Overview
With a rapidly growing collection of contemporary, upscale accommodations in more than 150 gateway cities, metropolitan areas and vacation destinations through the U.S., Canada and Latin America, Doubletree® is a distinctively designed portfolio of properties that provides true comfort to today’s business and leisure travelers.
From millions of delighted hotel guests who are welcomed with the brand’s legendary, warm chocolate chip cookies at check-in to the advantages of the award-winning Hilton HHonors® guest reward program, Doubletree delivers a satisfying experience to its guests wherever their travels may take them.
Down to the Details
Contemporary style, classic comfort – that’s what you expect from a first-class hotel. And that’s what guests can count on every time. At every Doubletree. The Doubletree brand’s warm and accepting personality, when combined with an informal, contemporary, “business casual” attitude, helps encourage the value of freedom and simplicity for our guests. When traveling with Doubletree, guests feel comfortable and welcomed so that they are free to relax, free to enjoy and free to succeed.
How We Got Where We Are Today
Doubletree experienced the fastest growth to national brand status in the upscale hotel segment in the industry. Here are some important milestones in the history of Doubletree hotels:
From millions of delighted hotel guests who are welcomed with the brand’s legendary, warm chocolate chip cookies at check-in to the advantages of the award-winning Hilton HHonors® guest reward program, Doubletree delivers a satisfying experience to its guests wherever their travels may take them.
Down to the Details
Contemporary style, classic comfort – that’s what you expect from a first-class hotel. And that’s what guests can count on every time. At every Doubletree. The Doubletree brand’s warm and accepting personality, when combined with an informal, contemporary, “business casual” attitude, helps encourage the value of freedom and simplicity for our guests. When traveling with Doubletree, guests feel comfortable and welcomed so that they are free to relax, free to enjoy and free to succeed.
How We Got Where We Are Today
Doubletree experienced the fastest growth to national brand status in the upscale hotel segment in the industry. Here are some important milestones in the history of Doubletree hotels:
- First Doubletree hotel opened in 1969
- Freshly baked chocolate chip cookies were introduced at Doubletree properties in 1987
- Doubletree Corporation was formed in 1994, following merger of Guest Quarters Suites Hotels and Doubletree hotels, creating the first new nationwide hotel brand to appear in the upscale market in several years
- Promus Hotel Corporation and Doubletree Corporation merged, creating the third-largest hotel company in the United States, 1997
- Hilton Hotels Corporation acquired Promus Hotel Corporation in December 1999
Products & Services
Distintive Doubletree Products. Great Ways to Enjoy True ComfortThe Doubletree brand’s flagship hotel brand has rapidly expanded in such gateway cities as Dallas, Chicago, Atlanta and Toronto. These properties offer unique, contemporary upscale accommodations as well as full-service facilities and amenities, including restaurants and lounges, room service, health clubs, business centers, and extensive meeting and banquet space.
Doubletree Guest Suites
The Doubletree Guest Suites® brand is the second largest full-service, all-suite brand in the world. Every property offers one- and two-bedroom suites with separate living rooms and private baths. These suites are ideal for situations where a longer stay is required, or for business trips where having a lot of room for spreading out can make a difference. Doubletree Guest Suites are located in and around major cities.
Doubletree Resorts
Located in vacation destination markets, Doubletree Resorts provide guests with the ultimate vacation – whether they’re looking for fun and excitement or rest and relaxation. From Niagara Falls to Key West, each location is an upscale property with at least two types of recreational facilities, such as golf, tennis, snorkeling and spa facilities.
Doubletree Reinvigorates Today's Traveling Experience
From contemporary designs to innovative guest technology services to a luxurious new sleep experience, the brand’s main vision is to reinvigorate the hotel experience and provide today’s travelers with more of the true comforts they enjoy at home.
Modern Designs and Amenities Refresh Today’s Doubletree Hotel Experience
Many Doubletree owners are going the extra mile to refresh all areas of their hotels with classic and sophisticated designs, beautifully crafted furnishings and upgraded amenities. As part of their product improvement efforts during the past few years, some Doubletree hotels even expanded their meeting facilities to meet the stringent certification standards of the International Association of Conference Centers (IACC), while others have added state-of-the-art fitness facilities, new restaurants and executive floors.
Doubletree has taken the extra step to help hotel owners with valuable resources to revitalize their hotel guest rooms. A collection of three, turnkey, designer guest room packages has been developed exclusively for the brand by a select group of interior designers specializing in hospitality design. From 27” televisions and ergonomic chairs to tufted carpeting and contemporary artwork, every element has undergone testing in real hotel environments to ensure the utmost in functionality, durability and customer appeal. The end results in an all-inclusive solution that can substantially minimize project costs and significantly reduce the time needed to complete the typical guest room renovation.
New Sleep Experience Brings Sweet Dreams to Doubletree Guests
Getting rest and relaxation away from home can be difficult. That’s why Doubletree is proud to welcome guests with the brand’s new sleep standard, the Sweet Dreams® by Doubletree sleep experience. Now available in all Doubletree properties, guests can relax with:
- A custom-designed plush-top mattress that is directly supported by coils for a comfortable night’s sleep.
- Four jumbo down pillows for full and queen beds; five for king beds.
- A linen package of 200-thread count linens with triple sheeting, baffle-box down blankets, elegant, contemporary bedcovers and matching bed skirts.
- A signature Sweet Dreams embroidered bed pillow.
Other Key Guest Services and Amenities Include:
- Guest rooms with remote control televisions, two telephones with voice mail services, AM/FM alarm clock radio, iron/ironing board, hairdryer, coffeemaker and Neutrogena® bath products
- Complimentary in-room premium cable channel system and pay-per-view movies on demand
- Three-meal restaurant and a lounge
- In-room dining selections are available, with many providing 24-hour room service
- Meeting facilities range from 2,500 to 60,000 square feet and include state-of-the art audiovisual equipment and a wide array of meal and special event offerings
- Recreational facilities include a fitness center as well as a pool, sauna or whirlpool
- Airport properties provide 24-hour shuttle transportation at no additional charge
- On-premise gift shops with essential items – such as non-prescription medication, toiletries, postage stamps, gifts, local souvenirs, electrical adapters and reading materials
Hilton HHonors® Hilton HHonors
Offering a combination of both recognition and rewards, HHonors has become a primary factor in members’ loyalty to the Hilton Family of Hotels. HHonors is the only hotel guest rewardprogram to let members Double Dip® to earn both hotel points for free nights and airline miles for free flights – for the same stay at more than 2,700 hotels worldwide.
They Aren't Just Chocolate Chip, They're Fortune Cookies
Our guests love our cookies. They’re big, fresh, warm, tasty and they hit the spot anytime. They represent the attitude of service, style, flexibility and friendliness that has made Doubletree so popular with investors. And this is your chance to be one of them, sharing in the opportunities that only a first-class, fullservice, upscale hotel can bring.
Training & Support
We Support Our Owners In So Many Ways
One of the most important reasons to choose the Doubletree brand is the dedicated support we give our hotel owners and managers, before and after opening. Our brand support teams work with you to help make things as easy as possible for you.
Franchisee Relations
We are committed to delivering outstanding service to our franchisees and to helping them maximize the value of the system. Our friendly corporate staff, extensive franchising and hotel management expertise, and competitive fees further set us apart from the competition. Keeping the lines of communication open is as important for us as it is for you. That’s why we hold regular Advisory Council meetings with leaders from representative hotels. We also hold periodic conferences for owners and general managers. We encourage our franchisees to communicate openly and regularly. We will seriously consider every suggestion that benefits our brand. We remain committed to approaching our franchisee relationships with an open mind and a desire to do what is best for the long-term interest of our entire franchise system.
Design and Construction
Our development assistance includes helping you identify and select a site, offering design consulting, putting you in touch with architects and contractors, and assisting with your construction progress. This careful, comprehensive assistance contributes to our reputation for quality.
Franchise Web Site
Doubletreefranchise.com provides a wealth of information on Doubletree and all of our franchise brands in the Hilton Family of Hotels. You’ll find recent news, prototype drawings, design specifications, Suppliers’ Corner listings, key contacts for development and design & construction, online franchise license application, summary of franchise fees, costs and other requirements, photo galleries and much more. You can also submit our online form to request more information. This site is a powerful tool for our owners to stay in tune with Doubletree franchising.
Brand Performance
Our brand performance team is a unique consultative field team concerned with overall brand and individual hotel performance. The team’s primary goal is to help your hotel achieve optimum performance through activities such as sales training, revenue maximization, inventory management, and product and service evaluations. The team reviews key business statistics regarding your hotel with you and your hotel managers, offers advice on front desk systems, suggests training solutions, and offers suggestions about issues impacting your hotel. Working closely with each hotel, the team helps in monitoring that standards are being met, helps develop action plans, prepares for quality assurance evaluations, discusses marketing and sales progress, motivates sales staff and provides status reports on a regular basis.
Communication
Keeping the lines of communication open is as important for us as it is for you. That’s why we hold regular brand meetings with leaders from representative hotels. We also hold annual and regional conferences for owners and general managers.
Quality Assurance
Every Doubletree hotel is expected to meet our high standards for quality and service, as outlined in our comprehensive standards manual. To help you protect your asset and the value of the brand in which you’ve invested, specialists evaluate each hotel twice annually with the focus of maintaining brand integrity. Consultation on your capital replacement program is also provided by this team to ensure your property maintains a positive perception in the eyes of our guests.
Leading-Edge Technology
In addition to an Internet-based centralized reservations system, we are committed to technology in other areas, including online purchasing and more. OnQ™, our required business software and hardware system, offers integrated technology that is designed to help improve customer service, enhance operations and contribute to maximizing your marketing efforts.
Business Reports
We supply plenty of support to help improve the way you manage your business. Available electronically, our monthly reports help you recognize trends, compare results with other Doubletree hotels and evaluate how well you stack up to the competition. Our revenue maximization reports contain historical data, trends and booking patterns to help optimize your revenue potential. With feedback on yield, average daily rate, occupancy and other vital information, you can anticipate problems, take advantage of opportunities, and develop proactive marketing and sales strategies that will help optimize value.
Training
Prior to the hotel opening, we provide comprehensive training for owners and general managers to familiarize them with our vision. We stress the importance of direct sales to the hotel’s performance, and help establish the skills and knowledge needed to lead the hotel’s team to success. We also offer workshops and videos on topics such as sales, supervisory skills and product quality programs.
Worldwide Sales
Doubletree has the strong support of Hilton Sales Worldwide – an experienced network of 300 professionals in more than 30 major cities around the world. From a dedicated Business Travel Sales team to the convenience of Hilton Direct®, the meeting site search service of the Hilton Family of Hotels, our sales experts specialize in booking group events of all types and sizes.
Brand Marketing
The Doubletree brand marketing team is truly taking an integrated approach to today’s marketing mix. Marketing activities developed to promote our hotels include public relations, community outreach programs, consumer direct mail projects, leisure and business consumer initiatives and intermediary marketing programs. Our brand advertising reaches guests in such prominent publications as USA Today, Wall Street Journal, Time magazine, People magazine, Ebony and Fortune.
Work. Dream. We'll leave that up to you. But as far as taking care of you goes, you can leave that up to us.
A Member of the Hilton Family of Hotels
One of the most important reasons to choose the Doubletree brand is the dedicated support we give our hotel owners and managers, before and after opening. Our brand support teams work with you to help make things as easy as possible for you.
Franchisee Relations
We are committed to delivering outstanding service to our franchisees and to helping them maximize the value of the system. Our friendly corporate staff, extensive franchising and hotel management expertise, and competitive fees further set us apart from the competition. Keeping the lines of communication open is as important for us as it is for you. That’s why we hold regular Advisory Council meetings with leaders from representative hotels. We also hold periodic conferences for owners and general managers. We encourage our franchisees to communicate openly and regularly. We will seriously consider every suggestion that benefits our brand. We remain committed to approaching our franchisee relationships with an open mind and a desire to do what is best for the long-term interest of our entire franchise system.
Design and Construction
Our development assistance includes helping you identify and select a site, offering design consulting, putting you in touch with architects and contractors, and assisting with your construction progress. This careful, comprehensive assistance contributes to our reputation for quality.
Franchise Web Site
Doubletreefranchise.com provides a wealth of information on Doubletree and all of our franchise brands in the Hilton Family of Hotels. You’ll find recent news, prototype drawings, design specifications, Suppliers’ Corner listings, key contacts for development and design & construction, online franchise license application, summary of franchise fees, costs and other requirements, photo galleries and much more. You can also submit our online form to request more information. This site is a powerful tool for our owners to stay in tune with Doubletree franchising.
Brand Performance
Our brand performance team is a unique consultative field team concerned with overall brand and individual hotel performance. The team’s primary goal is to help your hotel achieve optimum performance through activities such as sales training, revenue maximization, inventory management, and product and service evaluations. The team reviews key business statistics regarding your hotel with you and your hotel managers, offers advice on front desk systems, suggests training solutions, and offers suggestions about issues impacting your hotel. Working closely with each hotel, the team helps in monitoring that standards are being met, helps develop action plans, prepares for quality assurance evaluations, discusses marketing and sales progress, motivates sales staff and provides status reports on a regular basis.
Communication
Keeping the lines of communication open is as important for us as it is for you. That’s why we hold regular brand meetings with leaders from representative hotels. We also hold annual and regional conferences for owners and general managers.
Quality Assurance
Every Doubletree hotel is expected to meet our high standards for quality and service, as outlined in our comprehensive standards manual. To help you protect your asset and the value of the brand in which you’ve invested, specialists evaluate each hotel twice annually with the focus of maintaining brand integrity. Consultation on your capital replacement program is also provided by this team to ensure your property maintains a positive perception in the eyes of our guests.
Leading-Edge Technology
In addition to an Internet-based centralized reservations system, we are committed to technology in other areas, including online purchasing and more. OnQ™, our required business software and hardware system, offers integrated technology that is designed to help improve customer service, enhance operations and contribute to maximizing your marketing efforts.
Business Reports
We supply plenty of support to help improve the way you manage your business. Available electronically, our monthly reports help you recognize trends, compare results with other Doubletree hotels and evaluate how well you stack up to the competition. Our revenue maximization reports contain historical data, trends and booking patterns to help optimize your revenue potential. With feedback on yield, average daily rate, occupancy and other vital information, you can anticipate problems, take advantage of opportunities, and develop proactive marketing and sales strategies that will help optimize value.
Training
Prior to the hotel opening, we provide comprehensive training for owners and general managers to familiarize them with our vision. We stress the importance of direct sales to the hotel’s performance, and help establish the skills and knowledge needed to lead the hotel’s team to success. We also offer workshops and videos on topics such as sales, supervisory skills and product quality programs.
Worldwide Sales
Doubletree has the strong support of Hilton Sales Worldwide – an experienced network of 300 professionals in more than 30 major cities around the world. From a dedicated Business Travel Sales team to the convenience of Hilton Direct®, the meeting site search service of the Hilton Family of Hotels, our sales experts specialize in booking group events of all types and sizes.
Brand Marketing
The Doubletree brand marketing team is truly taking an integrated approach to today’s marketing mix. Marketing activities developed to promote our hotels include public relations, community outreach programs, consumer direct mail projects, leisure and business consumer initiatives and intermediary marketing programs. Our brand advertising reaches guests in such prominent publications as USA Today, Wall Street Journal, Time magazine, People magazine, Ebony and Fortune.
Work. Dream. We'll leave that up to you. But as far as taking care of you goes, you can leave that up to us.
A Member of the Hilton Family of Hotels
- Access to a complete array of collateral brochures, rack cards, camera-ready advertising slicks, and other materials which we’ve already prepared to help save you time and money.
- A program that allows your hotel to order quality items in smaller-than-usual quantities.
- Fill-in-the-blanks press releases and public relations media outreach materials.
- A Match Fund program offering a percentage reimbursement on placement and production costs when your hotel advertises (print and/or radio) in its local market.
- Discount rates on OAG, HTI, Yellow Pages and AAA advertising.
- Discount rates on Sabrevision/Spectrum-Apollo headlines.
- Customer information from our in-house database for your hotel’s marketing efforts.
- Regional cooperative advertising programs designed to help leverage your property’s advertising dollars.
Why Doubletree?
Doubletree Has the Technology That Travelers WantDoubletree offers a four-point guest technology initiative which includes:
- High-speed Internet access in all meeting rooms
- High-speed Internet access in all guest rooms
- Complimentary, wireless high-speed Internet access (wi-fi) in all hotel lobbies, lounges, restaurants and public areas
- Secure, remote guest printing service for all Ethernet-capable and wi-fi devices
Want to See New Growth in Your Hotel Business?
Plant a Doubletree Franchise
Whether you’re thinking of building from the ground up, or converting an existing property, a Doubletree franchise is the smart way to grow your hotel business. From the moment you break ground or begin planning renovations, we’re here to help you get what you need – from financing and construction to marketing and sales support. Converting an existing property to the Doubletree brand is an ideal way to re-energize sagging performance, particularly in light of the unpredictable nature of the lending environment for new real estate construction. You’ll discover that our comprehensive conversion program makes it as easy as it is economical.
Why Investors Love Us
At Doubletree we work hard to build relationships with our guests. And in the same way, it is our goal to build strong, long-lasting relationships with our owners. In fact, we’ve found that both goals are closely related. As we work together over time, we strive to reach both objectives because the happier our guests are, the happier our owners are with their decision/opportunity to franchise a Doubletree property. Here’s what Doubletree owners have working for them:
- Doubletree Guest Suites are a towering presence in major cities and gateway locations
- Power of the Hilton® brand name — almost 90 years as a leader in the industry
- Strength of the Hilton Family of Hotels
- The Doubletree brand’s proven performance
- Dedication to 100% customer satisfaction
- Brand awareness through growing distribution
- Comprehensive marketing and advertising — targeting both business and leisure travelers through national advertising, sales, public relations and cross-selling with our sister brands
- Worldwide sales organization
- Hilton HHonors — our worldwide award-winning guest reward program
- Franchising and management expertise
- Forward-looking culture
- Leading-edge technology and innovation
Special Owner Benefits For You
When you join the Hilton Family of Hotels as an owner, you become an important member of the Hilton team. Our way of showing our owners how much we value their loyalty and the confidence they’ve placed in our brands is by offering them a special package of owner services and benefits, including:
- Hilton HHonors Gold VIP membership status in our award-winning guest reward program.
- Owner Travel Program which offers discount hotel rates for leisure travel at all owned, managed or franchised properties within the Hilton Family of Hotels (excluding Hilton International properties).
- Franchise Development Awards Program that will allow our owners to be considered for special recognition based on new project/development efforts within the Hilton Family of Hotels.
In addition to our development awards program, the Doubletree brand also recognizes outstanding product delivery, service scores and participation in key brand initiatives that show our hotels CARE about their guests, their team members and their local community – through the Doubletree Brand Performance Awards.
Are You a Good Fit for Doubletree?
When you develop a Hilton Hotels Corporation franchise, you're not just developing a hotel, but a relationship with our entire family of hotels. A franchise relationship should be a long-term commitment made to benefit both parties. While both of us are contractually bound and governed solely by the terms of our license agreement together, Hilton Hotels Corporation (HHC) has created this statement of principles as a philosophy of and guideline for how we believe franchisors and franchisees should do business together.
Our core business principles are based upon such timeless values as teamwork, fair play, mutual respect and open communications. Franchising is a two-way street, and we understand that our franchise owners have expectations of us, just as we have expectations of them. The purpose of the HHC Principles of Franchising is to provide a clear definition of the expectations of the franchisor and franchisee to help us both build an even greater foundation for a solid, long-term relationship.
What HHC Expects from Its Franchisees
Our core business principles are based upon such timeless values as teamwork, fair play, mutual respect and open communications. Franchising is a two-way street, and we understand that our franchise owners have expectations of us, just as we have expectations of them. The purpose of the HHC Principles of Franchising is to provide a clear definition of the expectations of the franchisor and franchisee to help us both build an even greater foundation for a solid, long-term relationship.
What HHC Expects from Its Franchisees
- Uphold brand value, product and service quality standards, and our culture of complete guest satisfaction.
- Total commitment to building customer loyalty.
- Ensure that your employee team members are well-trained and focused on delivering on our commitment to product and service quality. The long-term health of our brands depends on this commitment. In the guest’s mind, a brand is only as strong as its weakest property. Rigorous enforcement of standards helps both of us.
- Tell us directly how we can better serve and support you. We invite our franchisees to communicate openly and regularly to provide input to improve our brands and relationships, and will seriously consider all ideas and points of view that benefit the brands and our relationships.
- Take a proactive role in building new HHC brands in your markets. We expect and encourage our quality HHC franchisees to be the most aggressive developers of our brands, and we will try to help them in that effort.
