[INTERVIEW] Tasty treats and feel-good moments: Hilton vice president explains hotel's philosophies

Food & Travel

Published: 04 Dec. 2023, 15:06 Updated: 04 Dec. 2023, 17:41

[INTERVIEW] Tasty treats and feel-good moments: Hilton vice president explains hotel's philosophies

Vincent Ong, vice president of Hilton’s full-service brands in Asia-Pacific [PARK SANG-MOON]

It all starts with a warm chocolate chip cookie at DoubleTree by Hilton Seoul Pangyo in Gyeonggi.

It’s an age-old iconic welcome at DoubleTree hotels, though this June was the first time these toasty treats were handed out in Korea.

“We want to provide our guests with a series of feel-good moments,” said Vincent Ong, vice president of Hilton’s full-service brands in the Asia-Pacific. “And cookies are a part of that. Check-ins and outs can be very transactional, but receiving that cookie takes you away from the rigid process.”

DoubleTree by Hilton Seoul Pangyo in Gyeonggi [DOUBLETREE BY HILTON SEOUL PANGYO]

These heartwarming moments continue throughout the stay for DoubleTree Seoul guests.

During mealtimes at the hotel’s all-day buffet Demeter, chefs bring out bubbling-hot doenjang jjigae (fermented soybean stew) in an earthenware bowl to each table as Seoul's comfort food. DoubleTree hotels serve different comfort foods in different countries, like meat pies in Australia and mango sticky rice in Thailand.

From next spring, it will invite guests to its garden for a Ritual Hub program where the hotel’s chefs — and volunteering guests — make injeolmi (a kind of traditional Korean rice cake) by pounding glutinous rice inside a traditional stone mortar. The finished product is then served with honey harvested from DoubleTree’s rooftop apiary.

“Hospitality is ultimately about those little moments that make up your whole stay,” Ong said. “We hope to inspire our guests with these thoughtful and caring feel-good moments.”

Doenjang jjigae (fermented soybean stew) served at DoubleTree by Hilton Seoul Pangyo's all-day buffet Demeter [DOUBLETREE BY HILTON SEOUL PANGYO]

DoubleTree by Hilton Seoul Pangyo is currently the only five-star hotel in the southern Gyeonggi area, 58 kilometers (36 miles) from Incheon International Airport and 16 kilometers from Gangnam Station in southern Seoul.

The hotel is just a 10-minute drive to Pangyo Techno Valley, nicknamed the Silicon Valley of Korea, but it is surrounded by nature with rooms showcasing a mountain view.

Lobby of DoubleTree by Hilton Seoul Pangyo in Gyeonggi [DOUBLETREE BY HILTON SEOUL PANGYO]

“It is situated on the outskirts of Seoul, yet very close to it,” Ong said. “It’s an ideal location for corporate business guests and locals looking to get a quick getaway.”

It has 432 hotel rooms and 162 residences and boasts spacious facilities including an outdoor tennis court, swimming pool and screen golf range.

“We target unpretentious comfort seekers,” Ong said, “those who appreciate being taken care of and value human connections.”

Room at DoubleTree by Hilton Seoul Pangyo in Gyeonggi [DOUBLETREE BY HILTON SEOUL PANGYO]

DoubleTree by Hilton is one of the fastest-growing hotel brands, not only within Hilton but also worldwide. It currently has around 700 properties in the Asia-Pacific and plans to reach 1,000 in the region by 2025, according to Ong.

The brand is also celebrating its 40th year in Korea this year. Millennium Hilton Seoul opened in 1983 and closed last year.

“We can certainly say that we have passed the baton from Hilton Seoul to the DoubleTree Pangyo here,” Ong said.

Vincent Ong, vice president of Hilton’s full-service brands in Asia-Pacific, speaks to the Korea JoongAng Daily on Nov. 28, at DoubleTree by Hilton Seoul Pangyo in Gyeonggi. [PARK SANG-MOON]

The Korea JoongAng Daily sat down with Ong on Tuesday at DoubleTree by Hilton Seoul Pangyo to discuss the new property as well as the current hospitality scene in the Asia-Pacific.

The following interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Q. Why Pangyo and not Seoul?

A. As you start immersing yourself in this hotel, you will see that this DoubleTree is amid both the city and nature and has a size and scale that is quite significant compared to other DoubleTree hotels. We have very spacious meeting room spaces and a lounge as well as a garden with a jeongja, or the Korean traditional pavilion. It is difficult to have a product like this in the center of Seoul.

Pavillion at DoubleTree by Hilton Seoul Pangyo in Gyeonggi [DOUBLETREE BY HILTON SEOUL PANGYO]

The location was also attractive because it was so close to the Pangyo Techno Valley, and situated on the outskirts of Seoul; yet it is so close to the city, and there is demand for corporate business guests as well as locals looking to get a quick getaway. Hotels are about travel. And where there is an opportunity where our guests will go, we would love to have a hotel there.

How does your brand evaluate the Asian hospitality market today, as well as in Korea?

Hilton has 7,399 properties worldwide and over 700 in Asia. And post-Covid, return to travel is strong. Hospitality is very cyclical. Covid was certainly a down, but we didn’t slow down during it. DoubleTree has opened over 30 new properties in the Asia-Pacific over the past three years — this Pangyo property being one of them. It is estimated that by 2030, there will be more than 1 billion middle-class travelers. Also, almost 80 percent of the travel in the Asia-Pacific happens within the region. So we view that the future here continues to be very bright. We are preparing to open properties in India, Malaysia and New Zealand and target to reach 1,000 properties in the Asia-Pacific by 2025.

In Korea, we celebrated our 40th anniversary since Hilton debuted in Korea. We can certainly say that we have passed the baton from Hilton Seoul to the DoubleTree Pangyo here.

A lot of what the future holds for Korea depends on how much travel is anticipated in the short and long term. Internationally, Korea is certainly an attractive location in Asia at the moment. Domestically, especially during Covid, local domestic travelers have exponentially increased, discovering local destinations within. So DoubleTree is not only looking at typical locations like Seoul and Jeju Island but also secondary locations like the beachside and resort locations that serve the domestic market.

Sustainability is a hot topic in the hotel industry these days. What are some green initiatives inside DoubleTree by Hilton Seoul Pangyo?

“Travel with Purpose” is Hilton’s environmental, social and governance [ESG] strategy to drive responsible travel and tourism globally. Through Travel with Purpose, we have set ambitious environmental targets and social impact goals to drive sustainable business operations and help create engines of opportunity in the communities where we serve.

Chefs make injeolmi (a kind of traditional Korean rice cake) during a Ritual Hub on Nov. 28 at DoubleTree by Hilton Seoul Pangyo in Gyeonggi. [DOUBLETREE BY HILTON SEOUL PANGYO]

This particular DoubleTree has a rooftop apiary. It partnered with a local beekeeper, and the hotel uses the harvested honey in its menus as well. On weekends, we have a Do Good, Feel Good campaign where we teach kids to care [for the bees], and when it is warmer, we suit up the children and let them experience the apiary.

This hotel is also the second hotel in Korea, followed by Conrad Seoul, which uses MSC/ASC-certified fish and seafood. MSC, or Marine Stewardship Council, and ASC, which is Aquaculture Stewardship Council, give out certifications for facilities that use responsibly sourced wild or farmed fish.

Does Hilton have any plans for Korea?

We are in the works to open our second DoubleTree property in Yeosu, by 2026. Yeosu is the second-largest city in South Jeolla, and it is a huge petrochemical hub for the country. But more importantly, it draws a lot of local domestic tourists from the northern parts of South Korea.

It will be carrying over the same warm DoubleTree brand philosophies, so please look forward to it!