Scented Hotels: The luxury trend redefining hospitality through fragrance
Discover how these 5 scented hotels are redefining hospitality through fragrance design, personalised guest experience, and olfactory branding
In recent years, a growing number of high-end hotels have embraced a new frontier in guest experience—one that transcends the traditional pillars of taste and comfort to engage a deeper, more emotional sense: smell. Scented hotels are rapidly becoming a leading trend in luxury hospitality, blending design with emotion to elevate the guest’s journey.
The Rise of Scented Hotels in Luxury Hospitality
These establishments are not only setting new standards in personalised service but also redefining how we remember the places we visit. By incorporating bespoke hotel fragrances and curated olfactory experiences, they create immersive environments that leave a lasting impression.
What do we really take home from a trip? The sights, the flavours, the service—but most vividly, the scents. A fragrance has the power to transport us back in time to a specific place, moment, or feeling. This is the essence of olfactory branding: turning a sensory impression into an emotional connection.
Here’s a curated selection of the top five scented hotels around the world that turn fragrance into memory and hospitality into art.
Magna Pars, Milan – The World’s First “Hotel à Parfum” and a Beacon of Luxury Scented Hospitality
Nestled in Milan’s Tortona district, Magna Pars is not just a luxury hotel; it’s a full-fledged olfactory experience. The hotel, originating from a family-run perfume factory, is recognised as the first in the world to be dedicated entirely to the art of scent. It exemplifies the concept of a scented hotel concept at its most refined.
Each suite is inspired by a specific fragrance family, such as woody, citrus, or floral, and guests are invited to take part in a unique “olfactory check-in” to select the scent that best matches their personality. This level of customisation reflects a growing trend in sensory hospitality.
At the heart of the experience is LabSolue, the in-house fragrance laboratory where guests can explore and even create their own bespoke perfumes. The hotel’s restaurant and spa seamlessly incorporate aromatic elements into their offerings, crafting an immersive sensory journey like no other. Here, the guest experience is designed not only through service but also through scent.
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A snapshot of Family Suite 36 Rosa at the Magna Pars Hotel in Milan
Mandarin Oriental Singapore – Signature Hotel Scents for a Sensory Experience
Here, scent serves as a means of storytelling. In collaboration with Maison 21G Paris, Mandarin Oriental Singapore has infused its public spaces with a bespoke fragrance featuring an elegant blend of mandarin zest and the floral-fruity osmanthus blossom, a native Chinese flower. It’s a perfect example of ambient scenting in hotels, used to strengthen brand identity.
The sensory experience goes even further. Maison 21G has also developed a pillow mist designed to soothe, calm, and enhance sleep, adding another layer to the concept of luxury wellness. When it comes to luxury, scented wellness programmes have become key features of modern hospitality design.
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Details from the Presidential Suite at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Singapore
The Balmoral, Edinburgh – Where the Scent Butler Is the True Gem of a Personalised Fragrance Service
First opened in 1902 and now part of the Rocco Forte Hotels collection, The Balmoral in Edinburgh offers a royal blend of tradition and innovation. Besides its Michelin-star restaurant, spa, and iconic Scottish charm, the hotel features an exceptional service that is as rare as it is refined: the Scent Butler. This distinctive amenity reflects a new trend in personalised luxury hospitality.
In collaboration with Kingdom Scotland, the country’s first fragrance house, guests staying in select suites are invited to embark on a sensory journey curated by founder Imogen Russon-Taylor. This olfactory experience is both cultural and personalised.
The journey culminates in a bespoke bottle of fragrance—a keepsake designed to encapsulate the essence of The Balmoral and Scotland itself. It’s scent marketing at its most meaningful.
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Highlights from the Scent Butler Experience at the Balmoral Hotel in Edinburgh
The St. Regis – Scent Marketing and Olfactory Branding in a Heritage Hotel
Every great hotel has a unique story. For St. Regis, that story is told through Caroline’s Four Hundred, the brand’s signature scent. Inspired by Caroline Astor—the grande dame of New York’s Gilded Age—the fragrance recalls her legendary soirées attended by society’s elite 400 guests. This olfactory branding evokes a sense of heritage and prestige.
Created by perfumer Carlos Huber of Arquiste, the scent is a symphony of exotic woods and American Beauty roses, echoing the opulence and romanticism of Astor’s ballroom gatherings. At St. Regis, scent becomes a bridge between history and modern refinement. It stands as a prime example of how luxury hotels use fragrance to build emotional resonance.
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Caroline's Four hundred is the signature scent of St. Regis Hotels and Resorts created by ARQUISITE
Aman Resorts – Bespoke Hotel Fragrances Inspired by Iconic Destinations
Aman Resorts, known globally for its minimalist luxury, comprises 33 resorts, hotels, and private residences across 20 countries and tranquil settings. The brand has distilled its ethos into a dedicated fragrance line created by master perfumer Jacques Chabert, which features seven gender-neutral scents, each inspired by a different Aman destination.
With evocative names and packaging inspired by the Japanese art of wrapping, these fragrances are more than just souvenirs; they are emotional landscapes designed to reconnect you with the serenity and essence of your Aman escape, representing sensory hospitality at its most artful.
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Available in seven unique scents, Aman Fine Fragrance Collection is inspired by Aman resorts around the world
Scented Hotels: The Future of Luxury Travel and Guest Experience
From Milan to Singapore, Edinburgh to Istanbul, and beyond, these visionary hotels are proving that scent is not just an accessory but an essential pillar of luxury travel.
The trend of incorporating scent as part of a hotel’s signature style is reshaping expectations in the hospitality sector. Ultimately, it’s not just the miles travelled that we remember but the fragrances that linger with us. And that, perhaps, is the true essence of a scented hotel.
Silvia Tarini
Editor