Suite 909

I’m generally not a fan of these kinds of projects, as they are often pretentious concepts from brand owners who simply follow trends wherever the wind blows. And right now, that wind is blowing hard in the direction of the booming perfume industry. In this case, the brand owner is also the founder of the well-known fashion label Palm Angels, Francesco Ragazzi, who, like many others, has redirected his investments to where the money currently is – in fragrances, which are experiencing unprecedented demand. Interestingly, he didn’t release a fragrance line under the Palm Angels name. Instead, he approached it differently – categorically separate from his fashion branch. The story behind the brand is based on his personal experiences of staying in hotels. People like him travel often and have the opportunity to stay in exceptional, luxurious hotels – the kind most of us only get to see on TV or in the vlogs of travel YouTubers. Under the slogan “French Fragrance Craft, Californian Mindset,” the brand Reservation creates a fresh narrative, brought to life by the renowned perfumer Yann Vasnier. Due to lack of time, I only briefly tested the other fragrances in the line, but one caught my attention – Suite 909. Its official description reads: SUITE 909, ALWAYS. Cedarwood and suede in a sun-bleached California. Behind closed doors, the desert wind still thick and the pulse of the city reverberates through the walls. Polish, leather and lemon. A playground for the daydreamers who don’t ever want to wake up. My personal interpretation is much simpler: imagine Tom Ford’s Oud Wood with more pronounced cedarwood and pink pepper, blended into a fresh floral-woody accord. I must admit – it’s an innovative and cool composition. The fragrance stands apart from the rest of the line not just in character, but also in price: Suite 909 is priced at $320, while the others are $280. For 100 ml, the price is partially justified. This is not something you’ve likely smelled before. It’s a clever, well-blended scent, with a strong concept and an excellent perfumer behind it. Still, I would like to point out a small minus – the packaging. The bottle itself is great – it has a magnetic cap, it’s medium-heavy, and feels solid in the hand. The outer packaging is visually appealing, and the protective plastic casing is well-designed. However, once you open the box lid, the only way to take out the bottle is by grabbing it by the cap (which, although magnetic, can detach due to the bottle’s weight), or by awkwardly reaching inside to hold it by the neck. I believe the brand could’ve done a better job in terms of practicality. At times, I’m torn – is this just another designer cash-grab, saved only by a brilliant perfumer? Is the presentation a high-end Zara, visually speaking? Scent-wise, however, this is not at Zara’s level. I’d say it sits closer to Ex Nihilo, particularly in terms of projection and longevity. The uniqueness of the scent is, to me, unquestionable. But I’d still like to explore the rest of the collection in more detail. Interestingly, one well-known fragrance YouTuber described Suite 909 as the “most boring and generic” scent in the collection. Personally, I’m not a fan of that YouTuber, and I believe our tastes differ significantly. To me, Suite 909 is clearly made to appeal – and it is appealing in a unique way. But boring and generic? I don’t think so. Overall, it’s a very well-crafted perfume with a cool backstory, slightly high price, and a bit of a misstep in the packaging design. I give it a solid 8/10. It would be a 10 if the price were a bit lower and the packaging more functional. I believe Ex Nihilo just got some competition. 😊 At times I wonder – is this just another designer product relying heavily on marketing, saved only by a brilliant nose? Is the packaging just Zara-level, only dressed up?

Tested it today. Smells great! It is pretty unique, performance seems great, it is powerful but not overpowering, kind of a molecular feel. For me, it’s a combination between Molecule 01 and Bois Imperial, with a lot of black pepper. Not saying it smells exactly like them, but if you enjoy that type, you would definitely love this! Very nice!

People tend to react to "akigalawood" but this note works on me. It's probably the super molecule wood I have the least issues with. And georgywood (super molecule) I think might be what's responsible for the mineral/salty thing I'm getting, not sure though. The first impression here is lime (or bitter lemon) freshness, harsh pepper, and a pine turpentine feel. Quite citrusy and quite woody. I'm also getting something salty. Sweetness level is close to zero. The problem is that it's a bit too synthetic. Like you're a walking, freshly polished synthetic tree. You smell beautiful and attractive, but the moment someone reaches out to touch you, you dissolve into pixels. Drydown is too peppery and harsh. Tag(s): super woody, mineral, salty, citrusy

Reservation definitely caught my attention, especially about the story with the imaginary hotel. The perfume exactly describes the room where (for example) the president or some functionary stays "SUITE 909", or couple who met in the hotel bar and ended up in the room "LATE NIGHT" - Suite 909 is a real men's (in the post-40s) perfume ,confident and masculine. I would advise you to try it before buying. I smell the spices at the beginning, cedar of course and akigala (I have a lot of perfumes with akigala). Longevity is ok, projection medium. All in all, a very good perfume and the innovation deserves praise. It is not a series of perfumes where each looks like the previous one

This is very Yann Vasnier with its’ signature black pepper. It reminds me most of a lighter Serge Noire because I detect some cumin in the mix. 3 out of 5.