At the Dunlin Bar in Innsbruck, a lot of things come together in a wonderfully relaxed, unfussy and natural way. Exotic drinks and seasonal local produce charm the guests just as much as the bar’s cosy ambience in the afternoon or its modern, cosmopolitan atmosphere in the evening over an after-work drink. All of this is made possible by the team around Konstantin Karvounis. Every one of them is passionate about the job and loves spoiling guests and creating a little oasis of escape from everyday life for them.
Besides the warm welcome, what strikes you straight away when you visit the Dunlin Bar is the pleasant, soothing scent. Walk in and there’s no trace of stale air, and nothing on the smell front reminds you of nights spent partying. A big plus! After all, we link our memories to particular scents and aromas too. We all know the feeling: think of freshly brewed coffee, and the scent of coffee beans is instantly in your nose! We spoke to Konstantin Karvounis about his bar in the heart of Innsbruck and the scent marketing behind it.
Question: Why should people enjoy their after-work drink at your bar?
Karvounis: Here at the Dunlin, we specialise in signature cocktails. That means we use various techniques from the patisserie and the kitchen, as well as various distillation methods, to create extraordinary new flavours and aromas. With our overall concept, our goal as a whole team is to take every single guest on a culinary journey. That’s how we make every visit an experience!
Question: How did the bar come by the extravagant name “DUNLIN”?
Karvounis: The dunlin, which in German is also called the “Alpine beach runner”, is a migratory bird found both in the south and in the mountains. That also reflects my own background, as I call both Greece and Austria home. But the dunlin also stands for variety and diversity, and it’s the common thread running through the whole bar. Our signature cocktails, for example, are presented in the form of postcards and have bird names too. Our guests are welcome to send them to their loved ones. A kind of airmail, if you like, to share the experience here at the bar with them and enjoy the drink together next time.
Question: Alongside fine drinks, tasty snacks and cool beats, your bar also features our unmistakable scent marketing. How do you put it into practice?
Karvounis: In our bar, the scent comes out of the ventilation system. From the moment we open the Dunlin in the afternoon until just before closing time, we give off the aroma of our fragrance, constantly and unobtrusively. The aim is to create a pleasant, feel-good atmosphere. What mattered most to us was that guests do notice the scent, of course, but that it’s never too dominant or overpowering.
Question: Why, in your opinion, is scent marketing an “essential” in a bar too?
Karvounis: A well-functioning, unobtrusive scent concept is very important in a bar. It rounds off a visit to our bar and is an invisible part of the whole. Because when it smells good, you feel good, and that encourages people to stay, celebrate and have a cosy evening. With the same love of detail that goes into designing the bar and the cocktails, it’s important to find the right fragrance and choose it with care.
Question: “Velvet Wood” underlines the atmosphere and ambience in your bar. How do guests respond to the scent?
Karvounis: “Velvet Wood” is the perfect fragrance for our bar and its interior. Guests respond to it very well. Many of them also ask how we manage to fill the bar with such a pleasant aroma of sandalwood, cedarwood and Peru balsam, and what the thinking behind it was. The feedback is always very good, and our guests appreciate the modern, mysterious mood it creates in our bar.
Thank you for talking to us!
Konstantin Karvounis on the AROMEA scent marketing in his bar.
