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Prior to our meeting with Simon
Faure-Field, CEO of Equal Strategy, a company dedicated to
creating quality consumer experiences, we assumed hotels played
soporific muzak, and smelt of erm, Haze. But sitting in the lobby
bar of the Naumi Hotel with Simon, we’re told about the zesty
ginger and lime fragrance that’s permeating the air. And now we’re
aware of the hip playlist that’s designed to impart a trendy club
vibe. All this effort, for us!
“Decades of behavioural research
confirm that [aligning sensory appeal with the target customer]
forges a deep subconscious preference, forming genuine customer
loyalty and a lifetime revenue stream,” says the 38-year-old
Briton. Well, maybe not for us then. But this is why his days are
spent talking to hotels like Raffles Dubai about their needs, and
trawling libraries of over two million music tracks and 350,000
fragrances, just so he can create the prefect sensory experience
for their clients. He knows what is aesthetically pleasing – he
does, after all, have a degree in interior design, has been doing
brand positioning since 1998, and is now the only consultant in
the Asia-Pacific who does what he does. He tells us more about the
courtship rituals practised by two of his local clients.
SMELLS LIKE
Naumi Hotel
Ginger and lime, a refreshing, high
arousal citrus scent with an Asian undertone that complements the
hotel’s youthful image.
M Hotel
A lovely blend of ginger and lily,
reflecting the hotel’s strong Asian values. Apparently, we favour
light floral fragrances.
SOUNDS LIKE
Naumi Hotel
Breezy pop and chill-out music is
played in the lounge. “Vocals work well here as it’s boutique-y
and intimate,” says Simon. Ambient music is played along hotel
corridors to create atmosphere and mask sounds from inside guest
rooms.
M Hotel
Purely instrumental music, as the
hotel’s business travellers find vocals distracting. At Café 2000,
Simon has segmented the day into 13 time zones, each with its own
playlist. For instance, down-tempo music is played mid-morning
when it’s quieter.
What else has Simon done?
Worked with Raffles Dubai to create
a unique playlist from a private library not accessible to the
public.
Created six scents for the Marriott
including ‘vermillion sunrise’ and ‘China rain’. Marriott
Singapore smells like ‘calypso green’, a green tea blend of lemon
peel, eucalyptus, and mint infused with jasmine and rosebud.
Aligned the
telephone on-hold music at Marriott and Westin reservation centres
across the region to create a consistent brand experience for
callers.
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