The DoubleTree by Hilton brand is known for being a budget-friendly chain with adequate room sizes, sufficient Wi-Fi, a tiny fitness centre, and at least a basic in-house dining choice – and not much else.
That is, unless you count the famed complementary check-in chocolate-chip cookies.
With a few exceptions (such as the one in Amsterdam), few of the label's global sites appear to have any individual individuality.
DoubleTree is an excellent, reasonable option for Hilton Honors members who want to know exactly what they're receiving with every stay.
Over the years, I've stayed in a dozen or more DoubleTrees around the world, including the one in Del Mar, California, near my parents' property.
Because of the relatively reasonable paid and points rates, nice service, and decent Hilton Honors Gold elite breakfast bonus (albeit the hotel now gives $15 per person, per day in food and beverage credits), I tend to book over holidays like Thanksgiving.
Apart from my infrequent DoubleTree excursions, I prefer to turn to Hilton's other brands for unusual places to earn and redeem points.
However, on a recent trip to New Zealand to cover the country's reopening to international travellers after two years of COVID-19 restrictions, I learned that Wellington had the coolest DoubleTree hotel in the world.
Here's why the hotel was so remarkable to me and why I'd stay there again.
It's located in a historic building.
The most fascinating hotels, like the most fascinating individuals, have a fascinating past, in my opinion.
I particularly enjoy watching how modern architects and designers are able to maintain, incorporate, and even enhance original building characteristics into their designs, especially when the structure was not designed as a hotel in the first place.
While all of the DoubleTrees I've seen on my travels have been brand new, the one in Wellington debuted in 2018 in a historic, eight-story structure that was built in 1928 as an office for the Australasian Temperance and General Mutual Life Assurance Society.
After doing some research, I discovered that the T&G Building, as it's known, was one of numerous franchises commissioned by the firm across Australia and New Zealand, but this one is one of the finest preserved.
Slender, soaring columns with ornately stuccoed cornices and faux balconies line the top level of the Chicago School-style structure (named after the style of construction established by pioneering architects like Louis Sullivan in 19th-century Chicago, who used then-new materials like reinforced concrete and steel).
It was one of the city's first contemporary office buildings, and despite the fact that the capital now boasts many taller structures, it nevertheless exudes majesty and solemnity.
The interiors of the Art Deco buildings are stunning.
Despite the fact that the building's present owner, developer Mark Dunajtschik, had meant to demolish it, New Zealand's Environment Court denied his plan, and he instead turned to restoration.
Many of the original art deco components of the interiors were maintained, and they were used as inspiration for décor in the public areas and the 106 guest rooms by Hilton and the hotel's owner (including 14 suites)
The lobby is charming, despite its tiny size, with shining white and grey marble wall panelling from Italy and Takaka on New Zealand's South Island, as well as beautiful moulding on the ceiling and columns.
The welcome counter, which has a sculpted copper façade and is lighted by telescopic brass ceiling lights, anchors the compact area.
Copper doors with stylized geometric designs adorn the elevators, and old-fashioned mail chutes can be found in a few spots.
I mostly used the central staircase, which runs through the heart of the structure and includes small sitting rooms on each landing.
The walls of the hotel's restaurant on the second level are covered in original glazed tiles in cream, grey, and green.
The rooms are far from standard.
Round velvet chairs and love seats in deep, primary colours; dramatic headboards with upholstered squares and wooden borders; and globular lights hanging from chrome fixtures are among the deco-inspired elements in the guestrooms.
Because my room was in one of the building's corners along Lambton Quay, it had an intriguing shape, almost like a parallelogram, as it followed the structure's outside lines.
Despite its small size, the window took up a substantial portion of one of the walls, and depending on the level and location in the building, some of the specialised rooms and suites have even larger windows or those with arched tops.
Numerous USB outlets and power plugs (Type I-shaped only, so bring your adaptor), easy-to-use light switches, a 49-inch flatscreen television, and a small fridge located in the minibar area are among the modern touches.
An electric kettle was also available for preparing tea, chocolate, and instant coffee.
My two quibbles are as follows:
The work desk adjacent to the TV bureau was quite small, and the closet was too small for even my medium-size bag, let alone a large amount of clothing.
The bathroom, on the other hand, was enormous and as lovely as anything you'd find in one of Hilton's more upscale properties, such as the Conrad or Waldorf Astoria.
Large black and white marble tiles covered the floors, while glazed white tiling evocative of the restaurant's staircase sparkled on the walls.
The solitary sink was surrounded by a wide stone countertop and a giant round mirror that made the room feel even bigger.
But the walk-in shower with a glass door, an overhead rainfall showerhead with amazing pressure, and a wall-mounted handheld shower was perhaps my favourite aspect.
The Crabtree & Evelyn items were also a wonderful touch.
Its restaurant has received accolades.
The restaurants at the DoubleTrees where I've stayed have been decent but average, featuring the typical suspects like bar-style appetisers, salads, burgers, and sometimes pasta or pizza items.
Spring Kitchen at the DoubleTree Wellington is a far cry from that, winning a New Zealand Cuisine Good Food Guide award in 2019. (one of only 108 restaurants in the country to do so)
The little restaurant, which is one level up from the lobby, is built to look like an indoor garden with a green carved wooden screen and a surprisingly elegant cocktail bar backed by a relaxing green and blue tones wall mural near the front.
The rest of the room is taken up by banquettes and freestanding tables in the more formal dining area.
The fixtures that remain in place for breakfast service, such as an espresso machine and a modest buffet area, detract from the space's refinement.
It feels more like a fine-dining experience if you concentrate on the action in the semi-open kitchen, as well as the inventive drink menu and cuisine.
The Akaroa Tiki ($14) was a tropical punch created with a trio of rums, Cointreau, absinthe, lime, pineapple, and orange juices, orgeat syrup, and Angostura bitters and served in a porcelain tiki cup (named after a renowned partially submerged volcano on New Zealand's South Island).
I only ordered one since, as you could expect, it was pretty strong yet wonderful.
(The wine list was extremely wide, including wines from all throughout New Zealand as well as a few overseas options for those interested.)
The culinary menu features a blend of New Zealand products, Asian flavours, and European techniques, with a limited number of options (though it appears this might be due to the pandemic and more dishes might soon appear).
Grilled meats such as grass-fed tenderloin ($32) and lamb rump ($31) are popular at the restaurant.
However, a deconstructed chicken laksa ($19) features a spice-rubbed breast that is grilled, then crusted with crunchy amaranth and served over masala orzo with dried goji berries and kiwi-mango chutney.
I was pleased I chose it over the more conventional meats or fish and chips because the combination of robust flavours and textures was fantastic.
Many of these foods were also accessible through room service.
The setting is ideal.
The hotel is in the heart of Wellington, so I was able to walk to most of the major attractions, though Uber trips would have been just as quick and inexpensive.
The Wellington Cable Car, one of the city's most popular attractions, is just across Lambton Quay from the hotel and takes you on a short journey up Mount Victoria for spectacular views of the city and strolls through sculpture and botanical gardens.
The harborfront is only two streets away in the opposite direction, as are the Wellington Museum and its displays on the region's history, as well as a few waterside restaurants such as Bin44, Dockside, and Rosie's Red Hot Cantina and Taco Joint.
You may also rent an electric bike to explore the city on the road or embark on guided kayak expeditions from here.
New Zealand's unusual, hive-shaped Parliament building is about a 10-minute walk to the north.
Instead, walk 15 minutes south to the Te Papa museum, which covers everything Aotearoa (Maori for New Zealand) from prehistory to the present and is a must-see on any visit to the city.
I also walked in that direction on the second evening of my visit, to Cuba Street, which was bustling with restaurants and where I had dinner at Liberty, a gourmet restaurant, and then drinks a few blocks away at Dirty Little Secret, a rooftop bar.
In short, no matter what you're doing in Wellington, the hotel's location is ideal.
Chocolate-chip cookies are still available.
I'm constantly intrigued about the brand guidelines adhered to by big corporations.
In your St. Regis bathroom, for example, you can always count on Remede Spa items, as well as a Heavenly Bed at Westins.
But being served a warm walnut-chocolate-chip cookie as I checked in made me ecstatic (and, let's be honest, a touch delirious after a full day of travel from Los Angeles to Wellington via San Francisco and Sydney).
I sometimes forget about this particular DoubleTree benefit between stays, but taking one and reserving it for a treat after settling in always puts a grin to my face.
I love these cookies so much that I tried (very unsuccessfully) to recreate the recipe DoubleTree distributed during the epidemic, bringing a little bit of the joy of travel (and that fresh-baked cookie fragrance) back into my life at a time when few airlines were flying and many hotels were closed.
The rates for rooms are reasonable.
Because I was in Wellington during a school holiday, the room rates were about double what they are ordinarily, and I was only able to reserve a room with twin beds rather than a queen or king.
However, rooms often start at approximately $120, or 25,000 to 30,000 points, making this a particularly reasonable stay for a full-service hotel, whether you're using points or paying cash.
There are a lot of other DoubleTree touches.
I loved not only the potential to earn additional points and credit toward status as a Hilton Gold elite, but also the free breakfast perk at this hotel as a Hilton Gold elite.
Along with the cold buffet of pastries, cereal, and fruit, I was entitled to a hot beverage, including espresso drinks.
I could have gotten a hot meal, such as a made-to-order omelette, for only $9 extra, but I wasn't really hungry, so I just took what was offered.
Despite its small size, the gym provided enough weights and cardio machines to provide a good workout.
The Wi-Fi was fast and unrestricted.
The Sweet Dreams bed, which is a hallmark of the brand, was fluffy and soft.
After my stay at the DoubleTree in Wellington, I feel like I've discovered a whole new side to the brand, and I'm going to keep a look out for more intriguing properties across the world that might portray more than the brand's normal identity while still giving the brand's standard perks.
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