The best hotel scents, and how to bring them home
Some hotels are remembered for their lobby as much as their rooms. You walk in, the air smells calm and expensive, and weeks later you still want it at home.
Below are the hotel scents people ask us about most, what each one smells like, and the Velour and Vellum scent in the same style. We are a home fragrance house in Toronto: our reed diffusers are blended by hand and our concentrates bottled here, then delivered across Canada.
The hotel scents people ask about
The Westin
Their scent: White Tea. What it smells like: A clean, airy white tea scent over soft woods.
Our scent in the same style: Thé Blanc. Thé Blanc is built on white tea, with cedarwood, sandalwood and a little vanilla underneath.
Cold-Air Concentrate · Reed diffuser · Refill · Try a 5 ml sample
Shangri-La
Their scent: The Shangri-La lobby scent. What it smells like: Usually described as a soft tea scent warmed with ginger, vanilla and sandalwood.
Our scent in the same style: Thé Blanc. Thé Blanc shares the tea, ginger, vanilla and sandalwood. It is our own blend, not a copy.
Cold-Air Concentrate · Reed diffuser · Refill · Try a 5 ml sample
Velour and Vellum is not affiliated with these hotels; names are used only to describe a scent style.
Fairmont, Four Seasons, The Ritz-Carlton and the rest
Many hotels change their lobby scent by property and by season, so there is no single "Fairmont scent" or "Four Seasons scent" to name. Think about what you remember and choose by style:
- Clean white tea and soft woods: Thé Blanc
- Fresh citrus and white flowers over marble: Grand Foyer
- Airy, watery, open-window freshness: L'Eau de Verre
- Creamy sandalwood with a little leather: Santal Vellum
- Bright amber and jasmine: Ambre Safran
- Dark cedar, spice and leather, like a lodge lobby: Cèdre Noir
- Rose and orange blossom with vanilla: Velours Rose
- Incense and oud, like a late-night bar lounge: Oud Nº1
How to make your home smell like a hotel
Hotels scent their lobbies with cold-air (nebulizing) diffusers: the oil is turned into a fine dry mist, with no water and no heat, so the scent stays true and fills a large room. Our Cold-Air Concentrates are made for these machines, at home or in a business.
For a single room with no device, a reed diffuser gives a softer, constant scent. Every scent below comes as both.
Not sure yet? Try first
The Hotel Edit holds three of our hotel scents in 5 ml bottles, and The Complete Hotel Edit holds all six classics. Or try one scent as a 5 ml sample, with complimentary delivery in Canada. The Hotel Edit · The Complete Hotel Edit · Take the scent quiz
Questions
Do you sell the Westin White Tea scent?
No. Velour and Vellum is not affiliated with The Westin and does not sell its scent. Thé Blanc is our own white tea scent in the same clean, soft-wood style.
What scent do luxury hotel lobbies use?
Most use one of a few styles: clean white tea, fresh citrus and white flowers, creamy sandalwood, warm amber, or dark woods and leather. Each is diffused with a cold-air (nebulizing) machine so it fills the space without being heavy.
Can I use your oils in my scent machine?
Yes, if it is a waterless cold-air (nebulizing) diffuser with a refillable oil bottle. They are not for water-based (ultrasonic) diffusers or machines that take sealed cartridges.
Do you deliver across Canada?
Yes. We ship from Toronto across Canada and to the United States.