Each chain will offer two options, each rich in interior design verbiage:

Newly-updated Sheratons will be either “Revival” (“inspired by the Regency Revival of the early 20th century… furniture profiles have curved corners and textiles have curved interlocking patterns – all of which are complemented by the design’s rich color palette of camel and tan with accents of plum and black”) or “Heritage” (“inspired by the historic Regency period of the late 18th and early 19th century, when Thomas Sheraton created timeless furniture designs that are still used in interiors today… Notched arch details are featured in most furnishings and complemented by geometric patterns in the room’s textiles and carpets”). The photo above is an example of a Sheraton room. I can’t really discern whether it’s “Revival” or “Heritage.” Place your wagers.

The Westin design will similarly come in two flavors: “Classic” (“…takes inspiration from forms of Art Deco. The visual vocabulary is grounded in classicism but modernized through the selection of furniture pieces and color palette… Materials featured in the new room reference those found in natural settings including open grained walnut stained a dark chocolate brown with a satin finish and soft tones inspired by the outdoors…”) and “Modern” (“…contemporary, timeless sensibility without being trendy. Concise, linear qualities give the modern scheme an architectural feel. The guestroom is softened with organic textures that have subtle patterns and sustainable materials that are neutral in color.”)

That’s a lot of words. I still strain to make these descriptions tangible.

At the end of the day, it’s still nice to see the hotels refreshing their designs and incorporating some helpful efficiencies into the mix.

The neatest feature in the Westin room is a pull-out laptop table that doubles as a room service tray. Modularity!

The Sheraton rooms also have a modular theme: The ottomans slide underneath the armchairs to save space when you’re not stretching out your legs.

LED lighting (including night lights and reading lights) are part of the designs, too.

So where can you expect to see these designs? The first Westin hotels with new room designs will be the Westin Phoenix (opening February 2011) and the Westin Gaslamp Quarter in San Diego (undergoing renovation in early 2011). The first Sheraton hotels to be updated are the Sheraton Red Deer in Alberta (opening early 2011) and the Sheraton Syracuse University Hotel & Conference Center (to be renovated in early 2011).

The tide continues to turn against smokers at North American hotels. Sheraton and Four Points, both part of the Starwood group, are the latest to ban smoking at all properties in the U.S., Canada, and the Caribbean, much as their corporate cousin Westin did a few years earlier.

This isn’t just about the market responding to a smaller population of smokers, or a kindly gesture designed to improve your longevity. It’s also a way for the hotel to cut costs, since cleaning a smoky room is more time-consuming and expensive than cleaning a non-smoking room. And minimizing the variation between hotel rooms, by eliminating an entire class of rooms, makes it easier to manage inventory.

Nonsmokers are celebrating. Smokers are inevitably planning their boycott.

Related:
- Nicotine jitters: Another hotel chain goes non-smoking
- Smoking prohibitions: Hurdles and tradeoffs
- Marriott hotels to eliminate smoking in all its North American brands
- The captain has turned on the smoke-’em-if-you-got-’em sign…

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Last week, I spent a night at a Four Points Sheraton. It’s been little over a year since I’d been in one of their hotels, so I wasn’t mentally prepared for what awaited me. As I walked into the lobby and toward the front desk, I was accosted with a phony smelling scent of apple pie.

It was then that I remembered that pie was the chain’s schtick. (Sheraton-branded pies are even being served up in US Airways’ first class. Maybe that comes with an ad on the tray table, too.)

It was just about a year ago when I posted this:

And joining the trend of hotels pumping scents into the air, [Four Points] will start misting their public spaces with the scent of baking apple pie. Why apple pie? They did a survey, and found that it “will spur thoughts of childhood (27 percent), home (39 percent) and holidays (48 percent).” As much as I like apple pie, do you really think it’s a good idea to make road-weary business travelers think longingly of home and carefree youth?

I assure you, I thought of none of those things. Rather, I tried to pinpoint what it was that I was actually smelling.

I thought, “What’s that fake-smelling odor? Cinnamon?” As I waited, I recalled the press releases and e-mails promoting the scents. But apple pie? Not a chance. It was too phony-smelling.

I don’t know how the staff can handle being surrounded by that scented air for extended periods. (Much like I wonder how anyone can work at a Yankee Candle store, but that’s another matter.)

A fresh and clean smelling lobby is one thing. But the stifling, phony smell that the Four Points was pumping into the lobby gets the thumbs down. Consider a clothespin for your nose.

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“Sir, your upgrade didn’t clear, but your cello is riding in first!” Yes, your cello can earn frequent flyer miles, too.

“You sure smell nice. Have you been to an airport lately?” Airport advertising sprays passers-by with perfume. (via Coudal)

“How do you mispronounce ‘Mayday‘? What is it in Italian?” Alitalia flight declares emergency, but no one understands the pilots. Safety first!

“I bet you $20 you can’t get from Honolulu to Hilo for $20 each way!” Fare war in the islands, courtesy of Go!

“THESE people could really have used a $20 interisland Hawaii ticket…” Just click. A Piper can travel from Santa Barbara to Hawaii?!?!

“Welcome to the Sheraton Chicago. I’ll need an ID, credit card, and your Blackberry.” Check your e-mail at the door. Nice gimmick.

“There must be two Manchesters.” Indeed, there are. One is in New England, one is in Old England. Be sure you know the difference before you fly.

Omni Hotels is using scent machines to send a bouquet of lemongrass and green tea wafting through its lobbies, a whiff of mochaccino or sugar cookie in its coffee shops, and coconut sunscreen smells near the pools. Langham Hotels spritzes rooms with a ginger fragrance. The scents are designed to evoke specific emotions from guests. Westin hopes a whiff of white tea will help calm guests down and diffuse stress from their trips. Sheraton‘s fragrance [fig, clove, and jasmine] is supposed to make guests feel is if they belong. And soon, Starwood’s Four Points brand will use the tang of cinnamon to help guests feel comfortable. The company is also considering changing the scents to reflect each season.

Smell is of course a powerful memory trigger, and a pleasant smell sure beats the odor of cleaning fluids, smoke, or the chlorine from the pool. I just hope they don’t overdo it.

Introducing a smell is a greater risk than upgrading the beds. Cloves or white tea aren’t everyone’s cup of tea taste preference, and you risk alienating the guest with a scent that’s too overpowering.

What’s next? Will there be scented and unscented rooms?