A scent that belongs at our place

Walk into the Castle Hotel, and you notice a good many things. The mint green, the restored Georgian proportions, and the High Street still going about its business outside. What you may not notice straight away is the smell, and we’ve put some thought into that. 

As part of our redefined project, we’ve partnered with Connock England, a British fragrance and amenities brand, to bring its Verdant collection into every part of the hotel. Reception and the public rooms carry it. So do all 108 of our refurbished bedrooms, where you’ll find hand and body wash, lotion, shampoo and conditioner, with bubble bath in our rooms with a tub. 

The fragrance, Verdant at the Castle Hotel

Verdant is green in the way a walk across a field is green. Blackcurrant, fig, eucalyptus and peppermint at the top, geranium, English rose and lavandin through the middle, and sandalwood and amber underneath to keep it grounded. Even the packaging is green, in case the nose needs backing up. The collection also includes English borage oil from a farm in Suffolk, where it’s both grown and pressed.  

Picking our signature scent was more than a good smell

We chose Connock because it’s an independent, family business, founded by Amanda Connock on more than fifty years of family knowledge in fragrance and cosmetics, and everything is made in the UK from ingredients sourced directly. The bottles are refillable and made from 100 per cent recycled Prevented Ocean Plastic, reflecting our commitment to reducing waste and making more sustainable choices across our hotels. We value partners who care as much about where their ingredients come from as we do. It's an approach that runs throughout the hotel, from the products in our bathrooms to the food we serve at Penningtons. 

The hotel has been welcoming travellers since 1528, when it began life as the Mermaid Inn. After a £9.5 million transformation, with interior designers 3DReid drawing on the building’s Georgian heritage, we wanted every touchpoint to say something true about this address. Most of that is what you see and taste. Verdant is the part you smell, and it’s often the part you remember. 

Take a breath as you step in from Windsor’s High Street. The scent is inspired by the Berkshire countryside just beyond the town.