Giorgos Papachatzis, the Greek perfumer and creator of JOUR NAPER, the first niche perfume brand, underlines the ground that bath amenities have already gained in Greece, from travel-size perfumes to aromatherapy body lotions and even special aromatherapy welcome gifts!
Your profession is quite unconventional for the Greek standards. You are the only “nose” in Greece. How did everything begin?
Since I was a child I used to love this invisible power of perfumes, affecting our psyche. I became familiar by collecting essential oils and perfumes, while, afterwards, I remember myself experimenting with the chemistry of perfumes. I was intrigued by this magical blend of distillates from woods, balsams, flowers, resins and citrus fruits. This when I realised that this was the future I wanted. To become the first Greek perfume maker that would place our country to the international perfume making industry through perfume formulas that would boost self confidence, eroticism, memories, joy, even the innermost sides of our personality.
“The invisible power of perfumes is directly connected with our subconscious”
In 2019, after my studies in France, I created my own brand of niche perfumes (as “niche” fragrance is considered a small-scale fragrance, based on essential oils with formulas that reflect the inspiration of their creator). With goddess Aphrodite on the packaging of our products (who the first that taught women in the ancient world to use fragrances in order to express their inner beauty), as a modern version of Aphrodite, we want to boost self confidence and eroticism through our high-quality perfumes that are famous for their special character and their longevity. JOUR NAPER features 15 unisex eau de parfums and the home collection that flourished during the period of the pandemic, when people felt the imperative need to invest in tasteful aromatic candles and room perfumes.
How did you manage to introduce your fragrances to boutique hotels?
Apart from the great success we have in popular concept stores, boutiques, beauty salons, and barber shops in Greece, Cyprus, France, Italy, the USA, etc., we also offer opportunity to create customized fragrances both for bespoke and room perfumes. Our way to hotels opened thanks to a boutique hotel in Athens that asked us to create customized collections of aromatic candles (offered as welcome gifts), room diffusers and bath amenities, with a fragrance that guests would only identify with the hotel. The good reviews multiplied our orders. Today, 40% of JOUR NAPER sales are based on the hotel industry.
“Today, 40% of JOUR NAPER sales are based on the hotel industry.”
Why a perfume is such an important part for a hotel?
According to psychologists, smell affects 75% of our feelings, it has a significant impact on our memory, reduces stress levels and improves concentration. So, you realize that the invisible power of perfumes is directly connected with our subconscious. Thus, perfuming or sophisticated bath amenities in a hotel can make guests feel connected with the accommodation experience it offers. This is what the new trend in the international hotel industry represents, known as “Scent Marketing”. This concept promises to improve the turnover of abusiness or a hotel through pleasant scents, as according to surveys, these can not only uplift the well being ofguests, but also boost their consumer behaviour.
As a perfumer, on what criteria do you choose the scent you will give a hotel?
We choose the perfume notes always in agreement with our customers, based on the vibes we want to create, the target group and the memory they want their guests to have. Location plays also an important role, and the same goes for design and space. For example, have you noticed that hotel spas have always aromas reminiscent of forests, nature or sea? As for the location, in a waterfront hotel that operates seasonally, we focus on a combination of citrus fruits, sea salt, white flowers, vanilla and musk that compose a refreshing feeling. In the case of an industrial-style urban hotel, maybe we wish to give a darker energy with the notes of sandalwood, vanilla, cedar wood and amber. The majority of hotels want to have a luxurious and fresh smell.
Could you give us some examples of hotels with a fragrant philosophy?
Westin was one of the first hotel chains, with a discreet luxurious scent that combines cedar wood, vanilla, and white tea. Mandarin Oriental Hotel & Spa in Hyde Park, London, that stands out with their characteristic scent of Mandarin’s spa, with notes of Indian sandalwood, French jasmine, patchouli and plumeria, with the exact same fragrance given in the candles that guests can purchase when they leave. This is what the Greek perfume brand JOUR NAPER offers; by integrating the scent of a hotel into candles, diffusers and room and linen sprays that can be bought by guests. Since I mentioned sprays, thefamous hotel brand “W”, is also worth of reference, with an amazing room spray lingering in the rooms, characterized by notes of lemon tree, green tea and bay leaves that is sold in its hotels and e-shop as well. We should not forget the famous Sacher Hotel in Vienna which has the scent of chocolate as its thematic and offers chocolate-smelling bath amenities, while its spa offers the whimsical menu “Τime to Chocolate” offering chocolate therapies. Last but not least, there is the legendary Les Bains Hotel in Paris, which launched the “Les Bains Guerbois” perfume brand with each of its perfume or room fragrance being inspired by the stories and personalities that have marked this place!
“This is also subject to the new marketing rules, according to which hotels should offer a holistic accommodation experience.”
So you think that bath amenities are an independent chapter for a hotel?
This is also subject to the new marketing rules, according to which hotels should offer a holistic accommodation experience. Low-quality soaps have been replaced by bath amenities with attractive scents, luxurious or eco-friendly packaging, and natural ingredients that are also skin and nature friendly. Statistics have shown that customers had a better impression for hotels that offered high-quality bath amenities. The smell of common spaces (lobby, spa, bar, restaurants, gyms, meeting rooms) is a substantial chapter by itself.
“As a result, a charming fragrance in a hotel would be mood setting and increase the positive reviews and guests’ consumer behaviour!”
Do you think that Greek hotels are left behind in this sector?
Since the Greek audience was not particularly familiar with fragrances (as it was in France, the UAE, the USA, etc.), we definitely need to try more to persuade other hotels as well that smell (the second more important human sense after vision) plays a great role in the subconscious. As a result, a charming fragrance in a hotel would be mood setting and increase the positive reviews and guests’ consumer behaviour!
