A sudden closure over safety concerns
The Crowne Plaza Frankfurt, located in the Niederrad business district, closed on the morning of Monday 21 September 2026. Guests and staff had to leave the building in a hurry, suitcases in hand, after authorities said fire-safety compliance could not be guaranteed in the 14-storey tower. Affected guests were relocated to other hotels in Frankfurt.
Analysis – Beyond the Frankfurt case, this affair revives a recurring debate in European hospitality: the division of contractual responsibility between operators and landlords as the continent’s ageing urban hotel stock runs up against ever-tightening fire-safety standards and rising compliance costs.
The Etmenan family, owners of Novum Hospitality, a privately held hotel group based in Hamburg that operates the property under an IHG franchise, confirmed the closure, citing a risk to people’s safety. Novum Hospitality operates 60 properties across Europe totalling more than 20,000 rooms and has leased the building on Lyoner Straße since 2018, a property previously operated under the Arabella Sheraton brand.
An ageing building undermined by a string of failures
Built in 1972, the 395-room building has accumulated a series of problems over recent years. The 14th floor has been closed since 2023 due to fire-safety non-compliance, while 31 rooms on the 13th floor are unusable because of water damage. The flat roof and the swimming pool, drained more than five years ago, are also showing signs of water infiltration, and the lifts break down almost daily.
According to surveys carried out in March and July 2026, the sprinkler system is believed to have become inoperative owing to corrosion and deposits in the pipework. An inspection of the evacuated building was due to confirm this definitively on Monday. Experts have also identified asbestos in the building’s structure, information the operator says it was unaware of when the lease was signed.
Bringing the building up to standard while remaining in operation would, according to the operator, be impossible. Initial estimates put the full cost of the necessary works at €25 million, including €2.5 million for the sprinkler system replacement alone.
A lease dispute with landlord Praemia
The commercial lease, which was due to run until at least 2037, is now the subject of early-termination proceedings brought by the operator on grounds of serious breach. Unpaid rent is said to run into tens of millions of euros. According to sources close to the matter, responsibility for repairs between landlord and tenant is divided in a complex way across several contract clauses: the hotel, for example, remains responsible for routine maintenance repairs, but not for lift cables, foundations, ceilings or floors.
A labour dispute over the works council
According to the German press, including the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, the closure — reportedly prepared for several weeks — came with the summary dismissal of the works council chair and his deputy, both of whom were also barred from entering the building. The Nahrung-Genuss-Gaststätten (NGG) union condemned the move in the strongest terms, describing it as an attack on co-determination and on the Works Constitution Act, given that staff representatives normally benefit from enhanced protection against dismissal.
The group’s works council is currently examining whether local representatives may have concealed safety failures in order to allow the hotel to keep operating, as well as any personal financial benefits certain members may have gained from doing so.
Next steps for staff
The group’s works council intends to open discussions with management and the roughly 50 staff affected. Some may be redeployed to other properties, while severance terms are expected to be negotiated for others. The group’s works council chair said staff safety and the company’s future were the absolute priority.
This closure comes as IHG and Novum Hospitality continue their large-scale conversion agreement, which is set to bring 119 hotels under the British flag by 2028, a partnership already reflected in the opening of the first Holiday Inn – the niu in Germany. The Frankfurt market otherwise remains active, with the recent arrival of Wyndham in the same Niederrad district.
At a glance by The Hospitality Tribune
Crowne Plaza Frankfurt shut down over fire safety failures
395-room, 14-storey hotel in Niederrad closed on 21 September 2026, guests relocated
Operated by Novum Hospitality (Etmenan family) as an IHG franchisee since 2018
Sprinkler system reportedly non-functional; estimated repair bill of €25 million
Lease dispute with French landlord Praemia; contract was due to run until 2037
50 jobs affected; works council chair dismissed, union NGG condemns the move
