Short answer: To create a hotel scent signature, first define what you want to convey, translate it into scent families, neutralize bad odours and test three or four candidates in your own space with 5 ml samples. Then choose units by zone, adjust intensity and schedules, and carry the same approach into guest rooms and amenities.
What a hotel scent signature is
It is the scent that identifies the hotel and that guests recognise each time they return. It is also called an olfactory logo: the scent equivalent of a visual logo. It can be a well chosen catalogue fragrance or one created to measure. For the general side, for any company, see corporate scent identity.
Here we get practical: the steps to go from an idea to a scent working in the lobby, corridors and guest rooms.
Step 1: write the scent brief
Before smelling anything, answer four questions on one page:
- What kind of hotel are you? Classic luxury, urban boutique, coastal resort, rural.
- Who is your guest? Business, couples, families, international travellers.
- What is around you? City, sea, mountains, a historic building.
- Which three words should guests link to the hotel? For example: calm, light, Mediterranean.
Those three words are your brief. Everything that follows is compared against them.
Step 2: translate the words into scent families
Each feeling has families that tend to fit. These are some from the BENDIS catalogue that work well in hotels:
| You want to convey | Family | Catalogue fragrances |
|---|---|---|
| Quiet elegance | Woody, mineral | N°10 Woody · Mineral · Citrus, N°8 Woody · Elegant |
| Cleanliness and light | Green, citrus, aquatic | Green tea, N°3 Aquatic · Citrus |
| Mediterranean warmth | White floral, green fruity | Orange blossom, Fig |
| Spa atmosphere | Aromatic | Lavender, Mint |
| Character and night (bar) | Oriental, amber | N°12 Oriental · Amber |
Avoid very sweet or gourmand scents in common areas. In a lobby they take away elegance. The full catalogue is in fragrances.
Step 3: neutralize before testing
If you test fragrances in a space that smells damp or stale, you will choose badly. The scent mixes with the problem and nothing smells as it should. Find the sources (toilets, basements, bin room, rooms closed for days) and treat them first. For damp and tobacco there is the damp and tobacco neutralizer, and for smoke and sweat, the smoke and sweat neutralizer. More in odour neutralization.
Step 4: order samples and test in your space
A fragrance in a bottle does not smell the same as when it is diffused in a lobby. It changes with temperature, ventilation and materials. That is why the choice is made in the hotel, not in a shop.
- Pick three or four candidates from the table above.
- Order the 5 ml sample of each (€1.50 for NATURAL fragrances and €2.50 for numbered fragrances and neutralizers). It is for smelling, not for filling the nebulizer.
- Smell them in the lobby, a corridor and a guest room, at different times of day.
- Ask several team members separately, without telling them which one you like.
- Keep one or two finalists and diffuse them in the real area with a unit for a few days.
A tip: people who work in the hotel get used to the smell and stop noticing it. To judge intensity, ask someone to walk in from the street.
Step 5: choose units by zone
The scent signature needs to reach every common area evenly. A guide by space:
- Lobby with public traffic: ORBIT (600 m², standalone) or ATMOS (600 m², connected to HVAC). For larger areas, HALO or NOVA.
- Corridors and small reception: LUME (100 m²) or FLOW (120 m²).
- Shared toilets: PULSE with neutralizer.
- Guest rooms: SENSE, the quietest, at very low intensity.
The detailed layout by zone is in scenting a hotel zone by zone.
Step 6: adjust intensity and schedules
The rule in well scented hotels is subtlety: guests notice it smells good but could not say of what. Program higher intensity at arrival and departure times, and lower at night. Review during the first weeks and adjust. If someone says it smells strong, turn it down.
Step 7: take the signature into the guest room
In the room, the guest is in charge. The usual approach is to apply the signature very softly or only while preparing the room before arrival, and leave it neutral during the stay. Think of people sensitive to fragrance: it is wise to keep some rooms or floors unscented.
Step 8: consistency in amenities and other details
If the hotel orders scented amenities (soap, shower gel, linen spray, candles) from a cosmetics supplier, give them your signature's scent family and a sample so they can find something consistent. Our fragrances are perfumery fragrances for cold nebulization, made to be diffused into the air, not for use on skin or fabrics. What matters is that guests perceive the same idea in the lobby, the corridor and the bathroom.
Step 9: document and maintain
- Record the fragrance, intensity and schedule of each zone on a sheet.
- Clean the nebulizers every 3 months.
- Remember that fragrances are not diluted in water.
- Do not change the signature every season: what people remember is repetition.
How much it costs to create the scent signature
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| 5 ml fragrance sample | €1.50 (NATURAL line); €2.50 (numbered fragrances and neutralizers) |
| 150 ml / 250 ml refill | €24.99 / €29.99 (NATURAL line); €29.99 / €34.99 (numbered fragrances and neutralizers) |
| Units to buy (VAT included) | from €72.99 (PULSE) to €389.99 (NOVA) |
| Monthly scenting plan with fragrance included | €29.90 to €94.90 + VAT a month per unit |
The plan has no minimum term (cancel with 30 days' notice) and is available in Spain and Portugal. If you want an exclusive fragrance, it is quoted to measure depending on scope and number of sites. The full budget is in how much it costs to scent a hotel.
Want to see what the big chains say about their scent? It is in real cases from hotels and chains. If your property is small, see boutique hotels and holiday apartments. And the map of all topics is in the hotel scent marketing guide.
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to create a hotel scent signature?
With catalogue fragrances, as long as the samples take to arrive plus a few days of testing in your space. An exclusive fragrance takes longer.
How many fragrances should I test?
Three or four. With more, your nose tires and comparing gets hard.
Can I use the 5 ml sample in the diffuser?
No. The sample is for smelling and deciding. For diffusing, use the 150 or 250 ml refill.
Does the scent signature have to be exclusive?
No. A well chosen catalogue fragrance works too. What makes it a signature is using it always and in every zone.
Which scent goes in the spa if the lobby has another?
The spa can have its own scent, with an independent unit, so it does not mix with the lobby scent.
If you would like help choosing, call 911 09 70 50 or write to info@bendis.es. More information in professional scenting for hotels.
