Scent Marketing – hoteliers are catching on, is it time you did too?

Hoteliers, among other industry channels, seem to be turning to scent to engage and attract their audience more and more with their brands and locations. Scent marketing isn’t something that is new however, and not just new to hoteliers either.

We have all encountered it in one form or another. Think of the many times you’ve smelt the freshly baked bread in the supermarket or sat in a new car and inhaled that unique new car scent.

Traditional marketing methods have seen most businesses focus on auditory and visual practices and strategies however with more and more hoteliers now focusing on scent marketing, we ask the question – is it something you should be thinking about too?

Scent reaches people on an emotional level – many scents can evoke memories of past events such as weddings, holidays, favourite fragrances etc. which perhaps makes scent marketing possibly more important and valuable than traditional marketing methods.

A number of studies have shown an increase in both sales and customer satisfaction when scent marketing strategies have been applied.

A number of companies within the hospitality industry have recently adopted marketing strategies that include scent, aiming to welcome guests, give them the best experience and obtain customer loyalty.

How is this possible?
A fresh and welcoming scent within the main lobby or foyer of the establishment is the best place to start. Using a scent that isn’t overpowering or too heady will ensure that the customers are alerted to the scent on a subconscious level which triggers parts of the brain in a positive way.

Scent placed in busy areas such as conference rooms, bar areas and seating areas will also aid to the environment that you are trying to create for your customers.

Why should I consider it for my business?
Scent is the most powerful trigger of our emotional reactions and responses making scent marketing an invaluable asset to any marketing strategy. By creating a welcoming environment with a pleasant fragrance, possible outcomes include meaningful customer connections and associations as well as loyalty and positive word of mouth.

Current aircare trends

With the boom of using scent to reach a target audience, it’s hard to think of a time where there’s been as many different systems available in the aircare industry than this one. There’s something as simple as a reed diffuser – often found in our homes but increasingly found in higher end hotel establishments to the scented candles, especially popular in homes. What we’re seeing though is a bit of a transition of aircare products that were originally designed for home use, but are now being introduced into the commercial environment due to the increased importance of scent as a marketing tool or extension of a brand.

While these products will be useful to some, we have had a number of end users, especially hoteliers, contact us as they want something that allows them to program scent usage and match it to location conditions. They don’t necessarily want an aerosol dispenser any more either; passive systems like our multi-award winning V-Air® SOLID air freshener, have helped create the green benefits and scent delivery needed for end users. Also what is becoming more and more apparant, is that odour removal or odour elimination through systems such as Ozone Generators have becomea popular product, either as an alternative product or part of the aircare system offering.

Especially in 4-5 star hotels – these hoteliers want a system that is sustainable and promotes green benefits to all. Scent marketing machines, or nebulizers, have become more popular but it’s widely known that they lack the programmable options and the flexibility that the end user requires long term and they can be costly to run. We have also seen more recently, piezo devices being developed using a wick.

Solutions tailored for you
At Vectair Systems we are proud to offer two dispensers both using our patented Vibrating Mesh Technology; our VIBE® and VIBE® PLUS systems.

Depending on the size of the area you wish to cover with scent, our two dispensers will provide mammoth fragrance coverage lasting for up to 90 days with one 100ml refill used through the VIBE® system for large areas (think a boutique hotel lobby) and up to 180 days per cartridge with 2 x 500ml refills used in the VIBE® PLUS system for extra large areas (think a resort hotel lobby).

Best of all, our fragrances are solvent and HFC free and use VOC exempt formulations ensuring your customers and staff are not exposed to any nasty chemicals, and are using one of the greenest aircare products ever invented.

By Rich Martin | Commercial Director | Vectair Systems part of the Directors Blog