The unusually hot summer of 1858 gave rise to the Great Stink in London, the unpleasant smell of noxious waste emanating from the River Thames even causing discomfort for MPs, with Disraeli seen dashing from the House with a handkerchief over his nose.
In 2014, we may have another smell to contend with – perfume in hotels. Luxury hotels are the biggest offenders. There was a time when walking into a marbled hotel lobby and being accosted with the natural scent of fresh flowers – lilies for example – was extremely pleasant. But now it seems, not content with giving us musak in lifts and restrooms, some hotels want to give us smells as well.
There is a fine line between smelling fresh and pleasant, and being overpowering. As well as the lobby, some hotels have the scent in hallways, guestrooms, in fact, seemingly everywhere except the swimming pool. Some hotels freely acknowledge that they use a scent and even have it to buy if you so wish, as a candle or a room atomiser.
A quick look on Trip Advisor sees that I’m not alone.
“…it has this very strong ladies’ perfume scent in the lobby…”
“…perfume used in the hallways is too strong…”
“…Upon entry to this hotel you are immediately bombarded by a perfume smell…”
What do you think? Too much of a stink or do you like perfume pervading your luxury hotel?