Each room is dedicated to one of sixty-eight different scents, chosen by an olfactory check-in, solely based on smell: Magna Pars is the first hotel à parfum in the world
Magna Pars: a five-star hotel à parfum
Located in Milan, in the Navigli area, Magna Pars is the first hotel à parfum in the world. Ambra Martone, creative director of Magna Pars, describes it as «a hotel where guests are offered sensory experiences based on the sense of smell». The first experience is the olfactory check-in, which takes place in a perfume laboratory called LabSolue. Here guests can choose their room according to the fragrance they like the most among sixty-eight different options: «This choice is based on instinct, because smell is the most natural and mysterious sense we have, capable of influencing our life in an unconscious way. For example, scientific studies proved that we all have an olfactory memory, which guides our actions through associations with smells».
The sensory experiences
Magna Pars has sixty-eight suites, each of which is inspired by a raw material of perfumery and has its own distinctive perfume. Every fragrance is also represented by a painting and mirrored by the color of the room. Indeed, even though the predominant tone of the hotel is white, in every room there are some touches of color, such as leather or velvet sofas and armchairs.
The next sensory experiences are the olfactory aperitif and the dinner à parfum. The aperitif consists in a selection of the most popular cocktails reinterpreted by the Magna Pars’ mixologist with some of the sixty-eight fragrances mentioned above. They change periodically according to the natural course of the seasons. As for the dinner à parfum, all the plates display olfactory elements: examples are lavender risotto, vanilla Bourbon ice-cream and tuna with bergamot.
The last sensory experience is an aromatherapy session that can be done either alone or in pairs. Here, guests are invited to choose the aroma of the essential da nls that will be used to massage them: for example, rosemary for an energizing effect, patchouli to relax, lavender to purify.
Perfumes, a family affair
The history of Magna Pars dates back to the Forties, when Ambra’s grandfather, Vincenzo Martone, founded Marvin in Milan, a company operating at first only in the pharmaceutical field and afterwards, in the Sixties, also in the cosmetic one. Vincenzo’s son, Roberto Martone, founded in 1975 ICR (Cosmetics Industries Reunited) and started to work with Italian fashion designers, such as Gianni Versace, Nazareno Gabrielli, Nicola Trussardi, Renato Balestra, Romeo Gigli.
In 1987 the ICR factory was moved from Milan to Lodi and Marvin’s historic headquarters was turned into Magna Pars Event Space, an event location. «Then, me and my sister Giorgia decided to share and celebrate our family’s history and passion for perfumes by opening, in 2013, Magna Pars L’Hotel À Parfum». The event space was maintained and is available for both public and private events.
The tree of life was chosen as the logo: «It embodies the history of our family. The roots represent grandpa Vincenzo’s heritage, while the branches stand for the new generation embodied by Giorgia and me, who decided to carry on and reinvent the family business. Today, we want to make our brand grow, but at the same time to keep it exclusive and preserve its DNA. We want to remain a family business and an expression of Made in Italy. Thus, we are opening just some selected and refined points of sale, where to recreate Magna Pars’ atmosphere». The tree of life is also «the olfactory inspiration of all of Magna Pars’ fragrances, which can be divided into three macrofamilies: wood, flowers and fruits».
When architecture tells a story
The main elements characterizing the architecture of the complex are white bricks, wood and glass, each with a specific meaning and purpose. The bricks are still those of the Marvin factory, which have been maintained as a reminder of the history of the complex and as a symbol of continuity with Vincenzo Martone’s heritage: «We tried to modify as little as possible the original structure, therefore the style of the building is still a post-industrial one».
To preserve the original structure and share its history with the guests, some parts have been covered by glass, which has also the aim of enhancing the already mentioned shiny effect pursued with the white color. As for the wood, besides being a further reference to the concept of the tree, it was chosen for sustainable purposes. Indeed, it comes only from certified forests and is a material capable of reducing heat loss.
A sustainable approach at Magna Pars
The concern of the hotel with the environment is expressed not only through the preference of wood for its structure, but also through the realization of a geothermal plant, which uses the groundwater from the nearby Navigli. Reuse is a mantra at Magna Pars: «All our fragrances are refillable and can also be reused as flower pots». Besides, LabSolue’s laboratory instruments are reused in the restaurant of the hotel: «Our plates are presented with instruments from the perfume laboratory, such as beakers and pipettes».
Magna Pars takes part in a bee safeguarding program: «Our mixologist created a cocktail inspired by jasmine, which is one of our fragrances and also one of the plants bees prefer. For each cocktail sold we donate one euro for the preservation of the bees, pollinating animals crucial for perfumery».
LabSolue and Aqua Adornationis
At Magna Pars guests can find two perfume collections: LabSolue – which the laboratory takes its name from – and Aqua Adornationis.
LabSolue, as suggested by the word itself, «combines our two main values: the perfumery art expertise, represented by the laboratory, and the absolute, which stands for the most precious raw material extracted from a natural element». LabSolue offers the same aroma in the form of perfumes, home fragrances and candles: «We want people to be free to express themselves».
Aqua Adornationis takes its name from the Latin expression for eau de toilette and features only perfumes, created using Vincenzo Martone’s historic formulas and bottle designs.
Not just perfumes: art and culture at Magna Pars
Magna Pars focuses on perfumery, but has also an interest in art and culture. In the perfume laboratory guests can find a private library with technical and narrative books on perfumery, which they can read on armchairs facing the garden of the hotel. Moreover, in every suite there is a bookstand with Giorgia Martone’s book The grammar of perfumes open on the page dedicated to the raw material which served as an inspiration for that particular room.
Art has also a central role in the hotel. Indeed, besides the already mentioned paintings present in every suite, Magna Pars’ common spaces have become a free art gallery, open not only to the guests of the hotel, but also to the people who come just for a coffee, an aperitif or for dinner: «During the years, our family collected many works of art and we decided to share them with our guests and all the citizenry of Milan, which we have a strong attachment to».
Magna Pars in partnership with MUDEC
Magna Pars’ attachment to the city is testified by the collaborations it developed in its district, Tortona, an area that became renowned in Milan for being the nerve center of fashion and design: «The well-known Fuorisalone event was born here».
Going back to the topic of art, Magna Pars has a partnership with MUDEC, Milan’s Museum of cultures located in the Tortona district. Guests of the hotel are offered private guided tours at night: «First they dine at our restaurant with a themed menu inspired by the exhibition they are going to visit and afterwards we go all together to MUDEC, which has been exclusively reserved for us».
Magna Pars’ active role in the city of Milan is an example of the family Martone’s already mention desire to enhance their Italianness: «Everything we have at Magna Pars, from furniture to décor, is a hundred percent made in Italy, with the only exception of televisions, since we could not have an Italian version of those». As for the fragrances developed at LabSolue, they are the result of Italian and especially Mediterranean inspirations: «For example, if we want to develop a fragrance based on bergamot, we do not think just of the fruit, but also of a bergamot tree located in an Italian garden». Italian raw materials are preferred for both the perfume laboratory and the restaurant.
Liquidambar: a red thread between nature and cuisine
One of Magna Pars’ best seller fragrances derives from the Liquidambar, an American tree that has been planted in the garden located in the heart of the complex. This green lung includes a variety of plants: Piramidal hornbeams, Maples, Magnolia Julia, Cornus, Azaleas, Hortensia Quercifolia, Mutabilis roses, Abelia, Vinca, Ferns, Clematis, Olive trees.
The Liquidambar also features in the name of Magna Pars’ lounge bar, while the adjacent restaurant – Da Noi In – offers a modern Italian cuisine, based on the use of organic and local raw materials. «We want our guests to feel at home, tasting authentic plates made with top-quality ingredients. Our menu changes according to the season and combines recipes from different Italian regions with Milanese classics, such as risotto and cutlet». The wine menu is also composed for the majority of Italian labels.
Magna Pars L’Hotel à Parfum
Via Forcella, 6, Milan
A five-star hotel located in the Navigli area. The hotel offers a series of sensory experiences based mainly on the sense of smell. The complex also includes a perfume laboratory, a library, a restaurant and cocktail bar, a gym and spa area and an event space.
