Who's behind the decks at your hotel?

Hard Rock Hotels and Casino has confirmed that it will launch its "The Sound of your Stay" music program internationally September 27 - with celebrity blogger Perez Hilton as its first curator.

The program, which began in the US around a year ago, allows guests to download free music to enjoy during their stay when they check in.

Each guest can choose one of three playlists, which are curated to match the three destination categories offered by Hard Rock - resorts, casinos or city hotels.

The sharp-tongued celebrity blogger's choices feature on the resorts' "Sun" playlist to celebrate the international launch of the program, which will now be available at the 14 Hard Rock Hotels and Casinos around the world.

Hard Rock says that Hilton's playlist is made up of "budding artists and dance-pop music that completely evokes 'fun,' such as Robyn's 'Dancing On My Own' and summer anthems by artists including Mike Posner's 'Cooler Than Me'."

Although Hard Rock has an overt music theme, it's hardly the only chain paying more attention to the auditory well-being of its guests - Starwood-owned W Hotels employs a Global Music Director to curate the chain's hotel playlists, while Fairmont offers a whole music store in partnership with EMI.

Rob Wood, the creative director of Music Concierge, a music consultancy which works with luxury and boutique hotel brands, says that music is vital for the holistic guest experience.

"Hoteliers increasingly realize that like lighting, music plays a key role in creating the right atmosphere," he explains.

"Hotels in the past either had a piano player in the corner, or left the bar manager to choose often inappropriate music. That's no longer good enough - hearing is our second most important sense after sight, and most people underestimate the powerful and immediate emotional impact music can have."

http://www.hardrockhotels.com/
http://www.musicconcierge.co.uk