Why do luxury hotels smell so good?

"A year after staying in a nice hotel, you'll have forgotten almost everything except the smell. That fragrance, designed to make you feel, for a while, slightly superior to the rest of humanity, will have been stored somewhere in your hippocampus with 65% accuracy, according to some studies. The day you return, you'll immediately recognize the feeling: you've arrived at a place that smells expensive."

"The creation of this fragrance, which is usually made to order, can take between six months and a year, and follows the hotel's instructions to the letter. I have in my email the briefing that the Mandarin Oriental Ritz Madrid sent to a perfumer in 2020 to create its fragrance. Six pages with all sorts of historical and architectural details about the building, illustrious guests, garden vegetation, emblematic aromas of the capital, and the requirement that it be a unique perfume, exclusively designed for the hotel."

"The document explains that the goal is for the visitor to perceive, upon arrival, a unique, clear yet subtle aroma that accompanies them throughout their stay. The resulting fragrance for this legendary Madrid hotel is a musky floral with top notes of mandarin, lemon, and freesia, and a base of musk, cashmere, amber, and patchouli. But if you don't have a trained nose, you won't recognize that olfactory pyramid."

"Meanwhile, at the five-star hotel La Mamounia, the fragrance is a balm for the senses, especially if you enter after wandering through the narrow streets of Marrakech's Medina, filled with the scents of spices and incense. Its fragrance, created by perfumer Olivia Giacobetti, is a true classic: a blend of date and cedarwood. You can take it home in a candle, diffuser, or perfume bottle sold at the hotel itself (also online)."

A custom hotel fragrance can be largely forgotten after a year, except for the smell, which remains strongly associated with memory. The scent is designed to make visitors feel slightly superior and to be recognized immediately upon arrival. Creation often takes six months to a year and follows detailed hotel instructions. Briefings can include historical, architectural, and botanical details, plus requirements for a unique aroma that is clear yet subtle and stays with guests throughout their stay. One example is a musky floral for Mandarin Oriental Ritz Madrid with mandarin, lemon, freesia, and a base of musk, cashmere, amber, and patchouli. Another example is La Mamounia’s classic blend of date and cedarwood, available as candles, diffusers, or perfume sold by the hotel.

Read at english.elpais.com