There is a new movement afoot — anose? — in the hotel world. Some hotels now include a special scent inside the hotel as part of their branding, says a recent article in Hotel Chatter.
The article focuses mainly on the scents offered in the InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG), which owns Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express, and Hotel Indigo.
Crowne Plaza Hotel, Birmingham (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
We’ve found in our own travels that it’s noticeable in these hotels. It’s something they do a lot of research on, and the scents that we’ve noticed have been very pleasant indeed.
A distinctive scent gives guests a sense that the hotel has good air quality and is very clean. It can also give guests a stronger sense of faith in hotels where a pleasant scent is part of the overall ambiance. It can even give a feeling of being in a more luxurious atmosphere.
Each IHG’s hotel brands has a signature scent. Hotel Indigo changes the scents up on a regular basis but the other two keep to the same branded scent.
“When beginning the process of determining a scent for a hotel, key factors that play into consideration are the hotel’s location and the property’s overall theme, “said Andrew Gajary, general manager of the InterContinental New York Times Square. “Based on these elements, we then work with experts in the field to bring to life those characteristics through aromas, which trigger guests’ olfactory system (also known as sense of smell). Being a modern midtown hotel with a strong environmental focus, our custom scent pulls together aromas, including various floral, to create an environment that is relaxing (contrary to the busy New York streets), welcoming (ensuring guests feel at home) and modern (clean and fresh).”
What are some of your favorite scents? What would you think if your favorite hotel adopted a special scent? Leave a comment below or on our Facebook page.