9 real-life examples of how hotels use scent

The use of fragrance in hotels continues apace – and is increasingly sophisticated. Recently, it was announced that Andaz Hotels & Resorts and The Society of Scent were developing custom scents to connect guests to unique local experiences and in “highly immersive and unexpected ways” – meaning that individual scents are being based on elements of each property and locale.  “Scent is one of the most powerful senses because of its connection to memory. This link is what we seek to capitalise on for Andaz hotels,” said Hyatt’s vice president of global brands, Heather Geisler, while Jean Claude Delville of the Society of Scents said: “scent can be a powerful way to communicate the unique story of each locale.”

In our pioneering Ultimate Hotel Experience report, we found that hotels are increasingly using scent – not just as a nice-to-have part of the service, but as a dynamic way to interact with a guest’s needs and emotions.

9 real-life examples of how hotels employ scent:

1. Evocative calm

The Sheraton Carlsbad Resort & Spa uses a bergamot, jasmine and freesia scent, designed to evoke warm memories, relax the body and calm the mind.

2. Bespoke luxury

Hotel Bloom! in Brussels uses its bespoke scent, called BLOOM! to reinforce its brand experience and encourage repeat visits.

3. Personalised atmospheres

At the MontCalm in London, guests can choose from a ‘scent menu’ for their rooms, creating different atmospheres according to mood.

4. Deluxe well-being

Bulgari Hotels & Resorts uses a proprietary Green Tea fragrance for a ‘healing and relaxing’ atmosphere.

5. Zonal relaxation

At Soho House, the brand’s product line Cowshed uses eucalyptus to stimulate, clary sage to relax and bergamot to revive and improve mood in its spa areas.

6. Dynamically active

The affordable hotel chain Yotel deploys a berry and ozone fragrance across its sites to support its brand message of ‘refresh, relax, sleep, and connect’.

7. Globally consistent

The Westin global hotel chain has had a brand scent of cedar and white tea since 2006 to create brand loyalty via scent recognition.

8. Bespoke curation

Two New York boutique hotels, the Renwick and The Gregory, use scents by artisan producer Apotheke to enhance their guest experience.

9. Date-night emotion

For Jurys Inn Hotels’ St Valentine’s night’ event, perfumier 4160 Tuesdays developed a scent called Pillow Talk around an ‘aphrodisiac’ mix of jasmine, black pepper, ylang ylang and sandalwood.