But with all this demand on a guest's perception, there is a risk of inducing sensory overload
The new lobby: The goal is to create a memorable experience that guests can smell, hear and feel THE next time you walk into a hotel, close your eyes, listen and inhale. There may even be a water fountain you can run your fingers through or a treat you can taste. That is because the latest trend in hotel design is to appeal to all five of a guest's senses, offering what may be described as a 'sensory stay'. From infusing the lobby with a light fragrance to playing a customised soundtrack that changes throughout the day, the goal is to create a memorable experience that guests can smell, hear and feel - not just bombard them with visual stimulation.
'The future of hotel branding is when there are no logos, no advertisements blasting, but I can just feel I'm there,' said Martin Lindstrom, author of Brand Sense, which explores the notion of sensory branding. Retailers were among the first to use music and scent to influence customer behaviour - diffusing a chocolate smell, for instance, to entice customers to buy candy - but the hospitality industry is pursuing a more subtle agenda.
'They want to create a point of difference,' Mr Lindstrom said, explaining that a well-chosen playlist or fragrance not only creates a pleasant experience at the hotel, but can also evoke positive memories through CDs or scented shampoos guests take away.
'If you had that shampoo at home,' he said, 'it would release the whole emotional feeling you had during your journey.' (As for whether a work trip involves happy emotions, Mr Lindstrom says a pampering hotel stay is often considered one of the benefits of business travel and sometimes inspires a return visit on vacation.)
Some of the hotel chains that have created signature scents are Westin Hotels and Resorts, whose white tea aroma spawned a line of retail products and appeared in fragrance strips as part of an advertising campaign; Omni Hotels, which infuses its lobbies with a lemongrass and green tea scent; and the Morgans Hotel Group, owner of boutique hotels, like the Royalton in New York City, each with a unique fragrance.
These scents can be delivered through heating and cooling systems or toaster-size devices provided by companies like ScentAir, which works with a number of hotels. A fan blows air over a cartridge holding custom-scented oil. Most hotels are careful not to overpower guests.
'The scent is subtle, so it's not like people walk in and say, 'Wow, that lemongrass and green tea really smells great',' said Caryn Kboudi, a spokeswoman for Omni Hotels. 'They might notice the lobby smells great or it smells fresh.' Hotels have also taken pains to avoid fragrances that may provoke an allergic reaction, which is why Westin stayed away from florals or citrus, said Sue Brush, senior vice-president for the brand. Ms Brush said that guests had not reported any problems, emphasising that the scent was dispersed only in public areas.
Omni has taken its sensory branding initiative beyond the lobby, adding blueberry-scented stickers to newspapers distributed to guests and outfitting some hotels with in-room 'sensation bars' stocked with items like eucalyptus bath salts. Like many hotels, Omni is also paying more attention to the music played in public spaces, developing playlists that are customised for each property, as well as the time of day.
'We realised that when business travellers are getting out the door in the morning, we need to be putting a little bit of beat in their step,' Ms Kboudi said, explaining that this has led to a move away from classical music or jazz during the morning shift. 'At night, then we go into something that's a little bit softer and slower, a little more mellow.'
Allen Klevens, chief executive of Prescriptive Music, a consulting business that helps clients develop these types of soundtracks, said hotels are looking to distinguish themselves by shunning the ubiquitous sound of smooth jazz and even playing tunes guests do not necessarily recognise.
'If you hear music such as Sheryl Crow or Dave Matthews, that's a familiar sound to most people,' Mr Klevens said. 'But to really create a vibe or that feeling of being different, you're not going to know that artist, you're not going to know that sound, but you're going to say, 'Wow, where can I get that CD?' In fact, guests can sometimes buy a CD or download the songs online. Marriott sells its Revive Spa Collection at shopmarriott.com, while various Westin playlists are available for download at westinmusic.com.
But with all this emphasis on appealing to guests' five senses, there is a risk of inducing sensory overload. 'The sound needs to add value to the customer experience,' said Julian Treasure, author of the book Sound Business and head of the Sound Agency, a consulting business based in London. 'I have visited a number of boutique hotels where you feel there is a little bit of self-indulgence going on.' Mr Treasure said companies should examine the entire 'soundscape' of their hotels - not just the music playing in the background, but also the noise reverberating around rooms built with hard materials like wood and granite. And when it comes to sound design, he said he did not think guest rooms should be off-limits.
'At the moment, the only way you can change the soundscape is to turn on the television, which isn't everyone's cup of tea,' he said. In fact, some hotels do offer in-room audio channels that play soothing sounds like ocean waves as well as music, and more are giving guests ways to listen to their own tunes. -- AP
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