Holiday Inn guests wake up to the sweet aroma of sizzling baconEmma KirkNewsWireTue, 23 September 2025 10:02PM
Holiday Inn Express guests no longer have to wake up to a blaring alarm, but can rise to the scent of bacon.
The hotel chain has introduced a breakfast alarm clock that will have guests jumping out of bed for their free breakfast.
The new in-room device helps wake guests with the irresistible breakfast smells of coffee, blueberry muffins or bacon.
Guests can trial the world first diffuser-style breakfast alarm clock with their preferred wake-up aroma to gently rouse them each morning of their stay from October.
Holiday Inn Express general manager Rob Fahey said no one liked waking up to a blaring alarm because it was such an abrupt way to start the day.
He said the team came up with the idea brainstorming more positive ways to wake up.
“We offer a free hot buffet breakfast for every stay and the smell is so inviting,” he said.
“Someone from the team joked, what if you could wake up to the smell of breakfast? Everyone thought that was actually a really great idea, and it progressed from there to where we are today.”
Mr Fahey said the breakfast alarm clock had received positive feedback and it was such a quirky device that people found it intriguing.
“About 60 per cent of Aussies believe a pleasant smell can help them feel better when they wake up,” he said.
“It’s a fun way to help our guests essentially reclaim their mornings and enjoy that first with something delicious and make sure that they never miss breakfast again.”
All Holiday Inn Express hotels across Australia and New Zealand will be equipped with breakfast alarm clocks, along with hotels in Singapore, Thailand and Japan that will wake their guests with local scents.
Singapore and Thailand will be woken with a buffet of coffee, mango and blueberry muffin scents to choose from, while guests in Japan will have the choice of coffee, nashi pear and blueberry muffin.
IHG Hotels and Resorts vice president of commercial East Asia and Pacific Dean Jones said the experience was designed to help guests reclaim their mornings.
“Especially given that one in three Aussies find it harder to wake up on time while travelling, with 15 per cent admitting they’ve skipped breakfast because they’ve overslept,” he said.
“Holiday Inn Express is about offering guests more of what matters, so we wanted to take this to new heights with something that we know guests will never forget.
“Waking up and maintaining a routine while travelling can be harder than it sounds, which is something the research underscored for us.
“But we also know the power of scent: that first whiff of coffee or sizzling bacon can work wonders – especially when
it’s free.”
Originally published as Holiday Inn guests wake up to the sweet aroma of sizzling bacon
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