You might call it Eau de Car Park - the distinctive scent that assaults the nostrils as you enter the stairwell of a multi-storey[*].

Redolent of the urinal, it makes parking the car a less than fragrant experience.

But the days of taking a deep breath before dashing up three flights may be numbered.

— From Mmm... the fresh aroma of car park: How one company plans to pump out perfume at its multi-storeys at the UK MailOnline.

* The term "multi-storey", so far as I know, is not used in the United States. I would call it a "parking garage", but according to Wikipedia that usage is regional as well. Who knew.

One weekend about 15 years ago, Chicago neurologist Alan Hirsch pumped a pleasant smell into a section of the casino floor of the Las Vegas Hilton and compared the amount gambled there to an area scented differently and to an area with no particular smell.

He also compared bets placed with the weekend before and the weekend after.

Gamblers spent 45 percent more money in the area with a pleasant smell.

— From Casino tailors air to delight the nose at SignOnSanDiego.

Starting today, pedestrians on the crowded sidewalks adjacent to Bloomingdale's New York flagship store may notice a certain fragrance in the air. It won't be their imagination: to promote Donna Karan's new perfume DKNY Delicious Night, the retailer will be spraying it into the air.

— Scent Noses Its Way Into More Ad Efforts in The Wall Street Journal looks at new trends in perfume advertising, including scent strips in magazines.

Take a whiff. Maybe you’ve noticed — and maybe you haven’t, and this isn’t entirely by accident — that the world has lately become a more fragrant place. Westin hotels waft a blend of green tea, geranium and black cedar into lobbies; Sheraton has jasmine, clove and fig. Jimmy Choo stores smell of cardamom and ivy, while Thomas Pink opts for the tang of fresh linen.

— From Scent and Sensibility, a detailed look at scent marketing in today's New York Times. Did you know that the scent of jasmine increases bowling scores?