Marta Araújo

luxo Bainha de Copas se juntaram para me ajudar a instalar um painel de sabonetes por cima da cama do Quarto Castelbel. É gente assim – desenrascada e sem peneiras – que faz a magia acontecer!

O que mais lhe atraiu na suite?

O conforto da cama, a vista panorâmica sobre a cidade e a varanda envidraçada, que nunca imaginei ser possível encontrar em Manhattan!

Do hotel em geral, o que mais apreciaram?

par das muitas marcas que podem ser encontradas no hotel: da Bainha de Copas à Viúva Lamego, da Castelbel à Amalia Home Collection, da Vista Alegre ao próprio Pestana Hotel Group. E a consciência de que tudo o que estas empresas exportadoras fazem, fazem com brio e, por isso, (muito!) bem.

What was the main source of inspiration for your art intervention?

We were inspired by the

Castelbel Hello Cities and Olá Portugal city-inspired aromatic collections. What started as a tribute to our most important international market, portraying

New York, Paris, London and

Rome, now includes collections from 29 cities or regions spread across the globe.These special edition soaps, candles and scented sachets were created in 2015 to provide an authentic olfactory journey through the world's main cities, replicating the most typical fragrances and symbols of each place, such as monuments and other architectural elements, means of transport, typical costumes, cultural icons and even the colour of the sky! The collections were so successful that in 2018, TAP decided to launch, in partnership with us, comfort kits under the same theme.

Tell us a little about this experience. Is there anything you would like to highlight?

It was an extraordinarily positive experience, due to the way the Pestana Park Avenue team welcomed our idea and helped us make it happen. Of course, the fact that the room itself was wonderful and had an incredible view was a decisive factor in the project's success. However, the most important thing for me was the commitment and professionalism of all those involved. A good example of this was when I saw a tall, elegant man, in a suit and tie, with a drill in his hand, fixing the alignment of the scented sachet lampshade we made for the room. Imagine how surprised I was when I realized that he was the Hotel Manager?! Another memorable moment (because it was so unexpected) was when Sofia Fernandes ,the Executive Director of the Pestana Hotel Group, who invited us to stay at the hotel, and the creator of the luxury brand Bainha de Copas came to help me install a soap panel above the bed of the Castelbel room.

I will never forget the pleasure of eating a pastel de nata at the reception, whenever I returned to the hotel, the thrill of listening to live fado music on the nights that the hotel was presented to the Portuguese and American press, and the surprise of receiving so many messages from people back in Portugal, congratulating Castelbel on our partnership in this great initiative. Above all, however, I will always remember how proud I felt to be Portuguese, just like the many brands that can be found at the hotel: from Bainha de Copas, Viúva Lamego, Castelbel, the Amalia

Home Collection and Vista Alegre to the Pestana Hotel Group itself…

All of this made me aware of the fact that everything these exporting companies do, they do with pride and therefore, (extremely!) well.