Interview with Pilar Cantero Fernandez, Hotel Manager at Hotel Praktik Èssens from Barcelona

Lifestyle - Interview

by Beren Dere

We have five basic senses; Sense of sight, sense of hearing, sense of touch, sense of smell, and sense of taste. When you visit Barcelona, try to keep all your senses open to experience the city in details. Barcelona offers many architectural masterpieces and artworks to be seen, melodies and street artists to be heard, historical textures to be touched, many local delicacies to be tasted, and a unique atmosphere full of the scent of flowers and Mediterranean. As a part of Barcelona, ​​Praktik Hotels, a chain of designer hotels, has opened a brand new hotel appealing to the senses, Praktik Èssens. Inspired by the city of Barcelona, ​​the perfume experts created three different fragrances and then added the last fragrance, which represents the spirit of Barcelona. Located in the center of Barcelona, ​​Praktik Èssens promises its guests a completely different experience with its design, services, and thematic scents. I talked with Pilar Cantero Fernandez, Hotel Manager at Hotel Praktik Èssens, about Barcelona and Hotel Praktik Èssens.

Pilar, before talking about Hotel Praktik Èssens, I would like to learn more about you. Could you tell us about yourself and your journey to the Hotel Praktik Èssens?

I have always been very interested in the world of fragrances, so working at Praktik Èssens is incredible for me, having the essence of Barcelona every day within reach of my hand is great luck. In addition, our team is a magnificent family that tries to promote this project and take it far into the Praktik Hotels chain. What more can one ask for?

Hotel Praktik Èssens

Hotel Praktik Èssens is located in the middle of Barcelona, a few steps from many monumental places. Please tell us about your location and the advantages of being there.

Being in the heart of the city has plenty of advantages for our guests. They can get to the main touristic attractions in just a short walk and enjoy all the different entertainment possibilities that this area of the city offers.

Hotel Praktik Èssens

Could you tell us about Hotel Praktik Èssens and the overall concept?

The overall concept is based on fragrances. We let our guests choose the essence of their amenities (shower gel, shampoo, conditioner, body lotion, etc.) based on 3 different perfumes that we made with a local expert perfumist inspired by the city of Barcelona.

Hotel Praktik Èssens

Praktik Hotels Group has five boutique hotels with different concepts such as vine, garden, and bakery. Hotel Praktik Èssens is the newest one, how did you come up with the idea of combining fragrance and the boutique hotel concept? Could you tell us about the story of the concept?

We wanted to pay tribute to a primal sense of human beings, smell. Throughout our lives, our memories store odors that, when we smell them again, bring back memories and emotions of past experiences, so we thought it would be interesting that our guests always remember their trip to Barcelona with a perfume. And that's how it all began.

Hotel Praktik Èssens

Could you tell us about your fragrances store? How many different scents could your guests feel in Hotel Praktik Èssens? What are their inspirations?

We offer 4 different fragrances: Mar, Herbes, Flors, and Barcelona, which is a combination of the three of them. They are inspired by the city itself: Mar because of the sea, Herbes because the mountains which surround the city, and Flors because of the parks within the city.

Hotel Praktik Èssens

Hotel Praktik Èssens has carefully decorated minimalist rooms. What type of different rooms do you offer to your guests? Could you tell us about their features?

We have 4 different kinds of rooms: Standard, Superior, Superior with street view, and Premium with Terrace. All have a desk, 49" television, capsule coffee machine, luggage rack, chair, reading light, private bathroom, and a large rain-effect shower, hairdryer, safe, individually controlled air conditioning (cool and warm) in each room, and free WiFi. The Premium Rooms with Terrace also have a large terrace of up to 25 square meter and heated outdoor bathtubs.

Hotel Praktik Èssens

What kind of services and amenities do you offer to your guest for making their stay unforgettable? How could your guests spend time at Hotel Praktik Èssens?

We always want that our guest have an unforgettable experience by our service and we want them to feel at home. We have a lounge and a terrace where guests can enjoy complimentary coffee and tea and choose between hundreds of books in all the different languages. They can enjoy complimentary coffee and water at the room too.

What would you want to say about the gastronomic diversity of Barcelona? How could your guest live this experience in Hotel Praktik Èssens and Barcelona?

Barcelona is a city known for having endless gastronomic possibilities. Our central location gives the guests the opportunity to have a huge offer of restaurants and different kinds of food. Our front desk staff is always willing to give the best recommendations.

Hotel Praktik Èssens

What kind of additional services do you offer for business travelers?

We have free high-speed WiFi everywhere at the hotel, and we have a public computer with a printer in the lounge area, where there are also USB ports available in the tables. We also offer WiFi pockets that the guests can use around the city. Regarding the parking, we have a deal with a city parking located just 200 meters away from the hotel.

Hotel Praktik Èssens

Do you have any advantage packs or loyalty program that you offer to your regular and long-term guests? How can travelers make their individual or business/group reservations?

When we have regular guests staying with us, we always do our best to upgrade their rooms. They can make the reservations contacting directly with ourselves by email to reservas@hotelpraktikessens.com or by phone to +0034 933 428 730 or at the website www.hotelpraktikessens.com.

What are the most famous attractions near Hotel Praktik Èssens?

Near the hotel, you can find Casa Batlló and La Pedrera. Apart from those attractions, Plaça Catalunya, where the famous La Rambla starts, is located just 5 minutes walk from the hotel. But it is perfectly communicated with almost all important city hotspots.

Hotel Praktik Èssens

What is the top season for travelers who want to visit Barcelona? What is the reason?

Barcelona is busy all year long, so it is nice to visit anytime. If travelers would like to enjoy the sea, spring and summer are the best options.

If you have only one weekend in Barcelona as a first-time visitor, in this limited time, what are the best things to do?

I would visit the most iconic touristic attractions by Gaudí (Sagrada Familia, La Pedrera, and Park Güell.) and walk around the coolest neighbourhoods (Gracia and Born) always enjoying the wonderful gastronomy the city offers.

How do you describe Barcelona in one sentence?

A great vibrant Mediterranean city.

Thank you Pilar for your time.

For more information, please click here to visit the website of Hotel Praktik Èssens

Wednesday, June 12, 2019.

All photos are the property of their respective owners.