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SCENT MARKETING FOR HOTELS
Keep guests comfortable and coming back by creating emotional connections with scent marketing.
What Is Scent Marketing?
Scent marketing is a strategy that uses fragrance to create a specific atmosphere, evoke emotions, and enhance brand experiences. It involves using carefully selected scents to influence customer behavior, improve customer satisfaction, and create a memorable environment.
In the competitive world of the hotel industry, creating a memorable and unique experience for guests is essential. Scent marketing has emerged as a powerful tool that hotels are using to engage their guests on a deeper sensory level.
Scent marketing involves the strategic use of scents to tap into deep emotional responses, enhance the ambiance, and reinforce the brand identity of a hotel. By incorporating carefully selected scents and fragrances throughout the property, hotels can create a captivating environment that leaves a lasting impression on their guests.
How Does Scent Marketing Work?
Scent marketing works by leveraging the strong connection between scent and emotions. Fragrances are strategically diffused in various areas of a business, such as retail stores, hotels, or offices, to influence customers’ perceptions and behaviors. The chosen scents can evoke positive emotions, create a sense of relaxation, improve brand recognition, and increase customer engagement and loyalty.
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75% of all emotions are generated by scent
We are 100 times more likely to remember something we smell over something we see, hear or touch
Scent marketing taps into the strong connection between the olfactory system and the brain’s limbic system, which is responsible for emotions and memory. When guests encounter a particular scent, it triggers an immediate emotional response, evoking memories and associations.
Hotels can utilize this phenomenon to create specific atmospheres and enhance the overall guest experience. By diffusing pleasant scents in different areas of the hotel, such as lobbies, corridors, and even guest rooms, hotels can shape guests’ perception and influence their behavior.
Scent Marketing in Hotels
Hotels have embraced scent marketing as a way to differentiate themselves in the competitive hospitality landscape. They recognize that a distinct and pleasing scent can create a memorable experience that sets them apart from other properties. Scent is the strongest sensory element tied to memory and emotion, so the right fragrance can have a huge impact on the way customers not only perceive, but remember a particular company and brand.
Hotels often work with scent marketing companies to develop signature fragrances that align with their brand image and target audience. These scents are then diffused through various methods, such as HVAC systems or scent diffusers, ensuring a consistent and subtle presence throughout the hotel.
Benefits of Scent Marketing for Hotels
There are many benefits that come with implementing scent marketing in your hotel. Below are just a few ways that the right fragrance and aroma in your hotel can improve your business.
Brand Differentiation: In a saturated market, establishing a unique brand identity is crucial. Scent marketing allows hotels to create a distinct brand aroma that sets them apart from competitors. A signature scent can become synonymous with the hotel and help guests recognize and remember the property long after their stay.
Emotional Connection: Scent has a remarkable ability to evoke emotions and trigger memories. By strategically selecting scents that align with the desired guest experience, hotels can create a deeper emotional connection with their guests. Whether it’s a calming scent that promotes relaxation or an invigorating fragrance that energizes, the right scent can leave a lasting impression and foster a positive emotional connection with the hotel.
Guest Satisfaction: The ambiance of a hotel plays a significant role in guest satisfaction. Pleasant scents can enhance the overall atmosphere, making guests feel more comfortable and welcome. When guests perceive the hotel as clean, inviting, and luxurious, it positively impacts their satisfaction level, leading to higher ratings and positive reviews.
Brand Recognition and Recall: A well-crafted scent can become a powerful element of brand recognition. When guests encounter the signature scent of a hotel elsewhere, it triggers a sense of familiarity and reminds them of their positive experiences at the property. This creates brand recall and can lead to increased direct bookings and customer loyalty.
Increased Guest Engagement: Scent marketing can pique guests’ curiosity and engage their senses in a unique way. Guests are more likely to explore and interact with the hotel’s various spaces when they are met with pleasant and intriguing scents. This increased engagement can lead to a more immersive and memorable experience for guests.
Popular Hotel Scents
By now you know why you should utilize scent marketing in your hotel, but what aroma should you use? Here are a few popular scents that you can diffuse into your hotel to create connections with your guests.
Citrus: Citrus aromas, like lemon, lime, and orange, are both refreshing and invigorating. They create a vibrant and energizing ambiance, leaving a clean and uplifting scent in the air, perfect for guests ready to explore their new surroundings.
Lavender: Lavender is well-known for its calming and relaxing properties. It can help create a serene and tranquil environment in the lobby, promoting a sense of peace and well-being. This scent is a great way to put guests at ease after a long day of travel.
Vanilla: Vanilla has a warm and comforting scent that often evokes feelings of coziness and familiarity. Its sweet and soothing aroma can create a welcoming and homely atmosphere in the hotel lobby. This scent can work well for guests who are staying for an extended period of time.
Fresh Linen: The scent of fresh linen or clean laundry is commonly associated with cleanliness and freshness. It gives the impression of a well-maintained space, making guests feel comfortable and at ease.
Green Tea: Green tea has a fresh and uplifting fragrance that can invigorate the senses. It creates a light and refreshing ambiance in the lobby, promoting a sense of rejuvenation and relaxation. This aroma is great for hotels looking for a classier atmosphere.
Custom Scent: By working with a professional scent provider, you can collaborate with fragrance professionals to create a scent that is one hundred percent unique to your brand. This added touch of individuality can go a long way in creating lasting impressions, ensuring that the scent of your hotel is consistent across your entire footprint and unmistakable to your guests anywhere in the world.
When using aromas in hotel lobbies, it’s important to ensure that they are not overpowering or irritating to guests. Maintaining a subtle and pleasant scent throughout the lobby is key.
Your Scent Marketing Provider
Guest comfort and satisfaction are key to a successful business. Through the use of scent marketing, hotels can immediately put guests at ease after a long day of travel, assure them they are in a safe and clean environment, and trust that they can relax in their temporary home away from home. The right scent can also help further your brand identity. By using a consistent aroma across your entire franchise footprint, your guests will continue to make lasting memories and positive emotional connections on a subconscious level with your brand.
As a single-source provider for experiential marketing solutions, Mood Media makes enhancing your customer experience easy by eliminating the need for multiple vendors. Mood provides scent marketing solutions, as well as digital signage, music programs, audio messaging, and audiovisual systems to create an engaging atmosphere at your business. By providing exceptional customer service and delivering engaging on-premise experiences, your business can see repeat guests, greater customer satisfaction, and positive impacts on your bottom line.