DoubleTree by Hilton Kuala Lumpur – Hotel Review

For over two years starting in March 2020, Malaysia had its borders closed. There were multiple lockdowns, during which no interstate or inter-district travel was permitted.

At one point, people were not allowed to travel beyond a 10-kilometre radius from their homes, except with official letters from employers, doctors, and so on. But most businesses remained open, including restaurants, retail stores, supermarkets, and even hotels.

So in February 2021, after months of staying put at home, I decided to give myself a break by checking into a hotel in my area.

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Table of Contents

DoubleTree by Hilton Kuala Lumpur

Location

The DoubleTree by Hilton is located within an upscale shopping center, The Intermark, on Jalan Ampang.

The Intermark Mall. Credit: angys / Wikimedia Commons

It’s easily accessible by public transport, with frequent buses and a pedestrian bridge connecting it directly to the Ampang Park LRT station, which is just one stop away from KLCC (Petronas Twin Towers).

Although there isn’t much in the immediate vicinity apart from The Intermark itself and a few banks and office buildings, its proximity to the LRT station means you can easily get to just about anywhere in Kuala Lumpur.

I walked there from the Twin Towers and it took me roughly 15 minutes.

Room rate at DoubleTree by Hilton Kuala Lumpur

During the pandemic, most hotels slashed their prices to encourage domestic travel, since they weren’t getting any international tourists. Some even offered day rates for those who wanted to work from a hotel room instead of from home.

For my stay in a Double Room, I paid RM180 (room rate) + RM18 (taxes), bringing the total to RM198.

I’m not sure how big the discount was, or if there even was one, but for a weekend stay and a last-minute booking (I booked just minutes before check-in), I think it was a pretty good deal, cheaper than similar hotels in the same area.

Check current rate

Check-in

Since the hotel is inside a mall, you actually have to go through the mall to get to the reception. There’s no separate entrance.

The reception is located one level above the mall’s main entrance, on the same level as the pedestrian bridge from Ampang Park LRT station.

Because of this, the hotel lobby is rather small, more of a narrow walkway with a few settees and coffee tables lined up along it.

But the check-in process went smoothly. I paid by card and wasn’t asked for a deposit. Despite some reviews saying the service could be improved, I personally had no complaints. Shalinda, who attended to me, was polite and helpful.

The free cookies!

The service may be great and all, but the fastest way to my heart is still through my stomach, and this hotel seemed to know my weak point.

While other hotels offer welcome drinks, DoubleTree does something different: welcome cookies.

Apparently, this is a long-standing tradition at DoubleTree hotels worldwide, with over 30 million cookies consumed every year. Since it was my first time staying with them, it was a very pleasant surprise.

And best of all, the cookies were still warm, like they had just come out of the oven!

The cookies (yes I’m still raving about the cookies) are the crunchy kind, packed with generous chunks of chocolate chips and chopped walnuts. I liked that they weren’t overly sweet, and each one was substantial enough to count as a proper snack.

I can easily imagine arriving tired and hungry after a long flight, only to be handed one of these warm cookies at check-in. Honestly, I’d take cookies over welcome drinks any day.

Room

I was assigned a room on the 17th floor.

The Double Room, although the cheapest option, was quite spacious. It came with a king-size bed, a desk with a proper office chair, and a sofa by the window.

The fridge was empty (which made me wonder if hotel minibars are slowly becoming a thing of the past), but there was a kettle along with a selection of tea and coffee.

The bathroom had a walk-in shower with a rain shower head, and the toilet was right next to it. There was no bathtub, which was fine by me since I’m not particularly fond of long baths anyway.

What pleased me the most, though, were the toiletries: Crabtree & Evelyn, with refreshing verbena and lavender scents.

To me, that felt like a luxury, considering my usual toiletries at home are whatever’s cheapest at the dollar store.

After a hot shower, I spent the rest of the day watching Nat Geo and FOX Movies, and making use of the free WiFi to get some work done on my laptop.

It felt good to be sitting on an ergonomic chair at a proper desk, after so long working from home (which usually meant lying down on my bed with a cardboard box as a makeshift laptop stand).

Dining

I booked a room without breakfast, although I could have added it for an additional RM64. Due to the pandemic, the usual buffet breakfast was unavailable and replaced with an à la carte option, served at Makan Kitchen from 6 a.m. to 11 a.m.

This, however, wasn’t a big concern for me, since I rarely wake up early enough for breakfast anyway.

In-room dining was available daily from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m., but given the premium pricing, I’d much rather head down to the restaurants and cafés in the mall or just order delivery.

Restaurants at DoubleTree Kuala Lumpur:

Makan Kitchen (Level 11)
Tosca – Italian Restaurant (Level 10)
The Food Store and Axis Lounge (Level 1)

Safety measures at Hilton hotels during the pandemic

As guest safety is a top priority, Hilton partnered with RB, the company behind hygiene products like Lysol and Dettol, to introduce the Hilton CleanStay program.

Through this program, the hotel chain builds on its already rigorous cleaning standards to provide an even cleaner stay for guests.

This was evident in the Hilton CleanStay room seal on the door, the focused disinfection of high-touch surfaces, and notices in common areas reminding guests to maintain a safe distance from one another.

They also increased the frequency of cleaning in public spaces and made several adjustments to amenities and services:

Face masks were required in all public areas, including restaurants and the hotel lobby.
The gym on Level 10 allowed a maximum of 8 guests at a time.
The swimming pool, sauna, and steam room were closed.
All guests had to be registered with valid identification at the Front Desk for contact tracing.
The number of guests per room could not exceed maximum occupancy, and unregistered visitors were not allowed.

Face masks were required in all public areas.

Final thoughts

When I travel abroad, I tend to avoid big hotel chains, partly because of the price, and partly because they can start to feel a bit interchangeable after a while. I usually prefer places with more character.

But after a year without international travel and none in sight at the time, I found myself craving a bit of 5-star treatment in my own city. And I didn’t regret choosing DoubleTree Kuala Lumpur.

While it’s not drastically different from other 5-star hotels in the city, what really won me over was the warm cookie at check-in and the fact that the Front Desk officer took the time to check in on me via text messages.