Scented hotel rooms? Hampton Inn says nonsense

The old saying goes, “the nose always knows.” When it comes to a hotel stay, the traveler’s nose – it seems – notices and knows more. In a survey released today the majority (86 percent) of travelers say the smell of fresh air and linens is a better indicator to them that a hotel room is clean – compared to 14 percent who feel that the smell of cleaning products is more indicative.

Starting today, travelers can breathe a little easier – Hampton Hotels has announced a brand-wide initiative to “non-scent” its more than 145,000 hotel rooms.

Non-Scents, created through a joint effort with Procter & Gamble’s Febreze Linen & Sky brand, is a freshening program designed to leave the room smelling like nothing but clean air. No odor of bathroom or window cleaner; no hint of perfume; no remnant of the previous night’s takeout.

“We conducted rigorous consumer research and found that travelers just want their hotel room to smell fresh and clean – and not like anything else,” said Kurt Smith, senior director of product and service development for Hampton Hotels.

“Part of our 100% Satisfaction Guarantee is ensuring we do everything we can to ensure our guests have a pleasurable stay while appealing to all the senses – we’ve accomplished that with our bed, complimentary high speed internet access and wi-fi, and our On the House Hot Breakfast. Non-Scents is our way of evoking that guarantee by continuing to surprise and delight our guests via some of the finer senses.”

The development of Non-Scents is a bold statement for Hampton in the midst of an industry-wide trend that has seen many hotels choosing signature scents for their lobbies and guestrooms. Hampton conducted extensive consumer research and testing, as well as a national survey of Americans’ attitudes toward hotel room scents – the results of which have also been announced.

The survey, in addition to the statistics above, found that the majority of people (58 percent) simply prefer their hotel room to smell like nothing at all – compared to scented air freshener (25 percent), an exotic or tropical smell (7 percent), strong cleaning products (3 percent), or even like a new car (2 percent).

For more information, visit Hamptoninn.com.