain all of the facilities the traveller needs, an office in which to do business, two hotels to sleep and live in, shops to make purchases and a range of leisure activities.

The nine-level centre will be 660m in length, 65m in width, 47m high and located above the ICE high-speed train station. It will also be within walking distance of flight Terminal 1, as well as having a connection to the highways of Frankfurt (located between the A3 autobahn and the B43 federal highway).

The Airrail Centre will provide the most mobile workspace in continental Europe. The architect for the project is J.S.K. Architekten.

DEVELOPMENT AND NEW HOTELS

Construction of the Airrail Centre in Frankfurt began in June 2006. The development and construction of the facility is being undertaken by two companies in partnership: IVG Immobilien AG and Fraport AG (Airrail consortium). IVG and Fraport have also acquired the Hilton International brand and management for the two hotels in the Airrail Centre.

Hilton will operate two hotels: a high-class Hilton Hotel with 247 rooms and a mid-market Hilton Garden Inn with 314 rooms. Together, both hotels will cover 30,000m² of the 59,000m² lease space in the first section of the building. The contract with Hilton International is for 20 years and commences on completion of the first section of the building at the beginning of 2009.

The 130,000m² facility is costing over €600m to construct. Out of the total, 95,000m² will be office space, 7,000m² storage and archive space and 5,700m² retail and restaurant space.

In addition to the hotels, 28,000m² of office and 1,000m² of retail space are available in the first section of the Airrail Centre building. Over 5,000m² of the office space has already been let to international users, meaning that 60% of the first building section has been let in advance. There will also be 13,000m² of landscaped atria and a parking area for 600 cars, as well as connections to adjacent Fraport car parks (a 2,200-space car park is in the planning stage).

AIRRAIL CENTRE

The size and architecture of the Airrail Centre will now shape the appearance of Frankfurt Airport. Future users will benefit from the mobility advantages of this unique transport hub. Nowhere else in Europe do more than 300 million travellers come together each year: over 52 million by aeroplane, seven million by rail and 270 million on the roads.

Manfred Schölch, vice chairman of the Executive Board of Fraport AG, said: "The Airrail Centre combines the highest level of functionality and cosmopolitanism with the appropriate ambience. It is real estate for the 21st century, which sets new standards in terms of technology and aesthetics."

Space has already been rented to KPMG and the Metropolitan Medical Centre. The medical centre focuses on high-performance basic diagnostics in a 'one-stop shop' and additional diagnostics for patients in the immediate vicinity to treat common complaints. If required, patients will be able to use the medical services in conjunction with the Hilton Hotels from 2009.

GARDEN INN HOTEL

The upscale mid-priced Hilton Garden Inn brand is known for offering complimentary high-speed internet access in all guestrooms and remote printing to the 24-hour business centre. Adrian Kurre, senior vice president of brand management for the Hilton Garden Inn, said: "We are pleased to begin construction of the new-build Hilton Garden Inn in Frankfurt, Germany, one of the first locations outside North America… We look forward to offering global travellers a new accommodation option."

Operating with the bundled service philosophy, Hilton Garden Inn provides the services and amenities travellers need to be most productive on the road.

HILTON FRANKFURT

The 247-room Hilton Hotel will feature a 200-seat restaurant, a bar and lobby lounge and 15,607ft² of meeting space that includes a 6,458ft² ballroom. Both hotels will share a 5,381ft² workout facility, a swimming pool and whirlpool, and a car park.

Ian Carter, chief executive of Hilton International, said: "Frankfurt is a fantastic, high-profile entry opportunity for the first Hilton Garden Inn new-build hotel in Europe. This development will give Hilton a strong presence in one of the major airports of Europe, which is set to grow its passenger numbers substantially over the next five years.

"Two new hotels sitting side by side allow Hilton to focus on serving the main segments of the market, visitors to both the airport and the city."

HILTON GARDEN INN AMENITIES

Every Hilton Garden Inn hotel welcomes guests with a light, bright and airy ambience, and features the Pavilion Pantry mini-market filled with microwaveable items, sundries and universal cell phone chargers; a restaurant offering hot made-to-order breakfast, as well as lunch and dinner (in most locations); the Stay Fit Kit that guests can check out to keep up with their fitness regime in the privacy of their room or in the complimentary workout facility; and an onsite guest laundry facility.

The Hilton Garden Inn in Frankfurt will also feature a 174-seat restaurant and lobby lounge area.

As the tech-savvy brand supplying the latest in guestroom offerings, guests now have the opportunity to experience the evolution of the Hilton Garden Inn guestroom with new in-room attributes including the Garden Sleep System bed, the ergonomic Herman Miller Mirra chair and the 26in Philips flat screen high-definition television, in addition to enjoying new ways to extend business travels into leisure getaways with the LIFE Great Getaways package.

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