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With a low unemployment rate and a substantial amount of service, web design, financial industry (40% of Germany’s advertising agencies, 86% of internet business, and plenty of insurance and banking companies), and the Frankfurt Stock Exchange, Frankfurt ranks among Germany’s most well-heeled cities (it’s fifth largest). Consequentially, this city is also an expensive place to live and visit.

Because the city is an international center of commerce, English is widely spoken and businesses from Russia, Poland, North America, Africa, and, increasingly, Asia are well-represented; Frankfurt also serves as the Bank of China’s European headquarters.

As per the German stereotype, people (yes, locals are called Frankfurters) are quite prompt, so being on time to meetings and appointments is paramount even when relations are friendly and relaxed.

Even Frankfurt’s boutique hotels are geared toward the business traveler, yet despite the relatively high local prices, accommodation charges are quite reasonable. Located just outside the city center, across the street from exalted makers of Frankfurt’s namesake sausage, Gref-Völsings Rindswurst, is developer Ardi Goldman’s hotel, Goldman 25h, which blends artful design and quirk with utilitarian comforts and amenities. A wasabi-green-toned living room features a large conference table stored in the ceiling that drops like a descending spider. Rooms can be reserved for business use as well (Just hours before my arrival, Lee Jeans had unveiled a new line there). In keeping with their quirk quotient, the lobby men’s room features urinals shaped like big open mouths. Why not make doing one’s business fun?

This dichotomous philosophy informs the entire property. A TV monitor in the elevator plays surfing footage in a loop, while each floor is color-coded in exclusive textured wallpaper, and every room is designed and themed by a different local “godfather” (you can buy a coffee table book detailing them at the front desk). Complimentary bottled water, high-speed Internet access, and other perks add to the all-inclusive comfort. That said, only some rooms include a climate control unit, so be certain to request one if higher temperatures are your sworn enemy.

Equally design-centric and more centrally located is The Pure, a World Hotel Award winner for “True Stylish.” As per its name/concept, The Pure is decked out in creamy and shiny whites. The air-conditioned rooms include complimentary high-speed internet, 20" flat-screen televisions, and laptops if requested. A loft-style downstairs “Basement” lounge doubles as an untraditional, chic event/meeting space. A fitness room, sauna, and steambath are also in-house.

Cappuccino, latte, and half-and-half tones dominate The Bristol and its 145 rooms. Three conference rooms of varying sizes and occupancy—the Memphis, Manhattan, and Brooklyn—are available, while a lovely in-house bar and outdoor Summer lounge provide an opportunity to mingle and wind down. While Bristol’s stylish bedrooms skew toward the small side, and lack air conditioning, complimentary wireless/high-speed Internet and breakfast buffet is included. The hotel is also located just a few minutes’ walk from Frankfurt’s main train station.

Opened in 2000, Villa Orange is a favorite with LGBT visitors, partly thanks to its proximity to the Bermuda Triangle. Bright, air-conditioned rooms feature home-like touches and business conveniences, including large beds, wireless Internet, and workspace. Public areas include a library, dining room, outdoor terrace, and entrance lounge, while a pair of conference rooms, one with a small backyard, and both with a/v facilities, flipcharts, and other presentation assists, are available for meetings and functions.

Albeit more pricey and mainstream, you can’t go wrong with the Intercontinental Frankfurt: a downtown location, milk and green tea-colored guestrooms, and five-star amenities including a fully-equipped business center, 22 conference rooms from classroom to theater style (and up to 700 person capacity in the largest) with a full range of presentation equipment, complimentary wireless Internet, fitness club, two restaurants, a 24-hour bar, and a nearby jogging path along the River Main.

Frankfurt prides itself on its culture, dubbing itself a “Museum City,” and there are a few true gems here. Perhaps an obvious place to start is Frankfurter Goethe-Museum and House, dedicated to native son Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. The author/poet, perhaps best known for Faust, was born here in 1749, and his childhood home and collection of works, paintings, and personal items can be found here.

The Museum fur Moderne Kunst (Museum of Modern Art) is a multi-level maze featuring works by the likes of pop master Lichtenstein, photographer Larry Clark, and numerous multimedia trendsetters. A handful of other galleries and exhibition halls are dedicated to modern and post-modern exhibitions of all stripes: Fotografie Forum International, Schirn Kunsthalle Frankfurt, and Portikus among them.

While Frankfurt may fancy itself a city of museums, it’s not exactly a city of Michelin stars. Not that good restaurants are lacking, but the food leans toward traditional Frankfurt and Hessian, and is straightforward in presentation and preparation rather than avant-garde/fusion.

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