Hotels without chemical "signature scent" and pop rock music in pool, lobby and gym?
 

Does anyone know a hotel chain that does not pollute the public spaces (Lobby, gym and pool area) with chemical fragrances and annoying "music"? Im exhausted being attacked with loud pop rock music and chemical fragrances in hotel lobbies, gyms and pool areas. Even when I am the only one in the pool or gym, the hotel will not turn off the music or the fragrance because it is "brand standard" Marriott, Westin and Sheraton have become intolerable with the strong chemical fragrance and loud pop rock music invading all spaces.

Motel 6

:D

Frankly, I've never noticed this phenomenon.

I haven't noticed the loud music so much, but "signature scent" is getting to be a problem for me too - it sets off my asthma. I've run into it at Westin, and I've run into it at Hilton Garden Inn. I've also been to a lot of HGIs without the "scent" so maybe Hilton is just experimenting and it's not a universal standard. I do hope this fad goes away quickly - I like to be able to breathe when I'm at a hotel.

The IC Berlin went through a phase of having a perfumed lobby, thankfully it stopped. They also tried perfuming my room but I complained and haven't had it since, not sure if it was put on my profile or they stopped it. It seem there are quite a few of us with perfume allergies !

I cannot stand perfumes imposed on me either. I think we should complain to staff locally and on review sites continuously, any time we happen to smell perfumes, so that hotel chains realize customers do not like it.

I kind of enjoy the HI & HIX scent.

The only chain I've found thus far that aggressively uses scent and music as part of the branding is Hilton's Home2 Suites. I hate strong scents so they're near the bottom of my list now.:td:

Renaissance becoming intolerable
 

Agree that the music is out of control. At Marriott's Renaissance rebranding the disco vibe assault at all hours of the day makes it impossible to have a normal conversation at the check in just to grab and go with your keys from mobile check-in counter.

Brain-eating music
 

Don't stay at Renaissance or JW Marriotts then. While I like them for their lounges (primarily overseas, not US domestic)....I absolutely hate the music played in the common areas. It eats into my brain. Sounds like a record that is stuck and not in a good spot. At some locations, I've asked if the music volume can be turned down or changed...it is so ear-crushing.

With regard to 'signature scents'....most of the upper end national chains incorporated these fragrances a number of years back. I'm not enamored of them either. I would prefer just a high-quality air filtration system and leave it at that. I did walk into one hotel recently that (I think) used a signature scent and it was quiet nice....just fresh, clean...like after a rain. Wish I could remember which hotel...maybe it was the Cinnamon Red in Colombo, Sri Lanka? *sigh* [Great stay there btw.]

Upscale hotel chains (and airlines) use "sensory branding." A signature scent, signature sounds or music, etc. A Japanese-owned hotel I stayed in uses a sound something like rain in their elevators.

Singapore Airlines is widely recognized for their success in this area.

Of course, if you are sensitive to fragrances, it's not so good.

never noticed it at all my HIX's.

DFW Westin was scent free
 

It really makes sense... there is something going off in my brain whenever I smell Qatar or Cathay. The fragrances they chose are amazing. It's quite odd but walking in the lounge in HKG made me feel like I was back in LHR T3.

It may make "sense" to you, but to those with severe allergies, it all makes too much "scents".

We always call well in advance to request a "fragrance free room", and we double check two nights before arrival and again the night before.
That's because they can, uh, misplace the request. And once that "housekeeping air freshener" is sprayed, it can't be quickly eliminated, and it's especially bad now that many hotels have windows that do not open.
So if the hotel is full, and the cleaning has mostly been done... and all the rooms have been strongly scented...that can become a serious medical problem. Yes, we once had a hotel apologize and move us to another (unrelated) property with a nice upgrade, but that was not what we wanted.

Relatively recently, hotels seem to be much more responsive to this, so I'm guessing that there are enough others who also request (or complain) these days.

Now, sitting right next to someone on a plane with assigned seating, someone who is "heavily fragranced"... that's a different problem...

GC

Nor have I. I'm always asked in the various surveys if I noticed it and always answer no.