The first DoubleTree by Hilton hotel in South-East Asia offers fresh ideas, great connectivity and celebrates Malaysian food.
AT the end of the day, it’s the little personal touches that make a hotel stay memorable.
Like the delicious warm chocolate chip cookie the staff hand me during my check-in at the DoubleTree by Hilton Kuala Lumpur. This unique, tasty treat is a DoubleTree signature and it’s presented to guests when they check in at all the 248 properties worldwide.
We happily munch away the huge and chunky cookies that are loaded with chocolate chips and walnuts as our luggage is carried to our rooms. If there’s ever a warm welcome to a hotel, this tops the list!
Stunning: The Terrace Suites feature private balconies, each commanding a grand view of the Twin Towers.Simple touches like these are what make the difference at DoubleTree by Hilton, the latest addition to Kuala Lumpur’s list of deluxe hotels. It’s the first DoubleTree by Hilton property in South-East Asia.
“We get a lot of queries on the difference between the DoubleTree and Hilton brands. It’s like a brother-sister relationship, where we share the same parents but each sibling has a wholly distinct personality,” general manager Ian Barrows explains.
“The Hilton has a great legacy of luxury and service. DoubleTree is a younger sibling that is fresh, friendly and warm. We’re known for our relaxed, carefree appeal and a high level of hospitality for every guest.
“It’s a fun brand! The name of the brand itself illustrates the warmth and shelter you get beneath the shade of two trees where you can stretch out a hammock and relax!”
Soaring 34 storeys, the hotel offers wonderfully panoramic views from nearly every window. On clear days, you can catch a sight of Genting Highlands’ twinkling lights in the distance.
Fresh bursts of colour in the carpeting and furniture conveys a modern, stylish yet comfortable ambience. Rooms offer views of Jalan Ampang’s greenery or the Twin Towers and city centre. Each bedroom is equipped with modern conveniences like high-speed Internet access, spacious desk and high-definition multimedia interface that allow instant connection from our laptop to the 32-inch LCD television. A spacious bathroom is equipped with rain showers and Crabtree and Evelyn toiletries.
We love the signature Sweet Dreams by DoubleTree sleep experience. The luxurious bed and the pillow menu offering seven types of pillows will satisfy even the fussiest guest. Among the pillows available are Buckwheat pillows made from hulls of buckwheat that give excellent support for the head, neck and shoulder, soft feather pillows filled with duck down and tatami pillows woven with tatami rush or igusa. An outstanding feature of DoubleTree by Hilton is its signature restaurant, the Makan Kitchen. Unlike most high-end hotels serving international fare, Makan Kitchen is dedicated to showcasing Malaysia’s wonderful variety of cuisine.
“Malaysia is famous worldwide for its great cuisine so we are extremely proud to feature a variety of this food,” says Barrow.The innovative concept coupled with a dynamic interior design makes for very interesting meals here. Three live interaction kitchens where chefs prepare fresh meals feature six Malaysian cuisines, from Malay, Indian and Chinese to Nyonya, Kristang and Iban.
The problem is choosing where to sit and dine! The different sections are distinctively designed so they resemble individual restaurants. Red silk lanterns light up the Chinese and Peranakan sections while another area is designed like an authentic Malaysian longhouse with intimate lighting.
For dinner, we stuff ourselves silly with crispy roast duck and dim sum, Kelantanese-styled Ayam Percik Panggang, Sarawak Mee Kolo, tantalising Tandoori chicken and hot cheese-butter-garlic naan fresh from the oven.
The Makan Kitchen experience is priced at RM59++ for lunch and RM79++ for dinner. The only drawback is that the buffet spread does not include drinks as these are charged separately.
For lunch the next day, we head over to the Tosca Trattoria for crispy thin pizzas and delicious pastas. This Italian restaurant offers an alfresco feel as it opens out onto the turquoise salt water swimming pool and landscaped sundeck. Foreign travellers love hanging out here and ordering a pizza and wine while they sunbathe by the pool, enjoying the sultry heat.For a quick meal before a massage, we make our way to The Food Store, a deli cum bakery for sandwiches, coffees and a selection of cakes, pies, pastries and salads and juices. Also available are candies, chocolates and, of course, tins of DoubleTree’s enticing signature chocolate chip cookies that are the perfect souvenirs to remember your stay by.
The DoubleTree by Hilton Kuala Lumpur is connected by a covered walkway to the Ampang Park LRT station that takes you the Kuala Lumpur Twin Towers in under five minutes and the Kuala Lumpur Sentral Station in 15 minutes. The hotel (% 03-2172 7272) is located at 182 Jalan Tun Razak, KL. Visit kl.doubletreebyhilton.com.
