DoubleTree by Hilton will take its iconic warm welcome to new heights when its famous chocolate chip cookie becomes the first ever food baked in space inside a prototype oven designed to make long-duration space travel more hospitable.
DoubleTree by Hilton will make aerospace history later this year when a batch of specially prepared DoubleTree Cookie dough is launched along with a prototype oven in a rocket bound for the International Space Station (ISS). Working in partnership with Zero G Kitchen, which creates appliances for micro-gravity use in long-duration space flights, and NanoRacks, a leading provider of commercial access to space, Hilton will be the first hospitality company to participate in research aboard the space station.
The Zero G Kitchen Space Oven is a cylindrical-shaped insulated container designed to hold and bake food samples in the microgravity environment of the International Space Station. The oven allows food samples to be placed in a tray where they are held steady inside the oven while baking occurs. The insulation and venting mechanisms allow the oven to operate safety in the controlled environment of the ISS.
“That’s only fitting for a hotel brand that at the height of the Space Race announced plans for a hotel on the moon”, said senior vice president and global brand head, DoubleTree by Hilton, Shawn McAteer.
“Hilton has long been an industry innovator, and as we celebrate our 100th year, we’re excited to send our hospitality into orbit,” McAteer said. “The simple gesture of a warm cookie welcome is a favourite of DoubleTree guests around the world, and now we are sharing that moment of hospitality as part of this experiment aboard the International Space Station.”
Ian and Jordana Fichtenbaum, the husband and wife team at Zero G Kitchen responsible for the space oven concept, said the DoubleTree Cookie was their first thought when they began imagining the creation of an oven to make space travel more comfortable.
“Opening up the frontier of space means making it relatable to people’s everyday lives, and what could be more relatable than a freshly baked cookie?” said Ian Fichtenbaum, co-chef and co-founder, Zero G Kitchen. “When we first concepted the oven, we naturally thought of DoubleTree by Hilton and its signature Cookie. It is the perfect treat to bring a warm welcome to space.”
In Asia Pacific, the DoubleTree Cookie continues making its way to more destinations, as more DoubleTree by Hilton hotels are launched around the region. “This mission is a fantastic opportunity to highlight our signature, warm DoubleTree Cookie welcome to the world, especially as we celebrate the brand’s 50th anniversary this year,” said Sean Wooden, vice president of brand management, Asia Pacific, Hilton.
“Catering to the needs of a rising middle class who are keen to travel, DoubleTree by Hilton is showing strong growth momentum across Asia Pacific, as the second fastest growing Hilton brand in China with 61 hotels in the pipeline. In South East Asia, 50% of all new Hilton openings are DoubleTree by Hilton properties, launching in popular destinations that include Bangkok and Phuket in Thailand as well as Putrajaya in Malaysia, and Napier in New Zealand.”
Inspired by the 50th anniversary of the lunar landing and the brand’s journey to the International Space Station later this year, DoubleTree by Hilton’s newest edition of its Cook(ie) Book, a recipe book filled with more than 30 creative recipes from DoubleTree hotels around the world, is themed around space and titled Mission: Cookie. Out-of-this-world recipes from the book include the DoubleTree Cookie Ondeh Saturn from DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Melaka and the DoubleTree Cookie Deep Fried Ice Cream from DoubleTree by Hilton Perth Northbridge among dozens more that feature local spins on the classic cookie.
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