The meaning of a first impression is a thesis that aims to create a design for a hotel lobby, which can accommodate the needs of both the guests and the personnel in the best way possible. This study is based at the Scandic Park hotel in central Stockholm, were the lobby today appears to lack function. The desired effect of the design is to make the lobby area more enjoyable for the guest, and at the same time improve the flow of people through it. A detailed and thorough study of the lobby over different times and with different techniques suggests that the lobby is not a place where the guest wants to spend more time than necessary, it’s main function today appears to be as a transit hallway from the entrance of the hotel to the hotel rooms. The results of this study are used to create a design for an improved environment that not only welcomes the guest but that also shows them the identity that the Scandic Park’s management wishes to communicate. The creation and development of this design is also based on a study of relevant literature that includes, among others, theories of Spatial Design, Environmental Psychology, Servicescapes and Cognitive Psychology. The empirical data and the theories have helped me to create a design proposal that I believe conveys what Scandic Park stands for, while at the same time helping the guest to perceive and utilize an increased functionality in the lobby area. Hopefully this design will better accommodate the needs and wants that appear to be missing today, and at the same time promote the accessibility and the flow through the lobby.

Syfte & forskningsfrågor: Syftet med studien är att klargöra på vilka sätt hotell kan tillämpa sinnesorienterad marknadsföring i sin lobby för att förbättra sina gästers upplevelse och därmed stärka sin position på marknaden. Med syftet som bakgrund formulerades två forskningsfrågor: • Vilken betydelse har ett första intryck i en lobby och hur kan det påverkas av sinnesorienterad marknadsföring? • Hur kan en mer positiv kundupplevelse i lobbyn, via sinnesorienterad marknadsföring, vara stärkande för ett hotells varumärke? Metod: Studien är grundad i en kvalitativ forskningsmetod för att uppnå en djupare förståelse för ämnet. Forskningsansatsen började med deduktiva inslag för att sedan övergå till induktiv vid insamling av empiriskt material. Det empiriska materialet utgörs av åtta semistrukturerade intervjuer. Slutsatser: Resultatet i studien visar att ett första intryck av en hotellvistelse skapas i lobbyn. Därför har vi kommit fram till att det är viktigt att påverka gästens upplevelse i en positiv riktning i ett så tidigt skede som möjligt, då det första intrycket kommer prägla resten av vistelsen. För att kunna göra det är vår slutsats att hotell bör utforma en strategi för sinnesorienterad marknadsföring i sin lobby, för att förbättra gästens upplevelse och sin position på marknaden. / Purpose and research questions: The purpose of this study is to clarify how hotels can apply sensory marketing in their lobby to enhance their guest’s experience and thereby strengthen their position on the market. With the purpose as a background we formed two research questions: • What significance has a first impression in a lobby and how can it be influenced by sensory marketing? • How can a more positive customer experience in the lobby, through sensory marketing, be strengthening for a hotel brand? Method: The study is established in a qualitative research method to achieve a deeper understanding of the subject. The study is in the beginning based on a deductive character and are changing into a inductive character in the collecting of empirical material. The empirical material is collected from eight semi-structured interviews. Conclusion: The results of our study shows that a first impression of a stay at a hotel is created in the lobby. Therefor, we have come to the conclusion that it is important to affect the customer experience in a positive direction as early as possible, since the first impression will characterize the rest of the stay. In order to do that, our conclusion is that hotels need to implement a strategy of sensory marketing in the lobby, to enhance the guest experience and thereby their position on the market.