Vacation Rental Homes Could Follow Hotels in Using the Power of Scent
The scent of apple cinnamon pie is the latest development in Starwood Hotel & Resorts' sensory marketing strategy, which has assigned signature scents for Westin (White Tea) and Sheraton (Welcoming Warmth with fig, bargamot, jasmine and freesin). According to an article by Mike Beirne in BrandWeek, the scent of America's favorite pie will be wafting into the lobbies of Four Points by Sheraton hotels.
Apparently the decision to use the apple pies scent was made after an online survey which indicated that 47% of participants said the thought of pie conjures the word "comforting" and 39% said the smell of pie produces happy memories. . Apple pie was the favorite for 17% of adults surveyed followed by pecan pie (11%).
We will watch the results of the Starwood marketing strategy closely. Perhaps vacation rental owners can learn from it. We always try to keep our vacation cabins smelling fresh. We have used citrus room deodorizers because they have a more natural, fresher scent. However, it might be a good thing to have each cabin smell like apple cinnamon pie when new guests check in our vacation rentals.
