Question of the Day - 07 January 2015

When it comes to casino operations, very little is not done on purpose, from the carpeting to the lack of clocks, and you pretty much already answered your own question, but we’ll refer to the official "Air Aroma" company website and allow them to elaborate: "Scent branding is more than just diffusing a pleasant fragrance in a space. It is the art of taking a company’s brand identity, marketing messages, target audience and matching these with a fragrance that amplifies these branding aspects."

If you, the customer, are able to "remember each hotel separately," then we'd say the "branding" part of the mission was accomplished. Whether you now have a "longer-lasting emotional connection" with these three hotels isn’t entirely clear from your question, but the fact that you’re inquiring as to whether you can take their aromas home with you (you can, but more of that to follow) would seem to indicate complete success as far as the two non-gaming hotels you mention are concerned.

However, there's more to it. As rival scent marketer and casino supplier AromaSys puts it: "Smell is the only sense which bypasses mental judgment and interpretation. It goes straight to the center of our emotions making it the most influential [of the senses] ... In a controlled experiment comparing the takings of slot machines in a fragranced and non-fragranced environment over a set period of time, fragrance was shown to have a positive effect on takings. The scented area saw an uplift of 45%."

Aha! Hence, the remaining question would be, did you gamble more at Aria than you did at a less-pleasingly or totally un-scented other casino? If so, that would be an olfactory hat-trick!

The somewhat contentious subject of the artificial aromas pumped into casinos (and other public spaces) is one that we've tackled more than once over the years, both in this column (2/22/06, 10/20/08, 4/17/11) and in a Reader Poll, inspired by one of those QoDs, which generated all kinds of interesting feedback (click the link to check it out). While the vaguely sinister connotations of mind control (the "bypassing mental judgement" part sounds distinctly dubious) that are cited above are certainly a factor in the use of these fragrances, there's also a far more pedestrian and practical reason for their employ. It's the exact same one for which we all use air fresheners at home, at work, or in our car, namely to mask the unpleasant odor that might otherwise pervade. The average casino floor, hosting thousands of smoking, sweating, beer-spilling, belching, flatulent, and sometimes unwashed (did we go too far?!) patrons would almost certainly not make for a pleasant olfactory experience, were the air to be left au naturale (memories of the Western, anyone?). If, as the manufacturers claim, pumping in the right perfume can also make you stay longer and play more, that's a definite win-win situation for them and win for you (or at least for your nose).

We previously used the word "contentious" and not only in relation to the manipulative powers attributed to these scents, but also because they have been associated with certain health issues. Often the aromas are comprised not of natural ingredients but of synthetic replicas: In our own survey, a total of eight percent of the 2,500 respondents claimed to have had allergic reactions to pumped-in casino fragrances. As recently as 2013, a former employee of the Monte Carlo was suing MGM Resorts and AromaSys under the Americans with Disabilities Act, claiming damage caused by the use of known allergens in the fragrance blend where she worked. Questions were also raised as to whether the aromas were being used to disguise the prevalence of second-hand smoke. We're not sure what the outcome of that case was, nor of the several similar complaints that have been lodged with the American Lung Association, but it's certainly an ongoing bone of contention.

AromaSys no longer names any clients on its official website, so we can't confirm if there was any fallout (no pun intended) from that lawsuit, but they were certainly the pioneers in Las Vegas, starting with the Polynesian aroma that debuted with the Mirage in '89. Subsequently, they've been responsible for the coconut scent at Mandalay Bay, the blend of lemon and ginger at the spa at Encore, and the signature scents at Caesars Palace, Luxor, Venetian, MGM Grand, and the aforementioned Monte Carlo.

Of the numerous other scented Las Vegas casino properties/operators, many are listed as among Air Aroma's clientele, including Venetian, SLS, Morgans Hotel Group, Cosmo's Marquee nightclub, and Mandarin Oriental.

It's a complex business and often one property will have numerous custom aromas in use throughout its various distinct areas. For example, back in 2006 when Treasure Island was still part of the MGM group, we were helpfully provided with the following breakdown for that hotel and its then-sister property Mandalay Bay. Some of these zones (like the Sirens lingerie store) no longer exist, but it's an instructive overview of how much attention is paid to this issue:

Many of the scents are, as we mentioned, custom and proprietary, so they're not available to the general public for purchase. Some of them are, however, including:

• Mandarin Oriental's "Bamboo Garden": The hotel purchases the oil in bulk to pump throughout the property but it is available to the public via essential-oil infused sticks which may be purchased in tubes of 15 for $30 from the spa. (Note: If you're not a guest of the hotel, the spa is on the 8th floor, which is not accessible via the main elevator. You need to take the hotel elevator up to the 25th floor, then transfer to the guest elevator and take it down to the 8th floor, which does not require a hotel room key for access, we were assured by the helpful concierge, who also advised that one tube of those sticks would likely serve to perfume your home for up to three months.)

• Venetian's "Seduction" aroma was available for purchase in aerosol form from the Venezia Gift Shop the last time we checked. The store had just closed for the day when we tried to check yesterday evening, but we'll confirm if you can still buy the sprays and if so, for how much, as soon as we can speak with a representative.

• Vdara has two signature scents available in infused-stick form: choose from the "Green Fig" smell of the lobby or ESPA's "Pink Grapefruit." Both retail at $30 for a set of 20 sticks. You can also buy Vdara Signature Candles - a 7.5 oz "Berry & Grapefruit" will set you back $25 at Vdara at Home.

• Aria has its own signature "Asian Garden" aroma, plus the spa's "Jade Garden" and Crystals shopping mall's "Orchid" fragrance all available in stick-diffuser form in the Elements gift store for $24.95 (20 sticks).

One casino aroma that you definitely cannot purchase, however, is Palms' "Teakwood". This is on account of the experiment with a pumped-in fragrance at that property -- something former owner George Maloof admits he allowed himself to be talked into against his better judgement -- being extremely short-lived. "The place literally stinks. I’d almost rather smell the smoke," observed one tourist in his online review, and evidently he was not alone. The property's 2010 experiment with a signature fragrance lasted less than a month.