Hilton Frankfurt City will remain open for now, the hotel group said on Wednesday. The hotel has new owners, and Hilton confirmed that it intends to continue operating the property. Further details about the ownership have not been disclosed; a Dutch financial holding company is reported to have acquired it.
The hotel and Hilton Gravenbruch previously belonged to Iranian businessman Ali Ansari. The US government accuses him of being a key financier of Iran’s regime and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Ansari and his companies are subject to sanctions imposed by the United States and the European Union. Both hotels had been unavailable for booking through Booking.com since February.
The Gravenbruch property, in Neu-Isenburg, had been operating on a limited basis after its previous operating companies became insolvent and was not accommodating guests. Insolvency administrator Joachim Kühne found a buyer in the London-based property development and investment company Comer Group International. Germany’s Federal Office for Economic Affairs and Export Control (BAFA) has now approved the notarised purchase contract, as required under sanctions rules.
The continued operation of the city-centre hotel has also put the Stadtbad Mitte swimming pool back in focus. Frankfurt’s Department of Construction and Real Estate had been informed in mid-September that the lease between the hotel operating company, Hochstraße, and the ownership company would end on October 31. At the time, the city was told that Hilton’s hotel operations, as well as the Fitness First club and swimming pool, would close. A citizens’ initiative then called for the pool, which had been open to the public at certain times, to be preserved.
Frankfurt Mayor Mike Josef welcomed the hotel’s future, describing the development as positive for the city. He said he also expected the pool to reopen soon and remain accessible to the public as before, alongside the hotel’s ongoing operations.
Sources: FAZ.