Count me among those people who can’t sleep on planes, making me dread a transatlantic flight from the U.S. to Europe. It’s not the going, it’s the arriving—trying to get through that first day with fuzz for brains. Not a day I want to jump into my business suit and run off to my meeting. But now I’ve got the cure for the jet lag blues, and your next VIP group headed to Frankfurt, Germany, can have it, too.
It’s called an anti-jet-lag massage, and I was treated to one as a guest at the Villa Kennedy, an idyllic boutique property in the Sachsenhausen residential area of Frankfurt, with its fashionable bars and restaurants. It’s away from the bustle of the city, yet in minutes one can be in the largest financial district in Continental Europe.
Villa Kennedy is part of the Rocco Forte collection of hotels, located just off the south bank of the Main River, within about 15 minutes of the airport. What gives the 163-property its charm is the wonderful architecture of a chic boutique hotel built around a 1904 private home, called the Villa Speyer (once owned by a local banking family), with three newly constructed wings that blend perfectly together around a gorgeous central courtyard that’s an ideal setting for group events in nice weather. There are nine meeting rooms in total, the largest of which can accommodate up to 260 theater-style. The Presidential Suite, one of the largest in Europe, is spectacular in a minimalist kind of way. The hotel, designed by Martin Bruznidski under the guidance of Olga Polizzi, Rocco Forte Hotels’ director of design, opened in 2006.
Ahh, but back to my anti-jet-lag treatment. It took place in the 10,000-plus-square-foot Villa Spa, which includes an indoor pool, fitness room, sauna, steambath, and eight treatment rooms. Just off the pool area is an outdoor lounging space and garden, again offering a tranquil respite right in the middle of a major metropolis. After 80 minutes with Martina, my masseuse, I felt relaxed but revived, ready to face my very busy upcoming week at IMEX (the annual meeting industry trade show that next year will take place May 22–24, in Frankfurt).
And why, I asked, is the hotel called the Villa Kennedy? It’s located on Kennedyallee, a street traveled by the late U.S. president in 1963, during the same visit he made his famous "Ich bin ein Berliner" speech in West Berlin, The street was renamed after he was assassinated. Today the hotel’s bar is named for JFK.
Visit villakennedy.com for more.