Holiday Inn Express alarm clock wakes you by scent

Published on Sep 25, 2025, 2:29 pm CDT

5 min read

Holiday Inn Express is trialing a scent-based alarm clock across Asia Pacific, aiming to replace jarring wake tones with breakfast aromas. Beginning October 20, 2025, participating hotels in Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Thailand, and Japan will offer the limited-time device so travelers can choose a wake scent aligned to local tastes. The test leans on IHG research showing most travelers struggle with sleep and many skip breakfast on the road, while 58 percent say a pleasant smell helps them feel better in the morning. The pilot also reinforces the brand's free hot breakfast promise.

Key points

Why it matters: Gentler wake-ups could improve rest, mood, and on-time breakfasts.
Travel impact: Available October 20, 2025, at select APAC Holiday Inn Express hotels.
What's next: IHG will gauge feedback to decide on wider rollout.
Scent sets vary by country, reflecting local preferences.
Research underpinning the pilot polled more than 4,000 APAC travelers.

Snapshot

The Holiday Inn Express alarm clock uses a built-in diffuser to release a chosen aroma at a set time, replacing unfamiliar hotel alarm sounds. Scent options will differ by country, with Coffee, Bacon, and Blueberry Muffin offered in Australia and New Zealand; Mango in Singapore and Thailand; and Nashi Pear in Japan, alongside Coffee and Blueberry Muffin. The initiative is positioned as a world-first created by a hotel brand and ties directly to Holiday Inn Express's free hot breakfast. IHG says availability is limited to the pilot window starting October 20, 2025, and encourages guests to book participating properties in the region to try it.

Background

IHG's Essentials segment, which includes Holiday Inn Express, focuses on reliable sleep, efficient spaces, and value-adds such as breakfast. The brand has recently emphasized coffee partnerships and breakfast consistency as differentiators in the midscale category. According to IHG, travelers across Asia Pacific report difficulty falling or staying asleep during a typical week, and many admit to skipping breakfast when traveling. The scent-based alarm concept attempts to solve both challenges at once by prompting a calmer wake-up and nudging guests to take advantage of breakfast. The choice of localized scents supports cultural relevance while keeping the device simple to operate for short-stay business and leisure travelers.

Latest developments

Where and when the APAC pilot launches

IHG confirms the Breakfast Alarm Clock experience will be available from October 20, 2025, across Holiday Inn Express hotels in Australia and New Zealand, plus selected hotels in Singapore and Thailand, and properties in Japan. Guests select a wake time and an aroma capsule aligned to their destination. Countries will feature distinct lineups: Coffee, Bacon, and Blueberry Muffin in Australia and New Zealand; Mango alongside Coffee and Blueberry Muffin in Singapore and Thailand; and Nashi Pear with Coffee and Blueberry Muffin in Japan. The company describes the activation as a limited-time test designed to measure guest satisfaction, operational fit, and any housekeeping considerations before determining scale.

What the research says about smell and mornings

IHG cites a regional poll of more than 4,000 people indicating 58 percent believe a pleasant smell lifts their morning mood, especially away from home. The brand also notes high self-reported rates of sleep difficulty during a typical week among APAC travelers. Framing the project around these findings, Holiday Inn Express positions the breakfast-scent wake-up as a behavioral nudge toward a better morning routine, aligned with its free hot breakfast. Executives in the East Asia and Pacific region underscore that the initiative is meant to help guests reclaim mornings on work trips or short leisure stays, pairing sleep-friendly rooms with a motivating wake ritual.

Analysis

If the pilot delivers on guest satisfaction and operational practicality, Holiday Inn Express could carve out a quirky but on-brand differentiator in the crowded midscale segment. The device's appeal rests on three factors: a calmer wake-up than unfamiliar alarms, a sensory cue tied to free breakfast, and playful localization via regional scents. The idea is simple enough to scale, but it must clear hurdles. Housekeeping workflows, capsule supply, fragrance sensitivities, and local regulations around diffusers or allergens will need tight controls and clear in-room guidance. IHG's reliance on first-party research is a strength, but longer-term impact should be measured against hard outcomes such as breakfast capture rates, on-time check-outs, and post-stay review sentiment. If successful, expect competitors to test similar sensory nudges, from light-based alarms to coffee-timer integrations. For travelers, this is a low-effort perk that, if well executed, can improve rest quality and reduce the chance of missing breakfast or early transfers.

Final thoughts

Aroma-based wake-ups are not new in consumer gadgets, but bringing the concept to hotels with local flavor gives Holiday Inn Express a memorable, breakfast-forward twist. With the APAC pilot starting October 20, 2025, travelers can judge whether Mango, Nashi Pear, or Bacon beats a blaring ringtone. If adoption proves strong and operational issues are minimal, the brand may find a scalable advantage that aligns neatly with its value promise. Until then, this limited-time test is a smart, on-message experiment to make mornings gentler, tastier, and harder to sleep through-exactly the pitch behind the Holiday Inn Express alarm clock.