Scent marketing is about more than spreading pleasant aromas in specific places. A specific fragrance is a valuable element of the brand image. Companies from various industries - also in the hotel industry, are aware of the potential of aroma marketing. How to use fragrance marketing in a hotel?
The power of scent marketing
Do you know why you can smell fresh bread when entering supermarkets? In front of cafes, it smells intensely of freshly ground coffee? And during the holiday season, in shopping malls, there is a pleasant smell of fir, mandarin or gingerbread over your heads? The answer is scent marketing!
According to research, smell is responsible for causing more than 70% of emotions throughout the day. Apart from sight, it is the strongest sense a person has. Entrepreneurs and marketing specialists use this knowledge to create effective marketing activities. With the help of pleasant, carefully selected and properly selected fragrances, they affect the sense of smell of potential customers. Pleasant fragrances evoke pleasant memories, put us in an excellent mood and evoke specific emotions in us. The smell of fresh rolls makes your salivary glands produce more saliva, and your stomach clearly lets you know it needs food. Surely, when you experience this feeling, you are more likely to stop by a bakery you pass and buy something delicious. This is what fragrance marketing is all about.
Aromamarketing it consists in spraying pleasant aromas to enhance the brand image, give it a certain value, evoke pleasant feelings in the recipient and ultimately increase sales. Scent marketing is mainly used in the retail, restaurant and service industries. However, hotels and other recreational facilities are also more and more willing to use its potential.
What does rest smell like?
Running a hotel in today's incredibly competitive market it is a real challenge. The owners of recreational facilities make every effort to ensure that the guests feel comfortable. They ensure high quality of service, offer excellent accommodation and various amenities, and nurture positive customer experiences at every stage of contact with the brand. Building good relations with guests is an important element of marketing activities. Satisfied customers are not only willing to return to the hotel, but also willingly recommend the property to their friends and post positive opinions on the web that encourage others to take advantage of its offer.
As it turns out, the smell in the hotel also contributes to a positive customer experience. The basic assumption of aromarketing in the hotel industry is to create a good, even pleasant first impression and create a favorable brand image in the minds of guests. The smell distinguishes the hotel from the competition, gives it an individual character and improves its recognition in the market. It makes it something special, one of a kind. What's more, the pleasant aroma introduces an atmosphere of freshness and cleanliness and increases the sense of security.
One of the first hotels to use fragrance marketing was one of the Westin Hotels & Resorts chain. Experts have found that smell is inherently related to memory. In their activities, they used the pleasant aroma of white tea. They sprayed it on the facility so that hotel guests could remember it. They then began flavoring their promotional material and letterhead. Thanks to this, they permanently entered the minds of their recipients. The smell of white tea has become an inseparable element of the brand's image.
Scent marketing also uses the Le Méridien chain. Mark, wanting to make guests feel at home while traveling, began spraying the scent of books in their hotels. The inspiration to create the "Saint-Exupery" aroma was an old copy of the book "The Little Prince". The smell is reminiscent of an ancient wooden library, filled to the brim with real masterpieces, framed in leather covers. This unique fragrance is associated with the warmth of a home hearth and peace. The addition of pleasant vanilla provides guests with a sense of comfort and makes them feel safe while staying in the hotels of the chain.
Where should the smell dominate in the hotel?
A hotel guest should be greeted with a beautiful scent right from the doorstep. After all, the first impression is only made once! The hotel owner only has a few seconds to charm his guest. The smell in the so-called the entrance area, i.e. in the lobby and at the reception desk, should be fresh and pleasant. It must create a unique, unforgettable atmosphere that will be remembered for a long time.
A beautiful aroma should also hover in other common areas of the hotel, such as corridors, toilets and restaurants. You can also spray it in the hotel SPA, in the fitness room or in the swimming pool area.
Effectiveness of fragrance marketing in hotels
Fragrance marketing, all too sensory marketing, i.e. one that affects the senses, has been repeatedly subjected to research and analysis. The results are clear - a pleasant smell generates positive feelings. Over 90% people admit that the pleasant aroma in the hotel positively influences their attitude. Interestingly, almost 70% guests feel better in places where it smells good. The pleasant aroma allows them to relax and gives them more patience.
About 50% of the respondents will be happy to return to the hotel, which they associate with a nice, soothing scent. The aroma strengthens brand identity and creates a positive image of it, effectively encourages return visits and creates a strong bond between the brand and the customer.
Scent marketing works well in the hotel industry. If used skillfully, it will bring you unique benefits!