MEMPHIS, Tenn., October 19, 2007 � The old saying goes,
�the nose always knows.� And 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.
Two Products:
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Febreze® Fabric Refresher��a spray bottle to treat linens and fabric.
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Febreze® Air Effects��an aerosol can to spray into the room to capture
odor and freshen the air.
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�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
HSIA 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�
attitude toward hotel room scents � the results of which were also announced
today. 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).
Additional findings of the Hampton Non-Scents Survey include:
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What�s That Chemical Smell: More than three-quarters (76 percent)
of travelers say they�ve noticed a distinct scent � such as perfume or
air freshener � during a recent overnight hotel stay.
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Get Me Out Of Here: When asked what they have done as a result of
being in a hotel room with an undesirable smell, the majority of travelers
(66 percent) have asked for a different room, complained, asked for a discount
or refund, or cancelled their reservations.
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Travelers Hate Floral Scents: When asked what scent they would most
prefer if a hotel were putting it in its rooms, only five percent would
choose floral. Instead, most (70 percent) would choose �just the
smell of fresh air and clean linens.� Other choices were a citrus
smell like lemon (12 percent); pine (four percent); an exotic smell like
musk or a tropical scent (four percent); and fresh baked goods (three percent).
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Hotel Rooms Have A Canned Scent: A surprising number (34 percent)
of Americans feel that most guest rooms today have a scent that reminds
them of scented air fresheners. Others feel that they smell like
their home when it�s fresh and clean (26 percent); strong cleaning products
(23 percent); a hospital (five percent); and a new car (two percent).
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Hotel Scent Nightmare: When asked what the worst smell would be
if they had to be trapped in a hotel for a night, nearly two-thirds (60
percent) of the survey respondents felt that the odor of remnants of cigarette
smoke would be the worst one. Coming in second was strong perfume
(14 percent) and sports equipment (14 percent), followed by cleaning products
(five percent), and air fresheners with a strong smell (four percent).
Hampton�s Non-Scents initiative was introduced as a concept to the brand�s
hotel properties in the spring of 2007, and now all 1,450 Hampton Hotels
have included it as part of their housekeeping programs. For more
information, visit www.hampton.com. The Hampton Non-Scents Survey
was fielded by Kelton Research between September 7 and 14, 2007 using an
email invitation and online survey. Quotas are set to ensure reliable and
accurate representation of the total U.S. population age 18 and older who
have stayed in a hotel room in the past two years. There were 1,007 respondents
and a 3.1 percent margin of error. For full results, please contact
Ian Jeffries at (310) 967-2957 or [email protected].
About Hampton Hotels
Hampton, which includes Hampton Inn and Hampton Inn & Suites hotels,
is a mid-priced leader in the lodging segment. Hampton is part of
Hilton Hotels Corporation, the leading global hospitality company, with
more than 2,800 hotels and 500,000 rooms in 78 countries and territories,
including 105,000 team members worldwide. The company owns, manages
or franchises a hotel portfolio of some of the best known and highly regarded
brands, including Hilton®, Conrad®, Doubletree®, Embassy Suites
Hotels®, Hampton Inn®, Hampton Inn & Suites®, Hilton Garden
Inn®, Hilton Grand Vacations�, Homewood Suites by Hilton® and The
Waldorf=Astoria Collection®. The Hilton Family of Hotels adheres to
founder Conrad Hilton�s philosophy that, �It has been, and continues to
be, our responsibility to fill the earth with the light and warmth of hospitality.�
The company put a name to its unique brand of service that has made it
the best known and most highly regarded hotel company: be hospitable®.
The philosophy is shared by all brands in the Hilton Family of Hotels,
and is the inspiration for its overarching message of kindness and generosity.
Hilton Hotels Corporation�s sponsorship of the U.S. Olympic Team will extend
through the 2008 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Beijing, China, and includes
the 2008 U.S. Paralympic Team(s) and the 2007 U.S. Pan-Am Team. For
more information about our company, please visit www.hiltonworldwide.com,
and to learn more about our be hospitable philosophy, please visit www.behospitable.com. |