Scent marketing grows brand recognition for hotels
Our olfactory senses are being tapped as a way of imprinting brands on our brains.
There is nothing quite like the olfactory assault of an Asian food market. Exotic aromas emanate from sacks filled with brightly coloured spices and tables loaded with freshly picked herbs. I try to avoid the horror movie that is the meat section, but quite enjoy the seafood vendors bantering over piles of glossy squid and fish that shimmer on slabs of ice and conjure the sea.
Our sense of smell creates inextricable links with travel memories. I can vividly recall the smell of pork skewers being grilled over hot coals on the footpaths of Hanoi. A whiff of those little cinnamon cigarettes instantly transports me to Indonesia, while incense makes me think of the Hungry Ghost festival in Hong Kong and the ritual burning of paper money to venerate the dead.
Who hasn’t swooned when passing a boulangerie in France, or been drawn to a shop window by the funk of fromage? Mulled wine takes me to European Christmas markets; bratwurst to the bierkellers of Munich; Tiger Balm ointment to Nha Trang on the Vietnamese coast, where a helpful local shoved a jar of it under my nose when I felt unwell (it worked a treat).
Hotels are increasingly sniffing out opportunities to harness the power of scent, using fragrances to imprint their brand on our brains. It’s called scent marketing. These perfumes waft about lobbies and reception areas, and are often the first thing we notice when we walk through the door.
In Paris’s latest It-hotel, Madame Reve, up the road from the Louvre, a rose and cedar concoction by perfumer Olivia Giacobetti pervades the entrance and corridors. The marble-clad reception of Crown Towers Sydney is heady with a blend of lemon, lavender, oakmoss, tonka bean and sandalwood. There’s something in the air at The Langham hotels, too; specifically notes of ginger flower, green grass, rose, lily of the valley and jasmine.
Many of these properties have sprays, candles and diffusers for sale in their boutiques, so your home can at least smell like a five-star establishment even if you can’t get butler service.
Alternatively, for consumers keen to re-live a hotel stay, an American manufacturer makes scents “inspired” by bouquets of Westin, Edition, Marriott and W properties, among others.
These aromas are all well and good but some establishments need to learn the art of subtlety. They beat you about the schnozz with vast clouds of fragrance that follow you down the street after check-out. There’s no escaping it. It’s like going to a restaurant where the music is too loud. Or on a date with someone who’s been too exuberant with the cologne or perfume.
A little really can go a long way.