If by any chance you owned an early 20th-century mansion and didn’t know what to do with it, may we suggest you turn the place into a stunning little guest accommodation? That’s what its owners did with Hotel Magnolia, a former private home, which got a new lease on life when it opened as perhaps Santiago’s most exciting boutique bolthole in years.
Built in 1929 and opened to the public for the first time in 2016, the building housing Hotel Magnolia underwent a painstaking, two-year renovation spearheaded by Chilean architect Cazú Zegers, who transformed the structure not only into the city’s first “experience hotel”, but also into a restoration project that’s won international acclaim: in 2017, the team was awarded the prestigious Prix Versailles in the Hotel category for South America and the Caribbean, and ranked second globally. Walking around its communal areas, where original windows and a marble staircase meet a tromple-l’œil wall effect, checkered floors and internal bridges hovering high above the atrium, it’s easy to see why.
Music and a subtle fragrance waft through the hotel’s interiors, inviting guests to linger and relax as they return from shopping sprees, hilltop hikes or an afternoon of gallery hopping, all conveniently around the corner from Hotel Magnolia’s location just off the artsy Lastarria neighbourhood. And, assuming the average stay is anything like ours, there’s also a notably friendly atmosphere that starts with the team at the check-in counter – all smiles and heartfelt hospitality – and extends to the crowd of international visitors helping themselves to sweet treats and drinks (wines, Martini, Kahlúa and other liqueurs are on offer) from the open bar in the hotel’s downstairs library. Aside from a colour-coordinated collection of books, you’ll also find contemporary artworks here that contrast cleverly with the storied brick walls against which they’re set.
Hotel Magnolia is home to just 40 guest accommodations split into five categories that start at 30 sqm (323 sqft) for a Superior Room and go up to 60 sqm (646 sqft) for the Magnolia Signature Suite. We stayed in a wood-panelled 40 sqm (430 sqft) Junior Suite and were pleasantly surprised right from the start: not just because of the super king-size four-poster bed with a backlit bed head on one end, and a burnt peach velvet sofa on the other, but also owing to the personalised welcome amenity awaiting us in the dining area of our suite. This included a seriously scrumptious and nutrient-packed salad alongside a variety of pralines that, as a bespoke welcome letter assured us, suited our plant-based diet. To us, this was quite the revelation as we hardly ever find vegan-friendly amenities on our rooms and can’t remember the last time a hotel not only made the effort to provide them, but also proactively communicated this. Bravo!
Our Suite balanced modernism and warmth with its combination of natural materials, atmospheric lighting and clear lines that renounced decor and clutter in favour of a few, well positioned focal points – a coffee table book on Santiago to get lost in here, a stylish lamp by our entrance there. That said, given the upper category of our room, we were surprised to find just one basin in our bathroom, and, woken by the chit-chat of a group of fellow guests outside our suite late one night, thought the developers should’ve put more budget towards sound-proofing the accommodations (note, earplugs are provided bedside, and light sleepers would be well advised to use them).
| Perfect for | Fly into | Right on time |
| The Insider | SCL | GMT -3 |
| While you’re Out There |
| You’ve got some of Santiago’s top tourist attractions right at your doorstep at Hotel Magnolia, but for a lesser-known excursion, make your way to the utterly picturesque Cementerio General, home to the tomb of former President Salvador Allende Gossens and the poignant Memorial for the Disappeared – dedicated to those who were lost without a trace during the Pinochet military dictatorship that devastated the country from 1973 until 1990. Next door, the Catholic Recoleta Cemetery is smaller in scale, but equally beautiful. |
In line with the efforts Hotel Magnolia makes in catering to dietary requirements with its welcome amenities, the hotel also prides itself on an ‘inclusive menu’ that, albeit small, aims to cater to as many guests as possible. We found service in the downstairs restaurant, where we sat between potted palms and Tom Dixon pendant lights while classic piano music and electric tunes alternately poured into the heigh-ceilinged space, as efficient as it is informal; just don’t expect white gloves and a bend-over-backwards approach. Wanting to go a little off-menu for our dinner, we found that the team ultimately met our requirements with flair, serving us the creamiest vegan cheesecake south of the equator. Food is of the simple but tasty kind, with decent portion sizes, which suited us just fine.
For a more elevated dining experience, have yourself booked into the much-lauded DeMo Magnolia restaurant, whose head chef Pedro Chavarría seeks to democratise haute cuisine in an intimate, five-table space. Two tasting menus ranging from five to nine courses are available here (although we weren’t able to establish whether dietary requirements can be catered to), alongside a beverage pairing with a non-alcoholic option for those following a NoLo lifestyle. Whether you drink or not, there’s no excuse not to check out the hotel’s rooftop terrace. Between the stylish seating areas, wide parasols and something cold from the bar paired with the very best views of nearby Santa Lucía Hill, we found happiness here on a balmy Santiago night.
Chile’s capital is hardly a wellness destination, but those in need of some downtime during their visit will find a couples treatment room and a pretty innovative sound healing space, where a unique play of sounds, lights and aroma therapy guides guests into a meditative state of calm, in the hotel’s spa. Those looking to get their heart rate up instead will delight in the small-but-mighty gym, outfitted with state-of-the-art equipment and designed rather invitingly indeed, with its soothing colour palette and large windows.
Checking out of Hotel Magnolia, we found ourselves almost a little sad, as its storied walls and friendly faces had become somewhat of a home away from home within just a few days. If you’re looking for classic luxury, you might prefer to stay at one of the city’s larger chain hotels. But travellers with a penchant for lifestyle-driven hospitality that’s rich in ideas and original – albeit not always perfect – in execution, couldn’t find a livelier, more boutique and frankly fun place to stay in town. As for ourselves, we’re already looking forward to our next stay.
Photography courtesy of Hotel Magnolia
