When asked which of the body’s five senses is the strongest, most people will answer with vision. The sense of sight, after all, is how we describe and categorize the world, from blue skies, to blank spreadsheets, to starry nights. Yet the unspoken hero is actually the sense of smell. Not only is it the first way humans learn to understand the world, but it is also the most reliable way to develop and retain memories.
Perhaps this is why the demand for signature fragrances from Marriott® International is thriving. People looking to relive their happiest moments can find themselves transported to an idyllic getaway courtesy of bespoke fragrances featured in Marriott’s portfolio of 30 hotel brands. From the celebrated White Tea fragrance of Westin® to the velvet luxury of Caroline’s Four Hundred featured at St. Regis® hotels, Marriott International invites guests to carry their best experiences home with them.
Fragrance by Design
The power behind the sense of smell is well-documented, both empirically and scientifically. Some research even suggests that people remember what they smell more vividly than what they see or hear and for twice as long. Ultimately, however, scents owe their olfactory power to human biology.
Located within the nose, the olfactory bulb connects to the brain’s amygdala and hippocampus. These two regions are part of the limbic system, which is strongly associated with emotion and memory. That’s why the smell of cookies wafting in from the kitchen will elicit a mouthwatering response, while a picture of a cookie can be observed and forgotten.
The visceral connection between scent and memory accounts for the careful development of signature fragrances at Marriott hotels. Whether you visit Renaissance® properties for every business trip or stay at EDITION® hotels for long weekends away, each hotel brand’s bespoke scent creates an appealing continuity between properties, which allows guests to take home treasured memories in a powerful way.
Guest demand, in fact, is what spearheaded the development of signature hotel fragrances as candles, room sprays, reed diffusers and scent machines. It is what gave rise to subscription services for certain fragrances across the Marriott portfolio, enabling guests to indulge in their favorite scents while enjoying a significant discount. And it is what makes fragrance products some of Marriott International’s most frequently gifted items.
Signature Scents
While each bespoke fragrance is carefully crafted for the identity of a Marriott International hotel, the entire collection embraces an impressive spectrum of diversity. Take as an example Westin’s White Tea fragrance. Available as both a home fragrance and a bath-and-body collection, White Tea is a clean and inviting scent with top notes of sweet white tea and base notes of cedar and vanilla. It is a fragrance that evokes the wellness traditions of Westin as well as its modern practicality.
By contrast, the EDITION fragrance takes a more complex approach. Created by Le Labo, a fragrance brand beloved by industry insiders and trendsetters alike, the black-tea fragrance features notes of citrus, smoke, chocolate and pepper to evoke a sense of sumptuous sophistication.
Caroline’s Four Hundred, available at St. Regis properties worldwide, is equally elegant but with a lighter touch. Developed by the founder of ARQUISTE Parfumeur, the fragrance pays homage to Caroline Astor, whose family founded the St. Regis hotel and whose glittering parties inspired the fragrance’s ethereal notes of champagne, apple blossom, rose, white lily and quince.
Citrus, which is of the world’s most popular scents, demonstrates its versatility within two distinct Marriott fragrances. The first, Shiso Tea, blends notes of light shiso leaf tea with citrus, white mint and floral scents for a crisp fragrance enjoyed at Renaissance hotels. The second, Marriott hotel’s own Attune fragrance, combines grapefruit with apple, white cedar and floral notes for a warm yet modern signature.
A Luxury of Fragrance
Fragrance, of course, is more than an icon for an experience. It is also an intimately personal choice, one that lets a person express him or herself in the most memorable of ways. For those who find the fragrances of Marriott International hotels to capture more than just a perfect getaway, certain bath-and-body options are also available.
One of the most distinctive of these is Le Chemin by Byredo. Available at Luxury Collection® hotels, the fragrance features top notes of tangerine and bergamot with floral middle notes and base notes of cypress and white cedarwood. The result is a clean fragrance with earthy undertones that guests can enjoy as a shampoo, conditioner, body wash, lotion and bath soap.
Other partnerships have yielded equally enticing options. The Ritz-Carlton®, for example, teamed up with the pedigreed luxury company, Asprey, to develop its Purple Water bath-and-body line. Featuring notes of orange blossom, jacaranda, mandarin and ginger, the fragrance is bright with spicy undertones. And guests of JW Marriott® hotels can unwind with skincare and haircare products developed by Aromatherapy Associates that feature notes of ylang ylang, rosemary, geranium and patchouli. Whether for the home, the body or both, fragrances by Marriott International are designed to capture the spirit of each brand, the essence of escape and the allure of something to remember.