Interview with Belén Mas, Hotel Manager at Hotel Praktik Vinoteca from Barcelona

TRAVEL - INTERVIEW

by Beren Dere

Welcome to Barcelona. During your stay in Barcelona, if you would like to taste the culture of Barcelona and lots of different wine instead of staying in a large hotel which has hundreds of rooms, you have a choice. Praktik Vinoteca is a boutique hotel with a difference. Praktik Vinoteca combines wine, hospitality, and culture in the middle of Barcelona and offers a unique experience to its guests. Belén Mas is the Hotel Manager at the Praktik Vinoteca since the hotel was established in 2014, so I asked her about all differences and features of Praktik Vinoteca, Barcelona.

Hotel Praktik Vinoteca

Belén, before start talking about Hotel Praktik Vinoteca, could you tell us about your background and hotel management experience?

Yes, of course, I entered into the world of hotels after finishing my studies in Tourism at the university in Barcelona. I started working in big hotels chains in several departments as receptionist, reservation departments, and groups departments during 2 or 3 years until I came to work in this young chain Praktik hotels in April 2009 where they had only 2 hotels in the Barcelona.

In Praktik Garden the first hotel of this chain and as hotel manager I realized that this was my place since I learned in more details important aspects of management such as revenue, transactions with agencies,and deal with suppliers, commercial area, human resources etc. Then I had the opportunity to make the opening of Praktik Vinoteca in October 2014 and I did not hesitate for a second until today with more than 8 years in this young chain and with a lot of projection to grow!

Could you tell us about Hotel Praktik Vinoteca and overall concept?

Praktik Vinoteca was inaugurated in October 2014, being the 5th Hotel of the Praktik chain. It is a boutique hotel with a great personality. It is born from the commitment and innovation to offer unusual hotels in the center of the city that offer their guests a unique and personal experience. And, nothing more personal and unique to Barcelona than its history with the world of wine. The relationship of wine with the city of Barcelona is as old as its history and culture.

Hotel Praktik Vinoteca

Hotel Praktik Vinoteca is not a place that offers only accommodation. What type of different experiences could your guests live in your hotel?

From the moment you arrive, you will be welcomed with a glass of wine or cava to enjoy, while you contemplate over 900 bottles on show in our reception area. During your stay, you will have the opportunity to meet our expert sommelier, sample numerous different types of wines, order your favorite bottle in a relaxing and fantastic terrace with nice music, or even request a private wine-tasting session.

Hotel Praktik Vinoteca - Wine Tasting

Could you give us an information about Wine Testing Session? How many types of wine in your cellars? Which one is the most preferred?

We have two possibilities, the first option is the basic wine tasting for those who want to start in the world of wine and know the main characteristics of wines in taste and sensations. This first one takes 30 minutes and is with 3 types of wines to chose between red, whites, cava or mixted. The second option is for wine lovers more experienced and with advanced knowledge of wines. This session lasts 1 hour and they taste 5 different wines. We have more than 50 references of different types of wines and cava to taste in the hotel, all of them from the region of Spain and few from France.

What sets Hotel Praktik Vinoteca apart from other hotels in Barcelona?

Praktik Vinoteca stands out for being a hotel dedicated to the world of wine. It is a boutique hotel with a great personality in which our guests can enjoy a stay in a building of the early twentieth century, typical of Barcelona's Eixample and, in turn, enjoy the exquisite world of wine in a unique environment.

Hotel Praktik Vinoteca

How many types of rooms do you offer? What are their features and price range?

We have 64 rooms in total. We have 2 types of rooms, the exterior room and the interior room. The size of the room is basically the same but it changes the view to the main street or an interior room faces to a courtyard. The rates range from 89€ in low season (nov-march) to 189€ in high season (april-oct).we also have familiar rooms in the ground floor, they are 2 connected rooms ideal for families or friends!

Hotel Praktik Vinoteca

What is the most common demand of your guests? How do you carry out these expectations? Could you tell us about your customer satisfaction policy?

We are very happy with our customers because the reviews on portals are as well known as tripadvisor.com or booking.com are very good and positive.

Fortunately, we have very high ratings and fantastic reviews and that is a sign that the expectations of customers are met and many would book again with us. We give priority to the personalized attention of the client helping them in restaurant reservations or leisure activities, in directions to visit the city etc

We have very good reviews and that helps us to continue doing well and improve as we can.

Please tell us about your concierge service.

We have wine tasting service everyday and our expert sommelier can guide our clients to learn about our traditional wine region´s typical from Spain. At the front desk, they also provide restaurant reservations, tourist bus reservations, beach towels and laundry service.

What are the most famous attractions near you?

Praktik Vinoteca offers an unbeatable location.

In the heart of the elegant Eixample district, the area where most modernist and art nouveau monuments are located, which have made Barcelona one of the main cities in art, fashion and design. Surrounded by historic buildings, shops, and restaurants, the hotel is just a 6-minute walk from the Paseo de Gracia metro station and Casa Batlló and 10 minutes from Gaudí's La Pedrera. In addition, Sagrada Familia and Barceloneta beach are 3 metro stops away.

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

We do not offer additional services for business travelers. The corporate client comes to our hotel mainly looking for location, design and a quiet and relaxed space to enjoy.

Hotel Praktik Vinoteca - Lounge Breakfast

How can business travelers make their individual or group reservations? Do you have any advantage packs that you offer to business guests?

The best way is to reserve through our website www.hotelpraktikvinoteca.com or send us an email directly to the hotel.

We can apply a better rate or give to our customers upgrade services that we don´t give to all our customers. Basically, we reward customers who book directly through our website or via email/phone and they will always have better rates than booking through online agencies.

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

The top season for us is from May to September, we have very nice weather and clients looks for a beach day, there are also lots of concerts and different cultural offers in the city.

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

As a first time visitor, I would first lost myself in the Street of Barcelona, especially near Passeig de Gracia and Rambla Catalunya and then in the Gotic neighborhood to see the Cathedral and El Born.

Then I would go to the Parc de la Ciutadella.

Another day I would go to la Barceloneta and then to the beach to enjoy a Sangria during the sunset. For the dinner, I would go to a good tapas restaurant.

My last days, I would start by the visit of the Sagrada Familia and then I will visit the ParcGuell. After that, I will go to the Museo Nacional de Arte de Cataluna and to Montjuic.

How do you describe Barcelona in one sentence?

Well...in only one sentence is a little bit difficult. I would say that Barcelona is a really cosmopolite city in which every moment is enjoyable. Indeed, the good weather, the cultural places, the modernist architecture and also all the little places to discover make Barcelona a really special city.

Thank you Belén.

For more information, please visit website of Hotel Praktik Vinoteca