Posted By Lauren Sloat, Senior Account Executive



When I was in California for the holidays, my family paid a visit to the local Ritz-Carlton for a round of bubbly and hot buttered rum. When we entered the hotel, there was one thing that all of us immediately noticed, and it wasn’t the a capella singers, or the twelve-foot gingerbread house, or the modern open-air fire pits: It was the scent. It didn’t smell like a candle, or a cleaning product. It just seemed to cling to the air. Before we left, I mustered the courage to approach the reception desk with what I thought would be an odd and unusual question—why does it smell so good in here, anyway? I had barely uttered these words before the concierge smiled knowingly and responded, “It’s called ‘waterfall.’”

Waterfall, she explained, is the hotel’s signature scent (available for purchase as a candle in the gift shop, no less)—and it’s pumped through the air through a unique ventilation system that’s made “scent branding” one of the hottest new marketing techniques since group coupons. Need further proof? Walk through the shops at CityCenter Las Vegas—one of the region’s newest and most high-tech, high-end hotel and shopping destinations—and you’ll be sniffing fresh, uplifting notes all the way to Dolce & Gabbana.

Scenting a space to brand an experience is not a new endeavor, just think of the cologne-soaked polos at Abercrombie & Fitch or the strategically placed candles within Anthropologie stores (where, I must admit, I was once employed for eight delightfully scented months). What is new is the technology available to diffuse these scents, in a way that is both delicate and mysterious—there’s no tell-tale smoke, or bottle of perfume, or any discernable place of origin, for that matter. The air, it seems, just smells good.

Charlotte-based ScentAir Technologies is one such company that offers “scent delivery solutions.” As John-John Williams has reported, the business “is experiencing what it calls a ‘golden age’ in scent branding. Their client list includes Ashley Furniture, Jimmy Choo, Bloomingdale’s, Lexus, Hugo Boss and some major hotelchains.” Williams goes on to report that this type of service can start at $100 per month.

It may seem silly, but the best branding and marketing is the type that plays to emotions. We all like to think that we make decisions with our heads, but it’s the heartstrings that really inspire brand loyalty. Sensual experiences, like listening to music and inhaling something soothing, are what cut right to the heart—and create a direct emotional link back to the brand. Is it expensive? Potentially. Is it worth it? Well, all I know is that next time I’m home I’ll be heading back to the Ritz…and I may even have to buy that candle.