MUSIC & HOTELS

A N I N - D E P T H R E V I E W O F T H E I N F L U E N C E
O F A T M O S P H E R I C M U S I C I N H O T E L S
M A Y 2 0 1 8
R I G H T S I F Y > C O M
 MUSIC MATTERS
Everybody understands that music affects us profoundly. It alters our mood
and creates or triggers rich memories. It is no wonder then that music has
a big impact on guests when implemented in hotels. In this e-book we will
shed some light on the workings of music in the hospitality business. We
will share scientific insights on the influence of music and translate these
into some practical do’s and dont's.
 The Atmosphere
Hotels are in the experience business. From the moment guests check in, until they leave a review of their stay on social
media, it is all an experience-based customer journey. It is tempting to think of individual parts of this journey as separate
elements; interior design, service staff, atmospheric scent, room cleanliness, etc. It is important to understand that this is
not how our minds work when it comes to evaluating an experience. A simple example: If we ask you to focus on the
feeling of the soles of your feet on the ground right now, you will notice a bunch of subtle sensations. Temperature, texture,
humidity, a tiny itch perhaps. If we had not asked you to focus on these sensations, you would not have noticed
consciously. Still, these sensations would have influenced your current mood and experience nonetheless. Our minds are
masters at taking a massive amount of sensory input and summarizing, deducting, simplifying and distilling until we have a
comprehensive and manageable “overall sensation”.
Back to the hotel practice. Music is not just an element that you might add or leave out, if only to keep your staff
entertained. It is a major influencer of the overall image people form of your business, as shown by a scientific study back
in 2007 (Morin, Dubé & Chebat). Time and again, studies show how music influences our mood, evaluation of service,
purchasing behavior, loyalty and many more variables. The most important factor to keep in mind is to make the music
suitable to the context and situation. With modern technology, it is now easier than ever to pipe different music styles to
different parts of your venue to make every interaction with your guests count. Here are some concrete ideas to make it
work:
 THE LOBBY
This is where you make your first impression. The atmosphere
should reflect who you are. Let there be no misunderstanding as to
which hotel people are visiting. The decor, scent, staff and music
should all convey your brand image as clearly as possible. Second, it
is smart to consider the mind state in which your guests arrive.
Traveling is taxing on the mind and body and if your hotel is situated
in a busy metropolitan street, this is the ultimate opportunity to
provide your guests with a comforting sanctuary. A soothing,
welcoming and relaxing soundscape of jazzy or classical music
perhaps? It all depends on your particular context and brand, of
course.
Another thing to consider is music’s influence on time perception.
As it turns out, different music styles have different effects on how
we perceive the passing of time. Fast, loud, complex and familiar
music all make waiting times seem longer. So if your check-in
process sometimes takes a bit longer than you would like, it might
pay off to play soft, slow, easy and unfamiliar music in the lobby.
Waiting times will be perceived as being shorter.
BAR & RESTAURANT
This is where you can quickly monetize on your music. We
will share some insights from scientific studies and how to
benefit from them. Slow music makes people act more
slowly. It will lengthen the average visit and, yes, it has
been studied that people take less bites per minute when
dining with slow music in the background.
As an effect, it turns out that slower music results in higher
spendings on drinks, as people stay a bit longer and take
some extra time for their conversations and meals. The
same goes for softer music. So if your aim is to keep
people in your bar/restaurant and maximize revenues per
guest, slow and soft music will do the trick. If your aim is
quick turnover and multiple dinners per table per night with
a buffet for example, faster and louder music is more
suited.
 POOL AND GYM
As always, music has to be appropriate and valuable. In
the gym, you might want to help people get into the vibe
with some more energetic music. Think EDM (electronic
dance music) or anything lively that suits your image.
Keep the volume modest, as not all hotel gym users are
hardcore body builders.
Pool or spa areas are generally better off with a more
more quiet and relaxed vibe. Something relaxing and
subtle might just take the edge off after a long flight or
an intense day of business meetings. Try and find
something close to your core brand sound and create a
calmer version of it.
 SHOP & RETAIL
If your hotel includes some kind of retail space, keep
in mind that purchasing behavior is heavily
influenced by environmental cues, among which
music is key. Studies have shown that more
sophisticated or complex music (think classical or
jazz as opposed to pop) boosts perceived quality,
willingness to spend money and increased sales.
 THE ROOM
The room is a different experience
altogether. Here the guest needs full control.
Why not put a bluetooth speaker in every room so
guests can hook up their own smartphones and
enjoy their own music?
Another alternative is to have your own branded
selection of music offered on the TV's in-room. It
is little details such as these that turn a good
experience into a great one.
 BRANDED MUSIC
Of course you also want your music to reflect and enhance your brand image. A
combination of sight, sound and scent can trigger extremely strong associations.
Particularly for worldwide hotel chains, it can be rewarding to create recognizability. A
guest will feel right at home, even though he or she has never been to this specific
property before. The best way to create recognizability is to be specific. 90% Of
mainstreet businesses play generic pop music. A safe choice which results in a generic,
vague and unmemborable image. Dare to go for something different. Maybe your formula
is all about Blues or Baroque. Be special.
 MUSIC RIGHTS
If you were to start approaching the musical atmosphere of your hotel in this fashion,
things can quickly turn complicated and expensive when it comes to music rights.
These are fees to compensate the rights holders (artists, record labels, songwriters
and publishers) of the music that you are using their copyrights in your hotel.
Luckily, there is a new alternative to the old system: Direct Licensing.
Direct licensing is music that is sourced directly from the artist, without unnecessary
middle-men or intermediaries. This is not only a more simple solution, it also saves a
lot of money every year. Back in the days, directly licensed music was often of lower
quality than commercial music. That is no longer the case now that music production
and licensing has been democratized and globalized in recent years.
 EMBRACING
TECHNOLOGY
Creating a worthwhile musical atmosphere has become
extremely easy. All you need is an audio system and an
internet connection. For maximum flexibility you can
opt for a streaming system. The music is piped to your
hotel over the internet in real time.
But perhaps your connection is not perfectly stable, or
for security or bandwidth reasons you do not want the
constant data load of streaming music. In this case, you
can opt for an offline mode where the playlists are
downloaded to any modern device that you use to play
music.
 KEY STATS
40% 67%
Increased spending on drinks by playing Of people find it unimportant that the
slow music in a bar or restaurant. music played in businesses is popular
and recognized from the radio.
Source: Milliman Source: Heartbeats International
GETTING STARTED
It is safe to conclude that music is a crucial element in
the overal experience you offer your guests. The
technical, financial and rights-related challenges and
investments have shrunk massively over the past
years. At the same time, we have gained a much
deeper understanding of how the guest experience is
built up and how music affects it. In our current
experience-economy, music is something that is due
your full attention. Let’s build even better guest
experiences together!