Closeup portrait of woman wafting air to nostrils to smell better, isolated on white background

A strong stench (like marijuana) has long been enough to scare customers away from hotels. But now hotels are using the power of smell to attract more customers to their properties.

Hotels from Italy to New York are developing signature scents for their properties, which they pump through both public areas and private rooms, and even place in the lotions and soaps provided to guests, reports the Washington Post.

Hotels hope these scents, which sound a lot like expensive candles, will be able to foster a positive opinion of their businesses by loading guests’ senses with something comforting and pleasant.

Kathy LaTour, a branding expert and associate professor at the Hotel School at Cornell University, told The Washington Post that a nice scent is something hotel owners can easily and somewhat inexpensively add. She says these smells make a positive impact on the memory and emotions of the guest, which make it all the more likely that they will return.

For more on the growing prevalence of signature scents in hotels, read the rest of the Washington Post’s story here.