HOW HOTELS USE SCENT TO CREATE ATMOSPHERE

Hotels use the power of smell to help tell a story. The smell is closely connected to the brain’s limbic system, where emotional processing takes place. It should be no surprise then that many hotels around the world have in recent years sought to harness the power of smell by creating their own signature scents that “represent their identity". Whenever a guest arrives at their building, it is the business’s job to make their hotel more than just a building. Even if it is just for a night, they want that building to make their guests feel happy and comfortable. So, by scent and fragrance, the hotels can now directly monitor how they are perceived and remembered in the eye of their guests. Different hotels have different vibes they want to give their guests. Some want to come off as old, elegant buildings fit for the wealthy. They want their guests to feel pampered during their stay. Others, want to give off the feeling of homey comfort, as if you were arriving home, rather than out spending the night in an unknown city. Hotels use specific scents to help create the atmosphere they’re seeking to convey, as decoration convey a particular feelings. An artfully placed display of fruit or the right bouquet of flowers goes a long way in communicating to guests. However, just as important as those visual touches, the hotel scent goes a long way in determining whether or not a hotel can portray the vibe they are going for. If, for example, they want you to feel at home in their hotel, they might use a soft mix of the scents of roses and tobacco. Whatever the scent is, it is often used in candles or sprays to scent the air, as well as in soaps and lotions. Their goal is not to overpower you with the hotel scent, but to subtly use it to convey a message– a message you will hopefully remember and connect with next time you’re thinking about booking a hotel. 

Taking the idea further, some hotels even offer products featuring their signature scents such as home fragrances, room sprays and candles which guests can purchase for their own use and thus, further connect with guests, even when they are at home. With staycations, more and more people are willing to purchase products to renovate their house or room in order to turn it into a hotel so that they can feel like they are travelling and staying at their favorite hotel. Today’s consumers are increasingly seeking pleasurable and memorable experiences that are unique and authentic, which led to a new term of “experiential marketing”. In the tourism field, experiential marketers seek to create “direct and valuable connections between organizations and their guests”, for instance by providing sensory experiences that trigger positive emotions. Using ambient scent may be a way for hotels to create “memorable experiences for guests” while also building brand loyalty. So, I you want the feelings those hotel scents convey without hefting the cost of a room for a night, you can turn your own home into a luxury staycation! You can purchase a hotel scent to spritz around your house, making it smell just like the fancy Weston Hotels or the luxuriously homey St. Regis. 

Personally, my favourite hotel-signature scent is one bought at the "Hotel Le Petit Palais", a beautiful Belle-Époque hotel on the Cimiez hill in Nice,

belonging to the Authentic Hotels. This hotel collection acquired an exclusive olfactory signature by Pierre Bourdon, one of the greatest perfumers in the world, an original "tailor-made" fragrance which is worthy of the luxury universe inspired by these hotels, a wonderful evocation of Grasse's flower fields fragrance, with the freshness of sea breeze and bathing sunshine. And in such an uncertain period for any travel projects, I can at least profit of this exclusive ambience scent to pleasantly dream about some of my favourite destinations by means of sophisticated olfactory suggestions... waiting for better days to come!

A CLOSE LOOK AT MY BRAND NEW CÉLINE TRIOMPHE BAG, THE QUINTESSENCE OF PARISIAN "ALLURE".

Here is one more post dedicated to a French bag. It's been almost three years since the Céline Triomphe Bag popped up on Celine’s website along with the rest of Hedi Slimane’s debut collection for the brand. In that time the bag has slowly, but steadily found its way into the hands of several style stars, who have been spotted with the Triomphe bag in tow. When these VIP ladies take notice, so do we, and while this isn't the first Céline by Hedi Slimane bag we’ve lusted after, it also likely won’t be the last. 

The Triomphe logo is rooted in Celine’s history and the story goes a little something like this: Céline Vipiana’s car broke down in Paris, right in front of the Arc de Triomphe, and she was inspired by the chain that surrounds the iconic monument. The inside of the double links represent two Cs and Celine’s founder immediately adopted it as a house emblem, using it on bags, jewelry, in prints and on shoes. The iconic house motif was adopted and reimagined by new creative director Hedi Slimane, appearing as the finishing touch on a classic silhouette, which we now know as the Triomphe Bag. Lined in lambskin, both sizes of the Triomphe bag contain a separated interior for maximum organization, as well two interior pockets—a slit pocket and a zippered pocket. The strap is designed to be worn either over the shoulder or crossbody as it’s adjustable. 

The larger size is the less eligible, 24.5 cm L x 18.5 cm H x 7.5 cm D.

The medium size works well for the everyday, though it's a bit on the smaller end for an everyday bag with overall dimensions of  22.5 cm L x 16.5 cm H x 7.5 cm D. 

The teen size is perfect for the mini-bag lover with dimensions of 18.5 cm L x 14 cm H x 6 cm D.

The Nano size is 16.5 cm L x 11.5 H cm x 5 cm D. 

As for the colour and leather type selections, I chose the medium version of the bag, in classic black, smooth calfskin leather, but the model is available also in beautiful neutral, pastel, or vibrant shades, as well as in exotic skins or Triomphe logo canvas + tan leather. 

Anyway, what I like most of this bag is its quintessential Parisian "allure", which inspires me unexpected, imaginary journeys to the "Ville Lumière", in a period of so many travel restrictions.