The right mix of textiles, colors and materials in a hotel’s interior design provide guests with a sense of arrival in a specific location. Whether a hotel brand is known for its sophistication, evocation of nostalgia or its reputation for wellness, a harmonious combination of fragrance and sound enhances the guest experience. Even if a beautiful room or a great meal can linger in one’s memory, olfactory function—the sense of smell—is most directly linked with memory. According to The Harvard Gazette, findings from studies conducted at the university reveal “odor memory” is the reason why different scents trigger different memories and help people form new ones.
“Many hotels and venues, especially in the luxury market, have customized scents and music to articulate a mood and craft a sense of arrival for guests,” said Mike Stengel, SVP of strategic partnerships and venue relations for event technology and production services company Encore Global.
Better Together
As an event organizer working with numerous hotels, Stengel affirms the right music will “set the mood for the physical surroundings by creating a therapeutic effect, strengthening the message and even more deeply engraving memories.” The integration of these elements can enhance emotional engagement, improve learning outcomes of meetings and events and contribute to a more memorable atmosphere that guests will associate positively with your venue.
“According to the National Institutes of Health, when people hear sound, it ‘lights’ up brain areas involved in emotion, memory, and even physical movement,” he explained. “When selecting music, it’s critical to think about your event goal, the attendees, and then plan the flow and timing to utilize high-quality audio. Intentional music and high-quality audio amplify the emotional impact for an entrance, an exit, a break or specific content. By carefully selecting music and scents that fit the profiles of your guests’ preferences, you can create a multi-sensory experience that leaves a lasting impression.
Outdoor adventure-focused Outbound Hotels' SVP of hospitality marketing, Bridget Russo, said that the management's approach to customizing background music and scent profiles informs the properties’ outdoorsy, Americana-inspired brand identity and intentions to resonate with target audiences.
“Our process for selecting music and scents begins with understanding our brand’s essence through the eyes, ears and nose of our target guests,” she said. “We carefully select playlists of country, soul and American classics that reflect the adventurous spirit of our brand. We also ensure that the music evolves throughout the day to match the mood and energy of our guests. Similarly, our scent profiles, which we created for our in-room complimentary bath products, are crafted to evoke a sense of place and relaxation, using natural, locally inspired fragrances that transport our guests to their surroundings. This holistic approach not only enhances the guest experience but also reinforces the unique character of each Outbound Hotel.”
Russo says management collaborates with music curators to pilot the selections in the public spaces—lobby, restaurant, outdoor gathering spaces—to collect real-time feedback from local teams to refine and perfect the experience. By integrating these elements consistently across the properties in California, Wyoming and Vermont, and continuously updating them based on feedback and cultural trends, the teams create a unique, immersive atmosphere that resonates with guests. The signature scent, blending refreshing eucalyptus and mint, matches with the outdoor settings and the upbeat music.
“We differentiate our brand through tailored sensory and interactive elements [selected] for connection and fun,” she continued. “They not only enhance the guest experience but also create a memorable atmosphere that embodies the spirit of each destination. By continuously evolving and refining these experiences based on guest feedback, we ensure that our hotels offer a distinctive, immersive experience that leaves a lasting impression.”
The Sweetest Smell of Success Transcends the Setting
While Aroma 360’s retail products are gaining traction among lifestyle-driven consumers, its products and aroma distribution systems for hotels, spas and retail make up the engine that powers the company. While Aroma 360 Pro Commercial Services positions itself as a leader in “scent branding,” it’s interesting to note that David Amaral, president of Aroma360 Pro, worked at MUZAK/MOOD—the firm synonymous with background music for retail and hospitality establishments since the 1930s.
“Since I had experience in what we call 'experiential marketing' with music, moving into scent branding was the next logical step,” Amaral said. Synergy between scent and sound hearkens back to some of the first clients, including major companies like Marriott and Westin Hotels. “While music can remind us of good experiences, fragrances transport us back to those experiences and emotions for a truly transformative and memorable guest experience."
It is also fitting that several of Aroma 360’s best-selling scents for retail and hotels are inspired by hit songs, ranging from “My Way” and “Sweetest Taboo” to “Dream On,” “Black Velvet,” and “24K Magic.” It was Aboud’s affinity for music that inspired the naming of fragrances after popular songs.
“Unlike visuals and music—which don't really get through if guests are preoccupied with a cell phone call or looking for the front desk at check-in—scent cuts through everything,” Amaral said. “For hotels, there's no better way to make an impression on guests as they enter or exit the hotel than a great fragrance. And if you've ever been in a Westin, The Ritz-Carlton, Shangri-La or most five-star hotels, you probably can remember your first experience with the fragrance. Hotels invest money and time in their interior design, décor...and better hotels invest in fresh flower arrangements. The reality is that people don't remember what the flowers look like. However, most guests will remember what Westin White Tea or the Essence of Shangri-La fragrances smell like.”
Once his hospitality clients select or custom-commissions a signature fragrance that speaks to their brand and enhances the guest experience, Amaral advises them on how to monetize that fragrance and expand the guest experience through a retail product line that may include candles, room sprays and diffusers. He pointed to Shangri-La Hotels that sell over $2M annually of their signature scent products, and Westin, which reports to have more than 3,500 subscriptions for home scenting with Westin White Tea.
While luxury hotels provide the most high-profile examples of this sweet-smelling success, Amaral said the company is reaching out to budget and business hotel managers to explain that they can add this extra layer of luxury for an affordable cost, which in turn, can have a dramatic, positive impact on how people perceive that property. However, to ensure the scent of choice has its desired effect, he offers this “less-is-more” advice to new adopters.
“There are a lot of scented public spaces where the scent is so subtle that people hardly notice it basically at such a subtle level,” he said. “However, even a subtle scent will affect one’s emotions. If some people have a negative experience in a scented place, it's because the intensity was set too high. There is also anosmia, where if you're in a scented space for a while, the person tunes it out.”
Sound it Out
Ambient sound, whether it comes in the form of subtle instrumental jazz, classical music, well-chosen pop tunes, or the sounds of nature, provides the other half of the sensory equation.
Case in point is the mingling of the scent and sound elements at “craft hotel” Outrigger Waikiki Beachcomber Hotel. Its marquee soundtrack highlights the work of noted guitarist, composer and frequent live music guest Makana. His “The New Sound of Waikiki,” a genre-bending collection of songs, solidifies that sense of place and well-being for guests. Like Aroma 360, ScentAir and other commercial aromatics companies offering retail products with the same scents, the album is available for streaming on Apple Music, Spotify and SoundCloud and allows guests to bring the hotel’s unique spirit of “aloha” home.
“Hotels in less music-focused markets than Nashville should focus on the music that plays as people handle the administrative elements of being in a hotel, as well as the music options available in their room or the gym,” advised Meredith DiMenna, director of programming at live music venue Analog at the Hutton Hotel in Nashville. While robust, customizable options allow a property to be responsive to their guests and influence what kind of guest they attract, good playlists can both evoke past memories and help form new ones, providing an added incentive to keep guests returning.
“Guests tend to bond with a property when they experience a connection to music that’s important to them,” she said. “It facilitates the deepening of their bonds with their travel companions, which is often the primary purpose of their travel. Music can also help attract and refine your target demographic, as audiences self-select based on musical preferences. When choosing background music, the fundamental question is whether it makes guests feel like they are where they want to be. Is it creating a vibe that leaves a durable impression, leading a guest to choose this property again or recommend it?”
Beyond Analog’s curated live music lineup, the Hutton Hotel has several zones for different types of events and purposes. Therefore, each space and case has its own music selection process. With the lobby and house restaurant Evelyn’s, however, DiMenna said cherry-picking the right music involves teaming up with the hotel’s technology partner, leadership, stakeholders, front desk employees and recurring guests.
“It is the most collaborative process I have experienced,” she said. “We develop a few potential playlist concepts based on the visual branding of the restaurant, tempo and volume levels, and the need for unimpeded communications between staff and customers at certain times of day. The options are passed through the stakeholders and leadership team members, who select our foundational lists. From there, we continually collect feedback from front desk employees and recurring guests to make ongoing changes and refreshes. We can also customize an entire musical experience based on a client or large group."
There are a few rules of thumb in terms of what’s required for guests to tune into the vibe of the hotel through sound. Matt Edgar, the founder of Pineapple Audio, who focuses on enhancing the auditory experience in hospitality, focuses on three key elements: acoustics, sound and music (or content, such as nature sounds).
“Addressing room acoustics is essential,” he noted. “Only once this is managed can music be introduced as an enhancement to the brand vibe and intent, rather than just adding noise to an already uncomfortable environment. The initial step is to ensure an adequate sound system with proper coverage tailored to the use case. The next is selecting the right music, and the goal is to match the ideal heart rate of your guests.”
When a guest is checking in after a long international flight and is tired, hungry and thirsty, he recommends music with a lower tempo, or beats-per-minute, to calm them and allow their natural rhythm to align with the comfortable acoustic environment. If the aim is to create a lively atmosphere prompting guests to order more cocktails, desserts or wine, increase the tempo and select a music genre that complements the bar, hotel, or restaurant's aesthetic and narrative.
“Consistency is key,” he continued. “Having different playlists for various times of the day ensures a dynamic experience, preventing the monotony of the same song playing every day at 6 p.m. This approach boosts staff morale and creates an evolving experience that keeps guests engaged and eager to return.”
For a hotel or resort to be fully experiential, all senses of your guests need to be accounted for. While scent and sound may seem less obvious than visual and flavors in providing a property’s sense of place, hitting the right notes in both cases inspire great memories and an incentive to return.
This article was originally published in the October edition of Hotel Management magazine. Subscribe here.