Hotel soaps for export

Visitors to an Oakwood property in Asia should take time to smell and enjoy the shampoo and the rest of the bath line. Chances are the elegantly packaged bath gel, lotion, shampoo and conditioner with musky, woody notes are made in the Philippines.

When Oakwood first put up the Oakwood Premier Ayala Center in 1998, one of its flagship properties in Asia, the hospitality chain discovered local supplier Gemma Suzara, perfumer and directress of The Olfactory, who studied natural fragrances in Argentina, Opting to work with flowers, seeds and spices, she has mastered the ancient craft of perfumery.

Aside from Oakwood Premier Ayala Center, The Olfactory supplies the fragrances and bath lines to Oakwood properties in India, Japan, Korea, among other countries.

Suzara initially created a bath line with the fragrance of bergamot, a refreshing, citrus-based scent. In keeping with the premier image of this Oakwood property at the heart of the business capital of the Philippines, the line was designed and packaged – along with other services and amenities – to help guests distinguish the establishment from similar ones.

"We selected Olfactory because they were able to develop a custom product for Oakwood that was based on quality of ingredients and unique fragrances," says Paul Prescott, vice president of development and technical services for Oakwood Asia Pacific. "Gemma was one of the few professionals we could locate producing custom products for the hospitality industries that also assured us of individuality and the blend we needed to create the feelings we sought to associate with each brand. Olfactory’s products are exported to most countries around the world without adaptation – even Japan – because of the natural ingredients she uses."

A pioneering effort of Oakwood, which had established itself principally in the US as a provider of corporate housing, the Ayala Center project attempted to blend the services and furnishings offered by luxury hotels with the convenience and roominess of a self-contained residential apartment unit.

Today, Oakwood Premier Ayala Center’s consistently high occupancy rates and high guest return rate verify that the concept is very much appreciated by guests who have been given a new option. According to Al Legaspi, resident manager of the Makati establishment, a high guest return rate means that an Oakwood guest is likely to stay in the property each time he visits Makati.