Breathe in to feel good

Has a waft of perfume ever made your head turn for a good look at a passer-by? Has the familiar scent of a loved one comforted you even before you caught sight of them or felt their touch? Have you experienced a feeling of other-worldly calmness when you entered a spa? The answer is sure to be ‘Yes’. That’s because the sense of smell plays a vital role in our wellbeing. So, welcome to the world of Scent Scaping!

Scent scaping can be explained as a process of filling a particular spacewith one or more scents. It is based on the principle that smells are linked with human emotions.

Studies have revealed that people can remember smells with 65% accuracy after a year, while visual recall is only about 50% after three months. The sense of smell is so powerful that it is believed to revive memories in people suffering from various forms of dementia.Scents have the power to elicitan emotional reaction in people. They trigger regions of the brain such as the amygdala and hippocampus which play a role in processing emotions.

This important aspect of smell is being harnessed by the hospitality industry, where service is a multi-dimensional concept today. Gone are the days when décor or visual stimulation was thought to be the only means to attract people to a place.The service of smell is a part of the ‘experience’ that guests are offered these days.

Farah Abassi, founder of Miami-based Aroma360, said in an interaction with hotemmanagement.net that the sense of smell can change a person’s perception, even before they’re aware of a particular scent, affecting mood, emotion or perceived value of a product or a service.

Specific perfumes are diffused through air conditioning vents in hotel lobbies for a relaxing experience. They are used in elevators and bars. Spas make use of scented candles, oil diffusers and perfumes to spread fragrances that help to soothe clients. Different areas are filled with different scents in keeping with the vibe that the space is meant to evoke. Commonly used fragrances include lavender for calmness, lemongrass for happiness, citrus for mood elevation, jasmine and sandalwood for relaxation and peppermint for reducing stress and anxiety.

Scent scaping as a hospitality service is gaining ground all over the world, much to the appreciation of guests.