Gone. Those days a hotel's only requirement was to provide their guests with the basics of a decent nights' rest and solitude. A breakfast, too, sufficiently memorable to get a mention sometime later from our memory traps.
Then, there are hotels whose memories are those of the sound of the ocean boisterously playing on the rocks below or that of a bathtub positioned for a side helping of mountain views covered in the white stuff you'd pumped your adrenaline on.
Neither will your memory let go anytime soon of that Michelin star-worthy dinner had on the second to last night of your holiday.
But have you ever walked into a hotel's lobby, and as well as your ears, eyes, your nose awakens? A scent so emotive, it stays with you long after you've left, springing out at you like a 'Jack out of the Box' when you least expect it? As if you were there.
Hotel companies know our memories will hold on tight to their perfumed grand hallways and scented lobbies, taking us back to our favourite properties around the world.
What's that all about?
Well, your preferred hotels and resorts have cottoned on that the more of your sensories they implore, the more impressive your stay. Of course, the more memorable your stay, the better chances of drawing you back. That way, everyone wakes up smelling the roses or citrus or sandalwood.
Which one may well depend on where in the world you are.
Is it uncanny then that your resident hodophile (and yes, that's a word, no, I'm serious) who'd unintentionally been gathering hotel mugs also has a little stash of hotel fragrances? At a time when travel can be a little sticky, what's the next best means of escaping than through the scent they had danced at your nose as your heels clicked on those Italianate tiles of their hallways, you like to court?
And while you may very well forget what harmonies danced at your ears, what shade of purple the florals were, or even which oriental dynasty's vase adorned its lounge, their scent will linger in your memory. Vividly revealing itself to you long after you've left.
It was such a memory that unfolded itself as I stirred out of bed this morning. As if I was stretching in between the crisp sheets of St Regis' Saadiyat Island Resort.
Are you missing your favourite hotels? Make as if you are there, let these fragrances take you back.
Their hotel designs strike it cool into the neighbourhoods they occupy. Their architecture is inviting. Their crowd the tech-savvy, fashion-forward tailored Millenials.
Distinctive - the W Candle blend, opening with a lush, earthy mix of Sicilian figs tantalised with sensual sandalwood.
Bring the scent of your favourite W Hotel home with you; this one is sure to leave you smiling.
W Hotels' The W Candle, a blend of figs, jasmine and sandalwood
Hotel: ST REGIS HOTELS & RESORTS
Close your eyes and make-believe your gliding down the impressive staircase of the five star St Regis, Saadiyat Island or sashaying through the gilded lobby of their flagship New York City hotel.
Notes of fresh green stems mingle with delicious American Beauty roses' followed by a delicate quince trail.
Spritz the St Regis room spray around the home and imagine your back in one of their opulent, luxurious worldwide resorts.
St Regis Signature Room Fragrance, a signature scent of American Beauty roses, white lilies, apple, cherry blossoms and quince.
Hotel: SOFITEL HOTELS & RESORTS
Escape to your favourite Sofitel city hotel or beach resort with this scent that lingers with you and with you long after you've left.
Sofitel has bottled their scent, helping you recreate and reconnect with them long after you've stepped foot inside one of their sophisticated properties. The fragrance is delicately sweet, with a lingering cloud of vanilla. Immerse the home in their signature perfume. The scent is a room filler.
Sofitel's Essence de Sofitel Reed Diffusers, a beautiful tussle of (lemon leaf, bergamot, cardamom, basil / White rose, jasmine, lily of the valley / white sandalwood/patchouli, french vanilla, mush)
Hotel: THE DORCHESTER HOTEL
Special. Those milestone birthdays, anniversaries and honeymoons you choose to have stamped with The Dorchester's old-world charm. Release the warmth of their blend of fig and cassis candle fragrance.
Light this candle at home. Elegant notes of cassis and fig invite you back to your retreat on a cold winter's night off London's busy streets to one of The Dorchester's elegant rooms.
The Dorchester Hotel's Fig and Cassis Candle
Is there another hotel chain as legendary for its consistency in delivering exceptional service to its guest as a Four Seasons Hotel does? I think not.
Trigger your flight to a crackling fireplace at Four Seasons country resort with their Country Escape Candle. That first whiff sends you off to your happy place, adventuring through bold earthy scents of the woods.
When finally you leave the comforts of such a place, you may well find yourself asking why doesn't the rest of the world smell this way?
Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts' Country Escape Candle, a stimulating mix of Canadian Cedarleaf, Cardamom, Clove, Green Foliage, Moss, Orris, Leather, Cedar, Sandalwood
Hotel: WESTIN HOTELS & RESORTS
Westin, a brand more synonymous for its world-renowned Heavenly Bed guaranteeing nights of blissful sleep, has too captured a fragrance to compliment this. The White Tea is delicate on the nose, fused with the comforting scent of vanilla and grounded in cedar, remains soothing on the senses.
Westins' White Tea Scent Sticks, a beautiful balance of white tea, vanilla and cedar
Has your preferred hotel bottled or waxed a signature scent for you to take home? A little memory for all the times you wished you were there?
