Magna Pars L'Hotel à Parfum
Fine-scented sophistication
Milan’s creative quarter
Owned by a family of perfumers, Magna Pars L'Hotel à Parfum is a fragrant luxury hotel in Milan’s Tortona district, the kernel of the city’s creative industries. Formerly the Martone family's perfumery, the building was ushered into post-industrial life with a makeover of plate glass and painted steel, reopening as a stylish ‘hotel à parfum’. Alongside sleek white furniture, oak floors and artworks from Milan’s Brera Academy, each suite has a signature fragrance crafted by some of the most gifted ‘noses’ in the industry. Slightly south of the tourist-heavy Duomo district, the hotel is also away from the fray, rubbing shoulders with the studios of artists and designers instead.
Facilities
Rooms
60 suites.
Checkout
Noon, but flexible, subject to availability. Earliest check-in, 2pm.
More Details
Room rates usually include breakfast, a Continental buffet spread with fresh bread and pastries, cereals, fresh fruit, cold meats and more; bacon and eggs are made to order.
Also
All of the the hotel’s common areas are wheelchair accessible, as are three of the Executive Suites.
Hotel Closed
The hotel usually closes for a few weeks in August.
Fitness Center
Free Internet Access
Laundry
Pet Friendly
On-Site Restaurant
Room Service
Spa
At the Hotel
Courtyard garden, spacious lounge area, in-house perfume laboratory and boutique, spa, gym and free WiFi throughout. In rooms: flatscreen TV, iPod dock, minibar, Nespresso coffee machine, tea-making facilities and free bottled water.
Our Favourite Rooms
The Presidential Suite, which has a double-height ceiling and floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the treetops in the courtyard. The bedroom is on the first floor, looking down onto the living room below.
Spa
The sleek and modern spa has a steam room, chromotherapy shower and a treatment room that can accommodate couples. There’s a host of options to help you unwind after a day spent touring the city’s galleries and boutiques, with anti-jet-lag, Pitta and Vatta massages among the offerings; reflexology and Ayurvedic treatments are available too. The oils used for the massages are made entirely in-house by the owners, who produce fragrances for Bulgari, Trussardi and other luxury brands.
Packing Tips
Pack your best sunglasses, which are as indispensable to the Milanese as an umbrella is to Londoners.
Also
The hotel is owned by the Martone family, who’ve been involved in Italy’s perfume industry for three generations. The building used to house their factory before it outgrew the space and moved outside of the city.
Children
Children of all ages are welcome. Extra beds (€50 a night) and baby cots (free) can be added to all rooms except Junior Suites, which can only fit a single cot. Babysitting is available for €25 an hour; four hours’ notice is required when booking.
Gallery
Food & Drink
Top Table
On a warm day, take a table on the terrace, where you’ll have the scent of the fragrant garden on the air. If there’s a chill, head inside and sit by the tall windows instead.
Dress Code
The Milanese are a modish lot, erring towards the smart and understated end of the dressing scale. Add a splash of colour or a hint of pattern to set yourself apart.
Hotel Restaurant
Like everything else at the hotel, restaurant Da Noi In has a sleek, minimalist look, with shiny black tables and chairs in muted tones of grey. French windows run the length of the room, opening onto the decked terrace – the go-to spot for sunny mornings and balmy nights. But for all its contemporary looks, there’s no doubt that the menu is authentically Italian at heart, making use of home-made pasta and olive oil from the owner’s Tuscan crop. The fish and seafood – arguably the restaurant's specialty – are particularly popular; the grouper carpaccio and the squid-ink agnolotti with gurnard and mullet ragout are two of the stand-out offerings. When it comes to wine, you’ve a wealth of options – 600 bottles to be exact.
Hotel Bar
Liquidambar takes its name from a species of tree found in the hotel’s garden, which produces a resin that gives off a warm, balsamic scent when burnt. Looking out towards its namesake, the bar is cut from blocks of white onyx and backed by mirrors. There are plenty of stools and lounge chairs to choose from, but the best seat in the house has to be the high-backed sofa upholstered in red velvet. The cocktail menu changes regularly, showcasing a wide variety of fragrant and exotic ingredients. The other big attraction is the open-plan wine cellar just off to the side of the room. At 600 bottles strong, this treasure trove contains something to satisfy even the most discerning of drinkers.
Last Orders
Breakfast is served from 7am to 10.30am, lunch from 1pm to 3pm, and dinner 7.30pm to 10.30pm. The bar is open from 7am all the way through to 1am.
Room Service
During restaurant hours, there’s a full room-service menu featuring the restaurant's signature spaghetti, beef with grilled vegetables and club sandwiches. A reduced menu is available from 11pm to 10am.
Planes
The closest airport is Milan Linate, which is well served by flights throughout Europe. It takes 30 minutes to drive from there to the hotel. The next closest option is Milan Malpensa, which is around 50 minutes away by car; there’s also the Malpensa Express train, which takes an hour to reach Milan Central station. The Smith24 team can arrange flights and transfers; call anytime, day or night.
Trains
A tour de force of imposing 1930s architecture, Milan's central station is a busy international hub; services arrive daily from all over Italy and its neighbours. From Milan Centrale, take the (green) M2 line to Porta Genova FS, which is a two-minute walk from the hotel.
Automobiles
Those unaccustomed to driving in an Italian city may find the process a little stressful, with unannounced lane changing, liberal horn usage and scooters seeming to appear out of nowhere. While Milan is more sedate than some Italian cities, you’re probably better off using the Metro system, which is fast and reliable. If you do want to hire, Smith24 can arrange it. The hotel has on-site parking for €25 a night.
Worth Getting Out of Bed For
Art, fashion and design make up the Milanese holy trinity, and you’ll find endless opportunities to discover their many faces. That said, you’ll run yourself into the ground trying to visit every gallery and exhibition on offer, so it’s best to pinpoint particular artists or artworks that you want to to see instead. For those with leanings towards the contemporary and avant garde, there’s the Fondazione Prada, worth seeing as much for its buildings as the art housed within them. To the north of the centre there’s the Galleria d’Arte Moderna, which has taken up residence in the grand Villa Belgiojoso Bonaparte. After your visit, take a turn around the Indro Montanelli park just across the road. Another worthy contender is the Gallerie d’Italia, which warrants a visit for its decorative floors and ceilings alone. Outside, you’ll find a statue of Leonardo Da Vinci, credited with designing many of the improvements to the city’s navigli (canals). Flanked by market stalls, bars and restaurants, the Navigli Grande makes a fine spot for an aperitivo. Shopping needs little in the way of pointers, with boutiques of every description ranged throughout the city centre. The concentration is highest in the Quadrilatero della moda, considered by many to be the world’s foremost fashion district. You’ll also find vast Prada and Versace flagships in the cavernous Galleria Vittorio Emanuele, which is right next to the Duomo di Milano, a Gothic masterpiece 600 years in the making. Go early if you want to see inside – the queues grow by the hour.
Earn or Redeem Points with World of Hyatt
This Mr & Mrs Smith hotel participates in the World of Hyatt loyalty program. As a member, you can earn and redeem points and enjoy exclusive benefits for qualifying nights. .
