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<p>For such a short stay in Frankfurt, I would recommend to stay at the airport itself. There is a Sheraton across Terminal One and it is extremely convenient. Perhaps you have a ton of Starwood points to cash in. <a href=“Marriott Bonvoy Hotels | Book Directly & Get Exclusive Rates”>Marriott Bonvoy Hotels | Book Directly & Get Exclusive Rates; The beauty of business hotels is that they are heavily discounted during holidays in the business cities such as Frankfurt and Cologne. </p>
<p>To get into town, you can catch the “metro” right inside the airport, and perhaps take a taxi back if the sausage meals with beer is too heavy! There are a few hotels next to the airport that might be better priced, but the convenience of rolling your luggage in and out the planes to your room is priceless, after what I assume a long trip from Texas. Of course, there is no charm involved. But is one night only. If you arrive from the US, chances are that you might arrive very early in the morning and some hotels are more understanding than others about early check-ins and storing luggage. </p>
<p>Koln is a modern city and there are plenty of hotels. The Koln Messe is one gigantic affair and the city hosts thousands of business travelers when there is more demand than supply. That means that there will be tons of choices in all prices. If you decide to rent a car (not sure how you return to Frankfurt) you might look at smaller cities around Koln, including Aachen as this adds a historical dimension of Charlemagne, See the before mentioned Tripavisor for Aachen … <a href=“http://www.tripadvisor.com/Tourism-g187367-Aachen_North_Rhine_Westphalia-Vacations.html”>http://www.tripadvisor.com/Tourism-g187367-Aachen_North_Rhine_Westphalia-Vacations.html</a> If you have more days for Koln and the region, you might look into the area to the West, including Belgium where one can book rooms in remodeled castles and old houses. That entire area is known for superlative food and history. If there is an interest, driving the sites of the Battle of the Bulge in December is breathtaking. But again, this is a departure of a pure German trip. And Christmas in Germany is magical in many places. </p>
<p>In case you look for apartments and houses, remember that Airbnb has become quite useful and cut out most of the problems with VRBO and the likes. Actually, I would start with Airbnb and then compare it to hotels every time you have more than a couple of nights. </p>
<p>Heidelberg is South of Frankfurt and in the opposite direction from Koln-Frankfurt. Same issue with Rothenburg or Nurnberg. One could add Luxemburg for a triangle between Koln and Frankurt with driving of about 300 kms between cities. </p>