In this week’s episode of Unpacked by AFAR, we dive into the surprisingly curated world of hotel music.
Think back to the last time you stayed at a hotel: Did you notice the music playing? Maybe, maybe not. Either way, that music was likely highly curated. In this week’s episode of Unpacked, we explore how that music comes together—and the psychology behind it all.
Host Rachel Parsons speaks with everyone from the CEO of a company that curates music for hotels to a music psychologist who shares why music is so effective in creating memories and moods.
Read the transcript here: https://rebrand.ly/zqpqnhq
Discover more episodes of the podcast here: https://www.afar.com/podcasts/unpacked
----
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Think back to the last time you stayed at a hotel: Did you notice the music playing? Maybe, maybe not. Either way, that music was likely highly curated. In this week’s episode of Unpacked, we explore how that music comes together—and the psychology behind it all.
Host Rachel Parsons speaks with everyone from the CEO of a company that curates music for hotels to a music psychologist who shares why music is so effective in creating memories and moods.
Read the transcript here: https://rebrand.ly/zqpqnhq
Discover more episodes of the podcast here: https://www.afar.com/podcasts/unpacked
----
CONNECT WITH AFAR
Afar.com is a digital and print magazine that publishes travel tips, guides, news, and stories: https://www.afar.com
Get updates on the latest articles, travel news, and more from AFAR by signing up for the AFAR newsletter: https://afar.com/newsletters
Follow AFAR on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AfarMedia
Follow AFAR on Twitter: https://twitter.com/afarmedia
Follow AFAR on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/afarmedia
Follow AFAR on Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/afarmedia
Category
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TravelTranscript
00:00 I'm Aisling Green, Associate Director of Podcasts here at afar, and this is Unpacked,
00:08 the podcast that tackles one tricky topic in travel every week.
00:12 Today, we're exploring the surprisingly intentional world of hotel music.
00:17 Our guide is Rachel Parsons, a multimedia journalist and host of the solo travel series
00:22 The Peregrine Dame.
00:24 Rachel, who splits her time between London and LA, was sitting in a hotel lounge when
00:28 she overheard someone actively monitoring the music in the room.
00:33 Suddenly she was paying attention to it in a way she never had before, and she wanted
00:36 to know what exactly is happening behind the scenes.
00:40 To answer her questions, she spoke with everyone from the CEO of a company that curates music
00:45 for hotels, to a music psychologist who shares why music is so effective in creating memories
00:50 and moods.
00:51 Let's listen in.
00:52 One of my favorite indulgences is a good cocktail at a nice hotel bar.
01:03 The high design, sophisticated atmosphere, flattering lighting, the mood just right,
01:11 and the music?
01:12 Well, never given it much thought really, but the hotel sure has.
01:17 The second you step foot in a hotel, specifically a hotel, you know, every aspect of that experience
01:23 has been thought about.
01:25 Music makes people feel good, feel bad, feel exhilarated, feel depressed.
01:30 We're thinking, as soon as a guest crosses over the threshold of that door, how do we
01:35 want to make them feel?
01:37 Sometimes you feel that this song is a good song, but it's playing at the wrong time.
01:43 I play the song at the right time, and it underpins my entire sensory experience.
01:49 Maybe I'll stay for another, but I won't necessarily know why.
01:55 Music in hotel spaces goes back a long way.
01:58 Musicians have played in lounges, lobbies, bars, and restaurants for centuries.
02:02 In the 20th century, technology changed how, when, and what kind of music filled the room.
02:08 In high-end hotels around the world today, that music is painstakingly curated.
02:14 And in a post-pandemic world, when people are looking to buy experiences rather than
02:18 things, hotel music is money, according to Ambi's CEO, Gideon Chain.
02:25 It depends how you value it, but it could be a $20+ billion industry, if you look at
02:32 the amount of properties that exist globally.
02:36 Ambi is a UK-based technology company.
02:39 It curates and supplies massive, customized libraries of music to hotels.
02:44 Through its app, managers can choose, reject, or change soundtracks instantly.
02:50 Ambi serves about 600 hotel brands in Britain, the US, Europe, and Asia.
02:55 The company builds and constantly refreshes tailored playlists for each.
03:00 And if that sounds like a lot of playlists, you ain't heard nothing yet.
03:04 [MUSIC]
03:06 One of Ambi's clients is the Andaz Liverpool Street in London.
03:10 It's lodged next to one of the most hectic train stations in one of the most frenetic
03:15 corners of the financial district.
03:18 The hotel was built in 1884.
03:21 Its exterior is all grand Victorian architecture.
03:24 But inside, it's elegantly funky, a calm escape from the chaos outside.
03:30 >> We have the lobby and the gallery has the same sound profile.
03:34 >> Keren Sooner is the food and beverage director.
03:37 >> Then we have Miyako, our Japanese restaurant.
03:40 We have Lady A.
03:43 We have Rakes and the Parlor.
03:45 We have Eastway and 1901 Wine Bar.
03:49 >> The Andaz also has a gym and spa, each with its own music design or sound profile.
03:55 >> In the old days, we would have music, but it wasn't controlled.
03:59 Music was played by compact discs.
04:03 We hooked a laptop or we played a compilation CD, and the CD would stop and
04:07 the music would stop, and then maybe for a while we wouldn't have music.
04:12 What we want now is we want to combine everything, all the elements of
04:17 a restaurant, decoration, food, and the music, and
04:21 give a full experience to clients, a full, comfortable experience.
04:25 We want them to leave happy.
04:27 We want them to smile.
04:29 >> Frankly, I've never considered whether a hotel soundtrack left me smiling or
04:34 if I even noticed it.
04:36 But it's become such an important factor in bar and
04:39 restaurant design that it's no longer an afterthought for the Andaz.
04:43 >> When we have a space, we have an empty space and
04:48 we have meetings with architects.
04:51 We have meetings with kitchen bar designers.
04:54 We have meetings with light designer.
04:56 We're now also hiring a music engineer, a music consultant.
05:01 And it is literally just like you put a candle on the table or
05:06 you dim the lights, music is also taking a role as such.
05:10 >> So when I stop in the Andaz's pub, Lady Haberkorn's,
05:14 I might drink with David Bowie.
05:17 [MUSIC]
05:26 Ray Charles.
05:28 [MUSIC]
05:36 Or Leon Bridges.
05:39 [MUSIC]
05:53 All good company.
05:55 If I decide on a refined afternoon tea or
05:57 glass of red in the 1901 Wine Lounge though,
06:00 the music shifts to something more seductive.
06:04 [MUSIC]
06:06 In the Andaz alone, there may be 70 songs in a playlist.
06:10 Multiply that by six or seven playlists per venue that change dynamically
06:15 depending on the time of day and the crowd, times nine unique venues.
06:21 That's more than 4,000 music tracks for one hotel.
06:25 All curated to reinforce each space's unique character.
06:28 Market research has shown that customers are 96% more likely to recall brands whose
06:35 music is tailored to their identities.
06:37 >> That's significant.
06:40 >> Gideon Chain from Ambie again.
06:41 >> And we've done some testing as well and
06:44 seen some amazing results in terms of increasing customer spend.
06:47 So like people who, they'd stay for dinner, but
06:50 then they'd leave and go somewhere else for a drink.
06:52 If you actually morph the space from a restaurant into a bar at the right time of
06:56 the night, using music and also lighting as well, those people could stay.
07:01 And they can have that experience there.
07:04 And so they're going to be buying drinks from you instead of from somewhere else.
07:08 >> We're all so manipulated.
07:09 >> [LAUGH] >> I don't mean that in a pejorative way,
07:13 but that, I mean, we know hotels particularly are, these are businesses,
07:17 they have business models, and this is part of their business model.
07:20 You just don't understand how multi-layered all of this is as far as
07:24 influencing customer behavior.
07:27 >> Absolutely, I mean, without a doubt, there is a lot going on behind the scenes,
07:31 a lot of different technologies and providers and
07:33 things happening gearing you towards certain things.
07:37 >> So, good for a hotel's bottom line.
07:40 But why is a nice coffee or
07:42 cocktail in a swanky setting not enough to keep butts in the seats?
07:46 What I want to know goes beyond market research.
07:50 Why is music that big a deal?
07:52 >> There are lots of different theories, and
07:53 there's lots of different people doing research on this.
07:56 There's a really popular theory which suggests that
07:58 music has effects on us in seven different ways.
08:02 >> This is Alex Lamont.
08:03 She's a professor of music psychology and
08:06 editor of the journal Psychology of Music.
08:09 And those seven effects can be broadly grouped into three categories.
08:13 So in a sense, what we've got there is sort of things that we're primed to do,
08:19 things that we learn through experience as a culture, and
08:22 things that we learn through our own individual experience.
08:25 And all of that is going into why music makes people feel good, feel bad,
08:29 feel exhilarated, feel depressed, and why it's so
08:33 powerful, because it's working on so many different levels.
08:36 [MUSIC]
08:37 >> The first level is the physiological one.
08:40 >> It works on our brain stem.
08:42 So the idea is that this is an evolutionary argument that music is somehow
08:47 fundamental to humanity, something that is done in every culture around the world.
08:52 And we are kind of primed to respond to music in the same way that we're
08:57 primed to respond to sound.
08:59 >> Then there are functions like rhythmic entrainment,
09:02 visual imagery, and music patterning.
09:05 Rhythmic entrainment is what happens when we sway, bob, or dance along to music.
09:11 For many of us, music conjures visual images that we associate with it.
09:15 And music patterning has to do with how we expect a piece of music to go, and
09:20 how it surprises us if it defies those expectations.
09:24 >> And there's another one which is about evaluative conditioning, it's called.
09:28 It's a bit like Pavlov and his dogs and his bells.
09:32 The idea is that when you hear particular types of sound,
09:35 you have particular reactions.
09:37 So that's another one that is very much learned.
09:39 So we're not born with those kinds of things.
09:42 But in certain cultures, certain musical instruments or
09:45 certain patterns mean particular things.
09:47 So we might say trumpets mean celebration, for example.
09:51 That's a good example there.
09:53 So we have those kind of, these are more learned kind of responses to music.
09:57 But they're things that come from being in a particular culture.
10:00 So they can vary depending on where you've grown up and
10:03 the kind of music that you've listened to.
10:04 >> So culturally, we're largely conditioned to feel energized,
10:08 even celebratory, when we hear upbeat music.
10:12 We might be predisposed to feel amorous when we hear sultry tunes.
10:16 But what hotels are banking on is a more personal psychological phenomenon Alex
10:20 calls episodic memory.
10:23 >> When we experience music,
10:25 we also connect it to the things that are going on at the time that we hear it.
10:30 And this is where I've done a lot of my own research about how music is so
10:33 important to people, is what it does to take you back to times, to places,
10:38 to people, that sort of personal story through music.
10:41 And our musical biography, if you like,
10:43 of the key bits of music that matter to us across the lifespan.
10:47 And those are highly, highly individual.
10:50 So we might say from Britain, we might say Elton John playing
10:53 Candle in the Wind at Princess Diana's funeral.
10:55 That's one that would probably evoke lots of emotions for people,
10:58 even if they weren't there, even if they didn't really know that much about it.
11:02 But it's a kind of a cultural moment, if you like.
11:05 But the majority of pieces of music like that are going to be individual.
11:08 And when we ask people about these,
11:10 they will come up with such different things that have the same resonances.
11:15 There's such a diversity when you get to those, but
11:18 it's another really, really powerful way of how music works.
11:21 >> In the context of a hotel,
11:22 the company is hoping its soundtrack becomes part of my musical biography.
11:26 [MUSIC]
11:29 So when I enjoy a relaxing brunch in the parlor at the Andaz,
11:33 listening to Soul to Soul.
11:35 [MUSIC]
11:40 Later when I hear the song elsewhere, I remember the parlor.
11:43 The connection my mind makes between the music, where I am and
11:47 what I'm doing, is also enmeshed in one last psychological effect.
11:52 The one Kerem Souner might have in mind when he says he wants guests to leave
11:56 happy and smiling.
11:57 It's called emotional contagion.
12:01 And it's a phenomenon Alex Lamont says is quite curious.
12:04 >> The idea here is that we are picking up on the emotions of the music.
12:08 We might also be picking up on the emotions of the people that are around us
12:12 when we're experiencing music.
12:13 So if we're all in a crowd and we're having a brilliant time,
12:16 you start to have more of a brilliant time if other people are also doing that.
12:20 So that's less perhaps learned and
12:22 more to do with the connections that we have through music.
12:25 So the fact that music brings us together and
12:27 reminds us of experiences and so on.
12:31 >> It's psychological alchemy.
12:33 [MUSIC]
12:43 The entire sensory experience in a high end hotel is designed so
12:49 we form good subconscious impressions and memories of it.
12:52 When those memories are reinforced by shared emotional connections with others,
12:57 it's magic.
12:59 But as Gideon Shane knows that knife cuts both ways.
13:03 >> The right song at the right time can just, it can change everything.
13:09 And that's, it's that emotive aspect of music, which by the way,
13:13 has a flip side, which is that the wrong song can completely kill the vibe.
13:18 >> If people don't like the music, they're not going to stay.
13:23 At the Andaz Liverpool Street, Ambie's technology lets Kerem go about his day.
13:28 If he hears the right song at the wrong time, in Rake's Cafe for example,
13:33 he can open Ambie's app and move the song to a playlist for a different time.
13:37 Ambie's curators constantly update playlists based on his feedback.
13:43 As attuned as Kerem Sounar is to music in his bars and restaurants though,
13:47 across town in London's West End, if it's possible,
13:51 another exec may be even more fastidious.
13:54 >> We invest a tremendous amount of time in creating these visually stunning spaces.
14:00 Why would we not put the same level of intention and
14:03 energy and focus into the audio experience?
14:08 >> Kristen Miller is the creative director for Nomad Hotels,
14:12 whose outpost in the theater district opened in 2021.
14:15 She estimates that she spends about 12 hours a week handpicking music for Nomad.
14:22 The hotel uses a company similar to Ambie that takes care of licensing and
14:26 feeds its playlists.
14:27 But Kristen has largely built those collections on her own.
14:30 [MUSIC]
14:33 Nomad London is in a registered historic building.
14:37 It was the Bow Street Magistrates Court and Police Station for
14:40 more than a century.
14:42 The building was finished in 1881.
14:45 The courtroom is now a ballroom.
14:47 Its famous defendants include Oscar Wilde and suffragettes Emmeline and
14:52 Christabel Pankhurst.
14:54 >> It was designed to be intimidating and kind of imposing based on the fact that
14:59 it was, the people showing up there were in some kind of trouble.
15:04 And so it has like a very grand physicality to it, but it's also designed
15:08 with a tremendous amount of elegance due to its proximity to the Royal Opera House.
15:14 >> It's right across the street.
15:15 >> The other thing that's super interesting about Nomad is that if you
15:18 look at images of the interior design from afar and you consider it theoretically,
15:24 you might expect the playlists and
15:27 the music program to actually be more traditional and more classical in some sense.
15:33 The story for us has always been about creating this idea of tension to some
15:36 degree, and tension not to make people feel uncomfortable, but
15:40 to actually make people feel more comfortable.
15:43 I think that we want to kind of balance that elegance with
15:48 a soundtrack that might be a little bit more unexpected.
15:52 And not for the sake of being defiant, but to actually bring fun and
15:57 these kind of like unexpected moments of curiosity and
16:01 also to create a little bit of a juxtaposition.
16:04 >> The opulence of the soaring atrium dining room and
16:07 plush library lounge could feel snooty and stiff.
16:11 But the soundtrack makes it feel familiar and accessible.
16:15 Walk into the dimly lit moody cocoon of the lobby and.
16:19 >> You could hear everything from Erica Badu.
16:22 [MUSIC]
16:26 To Charles Bradley.
16:27 [MUSIC]
16:34 New Order playing at brunch time on the weekends.
16:38 [MUSIC]
16:48 If you go into Side Hustle, you will definitely hear a lot of Dilla Soul.
16:53 >> Greetings girl and welcome to my world of phrasing right up to bat.
16:58 Is the Daisy A.D. about to walk top stage?
17:00 So wipe your lottos on the mat.
17:02 >> Some NWA, Tonga Konga.
17:05 [MUSIC]
17:10 >> That space lends itself more to the food and
17:13 beverage concept personality, which is a much more Southern California,
17:18 Mexican, very much kind of focused on Latin America.
17:22 So the playlist really reflects that point of view.
17:26 So yeah, again, I think it's always a little unexpected.
17:29 I think the music volume is louder than most people would expect.
17:34 It's a big part of the sensory experience.
17:36 >> For Kristen, that experience is defined in large part by tempo, but volume is key.
17:42 >> I've spent a tremendous amount of time,
17:45 not just adjusting the music in the spaces and the volume.
17:50 But actually spending time with our management team, getting them to
17:54 understand why and when they should be adjusting the volume of the spaces.
17:59 Sometimes we wanna under stimulate people,
18:01 sometimes we wanna over stimulate people.
18:03 And the volume is critical for that and it has to be done by human beings.
18:08 It can't be, it's not a black and white formula.
18:10 We can't say at 9 PM every single day, the music has to be at this decibel.
18:16 >> Staff have to be able to read the room and
18:18 all its variables to make the music work just right for guests.
18:22 After all, they are the paying audience.
18:25 >> But you've got another whole audience there and
18:27 arguably they spend more time in that hotel than the guests do.
18:30 So how does your staff like your music?
18:33 Cuz you could really, I mean, I have worked in retail in the past in other careers and
18:38 we all know that we'd like to kill someone the seventh time you've heard a song in
18:42 an hour on a loop.
18:44 So what kind of feedback do you get from your staff?
18:48 >> I think for the most part they love it.
18:51 I think they're amazed that we're playing NWA in side hustle and
18:59 that they basically get to walk around their room as a server inside us or
19:03 bopping along to the soundtrack and I see that happening every day.
19:08 We have our bartenders literally dancing behind the bar sometimes in common
19:13 decency, that is not an uncommon sight.
19:16 And when they really have that energy to support their mood or
19:20 lift their mood sometimes when they're super busy and stressed and
19:25 it becomes a point of conversation with a guest which happens a lot.
19:29 I think it's something they feel really good about.
19:32 >> Like the Andaz, Nomads playlists are long.
19:36 And there are so many of them for each of its four spaces that employees
19:39 aren't in too much danger of revolt from hearing songs repeat.
19:42 In the end, if music makes a person's job a little more enjoyable,
19:48 it contributes to a kind of double bottom line.
19:52 Because as Alex Lamont says, music is going to affect each of us,
19:56 often in ways of which we're not consciously aware.
19:58 There's the obvious, perhaps cynical answer to why hotels spend so
20:03 much time on music.
20:05 It's part of an immersive package painstakingly designed to influence us to
20:09 spend more time and money, to form associations and connections with their brand.
20:15 But for everyone involved in designing those experiences,
20:20 like Gideon Shane at Ambie, there's also a philosophical answer.
20:23 >> Yeah, we live in a pretty strange world at the moment.
20:28 Maybe it was strange pre-COVID, but it's definitely strange post-COVID.
20:31 [LAUGH] And I think we strongly believe that music is kind of even more
20:39 important now, and I know that we're biased in a way because obviously it is
20:43 a service that we provide, but we truly believe that in the world that we live in
20:48 now, and especially in businesses, people go out less, and when they do go out,
20:52 they want to have an incredible experience.
20:55 And so it's even more important that the music is incredible and
20:58 the lighting is incredible.
21:00 The music can have such a, not just a calming impact, but
21:03 also just take you to a good place if it's done right.
21:06 And I think we've never needed that more than now.
21:11 >> And now that I've had a peek behind the curtain, I have a deeper appreciation of
21:15 the subtle ways my favorite hotels are trying to sway me, but it's okay.
21:20 I think I'll stay for another drink.
21:22 [MUSIC]
21:30 >> Well, to quote ABBA, thank you for the music, Rachel.
21:33 I know that I'll be paying much closer attention the next time I settle in for
21:36 a cocktail at my hotel bar.
21:39 And that's it for this week.
21:40 To learn more about Ambie, the company Rachel interviewed, visit ambie.fm.
21:45 And if you want to hear more from music psychologist Alex Lamont,
21:48 you can follow her on Twitter @Alex_Lamont.
21:51 And finally, if you want to explore more of Rachel's work,
21:54 visit rachelparsons.com.
21:56 And a special thanks to Ambie for providing some of the tracks you heard today,
21:59 as well as to the British Psychological Society.
22:02 Ready for more unpacking?
22:05 Visit afar.com and be sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter.
22:09 We're @afarmedia.
22:11 If you enjoyed today's exploration, I hope you'll come back for
22:14 more great stories.
22:15 Subscribing makes this easy.
22:17 You can find Unpacked on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or
22:20 your favorite podcast platform.
22:23 And be sure to rate and review the show.
22:24 It helps other travelers find it.
22:27 This season, we also want to hear from you.
22:29 Is there a travel dilemma, trend, or topic you'd like us to explore?
22:33 Email us at unpacked@afar.com.
22:37 This has been Unpacked, a production of Afar Media.
22:40 The podcast is produced by Aislinn Green and Mickey Galteland.
22:43 Music composition by Chris Gollin.
22:46 And remember, the world is complicated.
22:48 We're here to help you unpack it.
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