Do local playlists improve a hotel and destination experience? “Yes” tells a study…

” Music is a discipline, and a mistress of order and good manners, it makes the people milder and gentler, more moral and more reasonable“. The quote comes from famous German cleric and religious reformer Martin Luther in the 16th century. But how about the effect of music on travelers today?

A study has been done by HearDis! in partnership with the German budget hotel group Motel One about the impact of music. 

HearDis! has long been creating music programs for Motel One and The Cloud One Hotels. These playlists form part of the Motel One Group’s brand commitment to making cities and their identities holistically tangible. The study examined the measurable contribution local music makes to guests’ sense of arrival and overall quality of stay.

Rising satisfaction among guests

The findings show a strong impact of local music on the guest experience. Guests exposed to local playlists were almost three times as likely to feel attached to the place as those with non-local playlists – a 297% increase in attachment to place.

Overall satisfaction with the hotel also rose significantly, with guests rating their stay as good or very good rising from 66% to 79%. Finally, local playlists also strengthened curiosity and the impulse to discover local music and consequently local culture. Music sparked inspiration to explore more for 44% of guests,  up 17 percent points from guests without exposure to local music.

The pilot study was conducted as part of the EU-funded Horizon Europe research project OpenMusE, which investigates innovative and fair usage contexts for music across Europe. Six Motel One Group hotels participated. Each hotel played two brand-fit music programs across two phases, identical in atmosphere and brand alignment. The sole variable was the content. One playlist did not content local references while the other one featured local artists, language, or regional context. Guests and employees evaluated their experience anonymously without knowing the study purpose, enabling a reliable comparison.

“Our guests should not just stay in a city – they should truly arrive, emotionally and culturally. This study shows that music is a highly effective yet often underestimated part of the guest journey,” said Susan Schramm, CMO of the Motel One Group.

“Local music strengthens the sense of place and measurably enhances the overall experience – regardless of age, gender, or musical taste. This proves that music serves as a strategic component of modern hospitality experience, which we will continue to develop and scale together with Motel One,” added Sören Maisch, Director In-Store Music at HearDis!.

The study highlights that effectiveness is not driven by song recognition, but by music’s ability to convey the character of a place. Local playlists make a destination’s identity audible and create a cultural connection between brand, city, and traveler.

Motel One and HearDis! will further develop and expand local music programs to embed local profiles consistently along the guest journey while increasing visibility for local artist.

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