Originally Posted by
BearX220
Most HGIs are purpose-built, newer properties that reflect a rigorous standard. Most Doubletrees are random, older, often reflagged properties with few to no common elements (unless you count the cookie).
Doubletree is Hilton's "none of the above" brand. It's the column where they stick outlier or one-of-a-kind properties that are more than a Hampton Inn, less than a Hilton, too shabby or aged to be an HGI, etc.
There are superb Doubletrees in Europe (look at the former Mint properties in the UK, some of which are nicer than Conrads: modern, sleek, elegant, great service) and horrible ones in the US (the SFO Airport perimeter Doubletree is one of the saddest hotels you will ever see, inside or outside the Hilton empire: dated, musty, shabby).
Nobody knows what Doubletree is meant to stand for, not even Hilton.
There was a time when Doubletree was a better brand. It is pretty sad to see Hilton reflagging old painted over 70's Holiday Inns (Livermore, CA... and supposedly soon Chico, CA which is a Ramada now but supposedly renovating into a Doubletree), and previous limited service properties (various former Phoenix Inns in OR/WA) over to that flag. It was a bad sign when Hilton reflagged some Red Lions to Doubletree in the 00's and we see how that went; most of those properties got divested and few still have the Doubletree flag (some have actually flat out shut down).
I think one of their biggest mistakes was the "Doubletree BY Hilton" thing. They should have kept Doubletree as a stand alone. Some of those properties really bring down the Hilton name.