Luxury Scents: Unveiling 5-Star Hotels' Signature Fragrances

Creating a memorable experience for guests is a key aspect of running a hotel. The sense of smell is linked to emotions, and hotels carefully select their signature scents to elevate their brand and leave a lasting impression on their customers. Many 5-star hotels opt for custom fragrances, while others choose from off-the-shelf options. These scents are often dispersed through standalone or HVAC diffusers, creating a subtle yet distinctive aroma.

Perfumers, with their extensive training in fragrance creation, play a crucial role in crafting these hotel scents. They blend various raw materials, such as essential oils, to compose complex fragrances that capture the unique ambience of each hotel. The resulting scents can be unisex and designed to appeal to a diverse range of guests.

Some notable 5-star hotel scents include the Shangri-La Hotel's blend of lemon, jasmine, ginger, and sandalwood; the Ritz Carlton's combination of lemon, bergamot, jasmine, and musk; and the Marriott Beach Villas' fusion of thyme, eucalyptus, lavender, and rose. These fragrances are carefully formulated to evoke specific emotions and create a lasting impression.

Citrus scents

Citrus fragrances typically include a combination of lemon, orange, grapefruit, bergamot, and lime. These scents are perfect for creating a vibrant and modern atmosphere. Ibis Hotels, for example, opt for fresh and vibrant scents, including citrus aromas like lemon and mint.

The Ritz-Carlton Hotels, known for their exquisite and elegant style, feature citrus top notes in their popular Cabana fragrance. This scent combines bright citrus notes with sweet jasmine and marine notes, creating a relaxing and invigorating experience.

In addition to 5-star hotels, luxury bath and beauty brands like Molton Brown also incorporate citrus fragrances in their products. Their orange and bergamot collection, with a musky base note of ylang-ylang, is a popular choice for many upscale hotels.

Citrus essential oils are often used in hotels to create a natural and elegant aroma. These oils provide a subtle yet distinctive fragrance, leaving a lasting impression on guests. Volant, a brand specializing in essential oils, offers a Citrus Boost Set that includes sweet orange, lemon, and grapefruit essential oils, capturing the essence of a 5-star hotel experience.

Floral scents

The Shangri-La Hotel in Hong Kong uses a fresh and serene scent with black tea as the main ingredient, balanced with bergamot, ginger, vanilla, and sandalwood. The Ritz Carlton Hotel uses a blend of lemon, bergamot, jasmine, water lily, melon, amber, and musk. The Hotel Costes in Paris uses a combination of clean fresh lemon, red rose, and spicy, nutty, and warm nutmeg. The Acqualina Resort Hotel uses a captivating scent with notes of white peach, bergamot, lilac, ylang-ylang, calone, cyclamen, musk, sandalwood, vanilla bean, and patchouli.

Hotels tend to avoid heavy floral scents and instead opt for more subtle and ambiguous fragrances that will have universal appeal. Floral scents can be combined with other notes to create a signature fragrance. For example, the Marriott Beach Villas uses a combination of thyme, eucalyptus, lavender, palmarosa, rose, violet, cedar, and musk. The Westin Hotel uses a blend of white tea, aloe vera, ginger, cedarwood, vanilla, amber, sandalwood, lily, and musk.

Spicy scents

Coconut Spice

The Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas uses a popular fragrance called Coconut Spice, which features a tropical blend of pineapple, banana, coconut, ginger, cinnamon, and cloves. This scent is available for purchase on the aroma retail website, although it may be tricky to find an equivalent fragrance for the skin as perfumes are designed differently from room fresheners.

Noir 29 by Le Labo

The Baccarat Hotel in New York has crafted an ambiance with the scent "Noir 29" by Le Labo. This fragrance adds a touch of luxury and elegance to the hotel's atmosphere.

Frankincense

Frankincense, a spicy essential oil, offers an earthy and warming scent that is perfect for creating a memorable and welcoming impression. Volant's Organic Frankincense Essential Oil is a natural choice for hotels, free from harmful chemicals.

Shangri-La Scent

Shangri-La Hotels, headquartered in Hong Kong, greet their guests with the Shangri-La Scent, also known as the Essence of Shangri-La. This scent features black tea as the main ingredient, balanced with bergamot, ginger, vanilla, and sandalwood. Its popularity has led to guest inquiries about a potential perfume version.

St. Regis "Caroline's Four Hundred"

The St. Regis Hotel, a luxury brand owned by Marriott, has a signature scent called "Caroline's Four Hundred," inspired by Ms. Astor's legendary gatherings in New York. It captures the essence of exotic woods, American Beauty roses, and white lilies, resulting in a fresh, floral, and crisp fragrance.

One Hotel Scent

The One Hotel, a luxury lifestyle brand inspired by nature, collaborated with a scent branding company to develop their signature fragrance. This scent includes natural ingredients like eucalyptus and cedarwood, complemented by violet and iris floral notes, and warm creamy notes of sandalwood.

Woody scents

The Ritz Carlton Hotel is another example of a 5-star hotel using woody scents. Their signature fragrance features cedarwood along with notes of lemon, bergamot, jasmine, water lily, melon, amber, and musk. The Edition Hotel, a luxury brand catering to sophisticated travellers, also incorporates woody notes in their fragrance. Developed by fragrance brand Le Labo, their scent includes notes of cedarwood and vetiver blended with black tea and fig.

In addition to cedarwood and sandalwood, other woody scents such as vetiver and virginia cedar are also used in 5-star hotel fragrances. These woody scents are often combined with other notes such as citrus, floral, spicy, or sweet accords to create complex and inviting aromas that enhance the luxurious experience of guests.

Custom fragrances

Creating a unique and memorable guest experience is paramount for 5-star hotels. From carefully curated art and music to luxurious amenities, every detail is tailored to perfection. Among these details, scent plays a pivotal role in shaping the guest experience and reinforcing the hotel's brand identity.

The Power of Scent in Hospitality

The sense of smell is intimately linked to our emotions and memories. A carefully selected fragrance can elevate the guest experience, evoke a particular ambiance, and leave a lasting impression. Scent branding companies specialize in crafting bespoke fragrances that embody the unique personality and values of a hotel brand.

Custom Fragrance Creation

Perfumers are the artists behind these captivating hotel scents. With extensive training in fragrance creation, they possess the expertise to select and blend raw materials, creating complex and captivating compositions. The process involves meticulous testing over several weeks or months to ensure the final fragrance aligns with the hotel's brand objectives.

Examples of Custom Hotel Fragrances

• Edition Hotel – In collaboration with fragrance brand Le Labo, the Edition Hotel scent, Thé Noir 29, captivates with notes of black tea, fig, cedarwood, and vetiver. It embodies the hotel's modern, sophisticated aesthetic.
• St. Regis Hotel – Inspired by Ms. Astor's legendary gatherings, the "Caroline's 400" scent features fresh floral notes of American Beauty rose and white lily, evoking the glamour of New York's Gilded Age.
• Shangri-La Hotel – The Shangri-La Scent, or Essence of Shangri-La, greets guests with a serene blend of black tea, bergamot, ginger, vanilla, and sandalwood, reflecting the values of humility, respect, and sincerity.
• W Hotels – The W Hotel Scent is a vibrant composition of citrus notes like lemon, neroli, and bergamot, balanced with green tea and fruity peach. It captures the energy and vibrancy of the W Hotel brand.
• One Hotels – This luxury lifestyle brand showcases a scent that combines natural ingredients like eucalyptus and cedarwood with floral notes of violet and iris, creating a warm and inviting ambiance.

Elevating the Guest Experience

The impact of these custom fragrances extends beyond the initial impression. Hotels often receive requests from guests captivated by the scent, seeking to purchase it for their personal use. This has led to the creation of private label candles, reed diffusers, room sprays, and bathroom amenities, allowing guests to relive their memorable hotel experiences.

Scent Delivery Methods

To ensure the consistent and subtle diffusion of their custom fragrances, 5-star hotels often employ the use of scent diffusers. These diffusers can be strategically placed to fill the space with the signature scent, creating a seamless and immersive experience for guests.

Frequently asked questions