#Multi-sensory Experiences

Create a sense-of-place through scenography

At The Ritz-Carlton, scenography is all about creating fully immersive experiences for their guests. Each property has its own theme, inspired by its surrounding location, that engages all five senses.

• Smell: The Ritz-Carlton's New York location has its own fragrance that evokes the smell of Central Park's flowers and plants.
• Taste: In Texas a Guacamologist™ prepares fresh guacamole every evening in the hotel lobby.
• Sound: In Arizona, each evening a ranger shares stories of the region's Native American ancestors while a flautist performs in the distance.
• Sight: In Washington, DC, a converted incineration plant with the theme of fire, has a design of deep red and orange hues throughout the lobby.
• Touch: In Moscow, guests are given extra-warm coats to enjoy the rooftop ice bar.

Each property is expected to improve upon their scenography each year with three new scenes. A scenography toolkit, SCNG, is available to help inspire staff and provide more context to the narrative of their property.

Create a multi-sensory experience

The Starbucks Experience is not just about coffee. It's about engaging all of your five senses with an experience that is warm and welcoming.

• Taste: With thousands of combinations to choose from, each order is personalized to the customer's liking. Samples are made upon request and any drink will be remade without question if you're not completely satisfied.
• Smell: Upon entering, the aroma of freshly ground coffee creates a full-bodied suggestive, rich aroma reinforcing a commitment to quality.
• Sound: In-house music curators carefully select interesting, cool, lesser known songs that keep customers relaxed and inspired. “It’s the music that we’d want to hear on Sunday morning in our home when we’re reading the paper and drinking coffee.”
• Sight: Stores are carefully designed so customers can watch and be inspired by the artistry that goes into the making of each drink. Soft colors, reclaimed wood, and pleasant lighting are all carefully selected to create a friendly ambiance.
• Touch: From the feel of the coffee mug to the high quality seating upholstery, everything is aimed at encouraging you to relax, unwind, and stay awhile.

Bring your personality to life with a multi-sensory experience

The Trader Joe's experience is about engaging all of your fives sense in order to evoke a sense of adventure, while also making it feel like you are on vacation.

• Sight: From the moment you enter a Trader Joe's store you are surrounded by nautical themed artifacts including ship bells, oars, netting, and a half a rowboat. Staff are dressed in Hawaiian shirts with Bermuda shorts. And unlike other supermarkets, the lighting is designed to be on the warm spectrum rather than a blue spectrum, to avoid a cold sterile looking environment.
• Sound: Instead of a PA system that makes you feel like you are in a generic store, employees communicate with each other by ringing ship bells. One ring means they need another register open, two means the cashier needs assistance, three means a manager is needed for something important.
• Smell & Taste: Besides being able to taste almost any food in the store before purchase, Trader Joe's wants shoppers to expand their pallets as much as possible. Each store host countless tasting events that allow shoppers to smell and taste all the exotic and fun flavors they have collected from around the world. These events are actually the majority of their marketing budget.
• Touch: Trader Joe's has designed its stores to break down as many barriers as possible between customers and their meals. They have even removed the large cumbersome freezer doors to make it easier for shoppers to see what is available, to grab new items, and to give them a try.

Design a store that appeals to all five senses

When former CEO Ray Davis reimagined Umpqua Bank branches as stores, he put design at the center of their creation. "Design isn't just about how things look. We pay attention to what our customers see, hear, smell, taste, and feel."

• Sight: Beginning with their floor-to-ceiling windows that invite people to look in from the street, Umpqua stores have 40-foot plasma screens on their walls and clearly designated sections to Sip, Read, Surf, Shop, and Bank.
• Taste: Customers can treat themselves to a cookie or a cup of Umpqua-brand coffee. Chocolates are also delivered to the customer on a tray with their receipt after every transaction.
• Smell: Walk into their store, and customers can smell their freshly made Umpqua brand coffee.
• Sound: Local music is featured in each Umpqua store to create deeper connections with their community.
• Touch: From plush chairs to interactive multiscreen displays, Umpqua invites customers to explore and relax within their stores. Electronic "daily specials" menus are also available for customers to view bank products and neighborhood events.