Excusive Feature: Luxury hotels have a way of luring guests into their lobbies; through personalized attention, red-carpet service, unique art displays and festive decor, hotels have found a way to make an inspiring first impression the moment you step foot in the lobby.

Behind some of the most luxurious hotels, however, is a secret: a signature scent. This is the scent that wafts from the indoors out, and becomes a fixture in your brain.

It's that scent which, every time you smell something similar to it, reminds you of your hotel stay and beckons you back.

To appeal to guests' "scent memory", many luxury hotels are partnering with local scent companies to create unique scents that enhance guests’ experiences and ensure their guests will remember their stay long after they’ve checked out.

At the Marti Istanbul Hotel, a “White Tea” scent lingers through the hotel thanks to a unique technology developed by SCENT LINQ, an Istanbul-based scent company. At Dukes St. James, London, guests are welcomed with Hyacinth and Bluebell scented candles from Floris London. Floris is a perfume shop located steps from the hotel, soguests can hop over at pick their own scent, or buy one reminiscent of their London hotel stay. 

In Italy, the Lungarno Collection has its signature fragrance line, “Tuscan Soul” by Salvatore Ferragamo. The scent is a citrus base blended with floral and woody notes and is available exclusively for suite guests in Florence and in Rome.

To bring a bit of the natural surroundings inside the hotel, the Springs Eternal Spa at the Omni Bedford Springs Resort in Pennsylvania created signature scent using cucumber root. The spa worked closely with Soy Beam, Inc., to survey the indigenous plants growing on resort grounds including berries, trees, flowers, herbs and greens and in the end, created the signature Honeysuckle Cucumber blend.

What's your favorite scent from a hotel? A tip: most hotel gift stores carry their unique scent so if you want to bring it home with you, just ask.

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Melanie Nayer is a hotel reviewer and expert on luxury travel around the world. She has covered all aspects of hotels including corporate restructures, re-branding initiatives, historical aspects and the best of the best in luxury hotels around the world.

Melanie writes a weekly exclusive column for 4Hoteliers.com