How scent marketing captures not only hotel guests’ noses, but hearts

Savoring a simple piece of madeleine cake in a cup of tea can evoke memories so intense and complex that novelist Marcel Proust thought to make it part of a book. Proust, besides being a famous novelist, was a pioneer in exploring the concept of “involuntary memory” and how an unconscious cognitive process occurs when encountering a cue arousing strong emotions, such as food or smell.  

RIP Proust, you would’ve loved Bath & Body Works. And also scent marketing.  

Scents can change mood and evoke reactions from excitement to tranquility. In fact, when smelling a fragrance, the perfume molecules activate impulses in the brain that, like a bouncing billiard ball, activate several sites; in particular, the limbic area, which is the brain’s pleasure center and the one in charge of long-term memory.  

Scent marketing concerns developing a signature scent that is associated with a brand, helping to create a stronger bond with consumers, thus becoming part of the company’s brand identity. For hotel companies, using fragrances to distinguish their properties can be a powerful tool to enhance the guest experience and even open the door for other revenue-generating efforts. 

ON THE NOSE 

The making of a successful signature scent starts with a deep analysis of the brand, its values, the target audience and the type of ambiance it wishes to create. Then, it requires significant technical knowledge of perfumery trends and ingredients to bring it to life. 

“We constantly keep up to date with the latest trends in perfumery and the most innovative raw materials,” said Integra Fragrances’ CEO and founder Lorenzo Cotti. “We pay attention to the landscape to ensure that the olfactory creation maintains its relevance over the years.” Integra offers scent branding strategies and services for international fashion, luxury, design and hospitality companies, including Bulgari, Fendi and MaxMara, among others.  

Langham Hospitality Group’s signature scents are aligned with its core values and represent the vision of their brands, which include the titular Langham Hotels & Resorts, Cordis Hotels, Ying’nFlo and Eaton. As an example, the Ginger Flower fragrance for Langham Hotels & Resorts was designed to reflect the company’s timeless luxury motif that stems from its longstanding history. In contrast, its approach toward Cordis (Latin for “of the heart”) is very different. It engaged master perfumers Christophe Laudamiel and Christoph Hornetz to create a sparkling mint fragrance that promotes balance and provides a sensory escape from the hustle and bustle of daily life. “The scent’s uplifting citrus notes, meanwhile, encourage mindfulness and positivity, reflecting the brand’s focus on physical and mental well-being,” said Mina Vardar, VP of brands at Langham Hospitality Group. 

Other factors, such as location and design, play a role in defining the olfactory direction of a hotel. Olivier Decoster, master perfumer at HD Fragrances, said the company works in close partnership with its clients to create a custom fragrance and signature scent best suited to the building style, décor, geography, clientele and more. “A hotel in a large, urban city will not have the same wishes as an establishment located in the mountains,” he said, adding that the process begins with a thorough assessment of the premises, “where we identify how the use of fragrance can improve the ambiance of the hotel.”  

HD Fragrances is headquartered in France and partners mostly with luxury French boutique hotels. In 2020, they were selected by Stéphane Vilar, general manager of the Anantara Plaza Nice, to create a collection of guest toiletries, each with its own fragrance to fit the hotel’s heritage and the Anantara brand identity. A total of four unisex fragrances were created over a six-month period inspired by the French Riviera.  

A SPACE FOR EVERYTHING  

Each space within a hotel has its own rhythm and energy and, naturally, a type of scent to go with it. A lobby may require inviting warmth, a spa might call for calming serenity, a gym thrives on invigorating zest. The mood shapes the direction of the scent, said fragrance company Maison 21G, which collaborates closely with expert perfumers to curate a palette of natural ingredients that embody the hotel’s unique narrative and draw inspiration from its location. Whenever possible, it incorporates locally sourced ingredients to deepen the connection to the destination.  

Another approach to scent marketing involves implementing a custom fragrance according to the season. Consider the collaboration between Integra and Rome Cavalieri, A Waldorf Astoria Hotel. Integra crafted four distinct fragrances to reflect the essence of each season, complemented by a special Christmas scent to enchant guests during the holidays.  

MONEY ON MY MIND  

The strategies to maximize revenue with scents can range from subtle to bold. Fragrances that generate positive emotions in guests can encourage them to linger longer in common areas, such as lobbies, lounges or restaurants, which could lead to increased spending on F&B or spa treatments.  

There’s also a retail opportunity. “Guests can take the magic home with branded candles, room sprays or even exclusive perfumes, forging a lasting emotional connection and creating an additional revenue stream,” said Johanna Monange, founder of Maison 21G.  

Integra Fragrances offers to complement a hotel’s scent marketing strategy by developing and producing bespoke products. It designs diffusion systems tailored to each environment and scents them remotely, taking care of installation, maintenance and assistance. “Our devices can be complemented by a network of sensors that monitor air quality in real-time (e.g. VOC, PM, CO2…). This system allows for dynamic interaction with both the ventilation system and the diffusion equipment, ensuring an optimal balance between a pleasant and healthy environment while minimizing energy consumption” said Cotti. For some hotels, it also offers to transform the signature scent into a home fragrance collection (reed diffusers and candles) to allow guests to extend the magic of their stay once at home. Other examples include scented ceramic, fragrance discovery kits, scented bookmarks and pillow mists.  

Whether it is choosing a scent so on-brand that the guest recognizes it on every property or choosing a special scent for each season to intensify emotions during the stay, scent marketing offers an array of possibilities for hotels to connect with guests and even allows them to take home a redolent memory.