El Equipo Creativo

 
The hotel chain in charge of proposing the first of the challenges has been CoolRooms Hotels, characterized by its authenticity and design achieved through the fusion between history and innovation. This challenge has resulted in a concept restaurant inspired by the Hotel Palacio de Atocha 4 * owned by the brand in Madrid, and has been developed by El Equipo Creativo, a renowned interior architecture and design studio founded in 2011 in Barcelona by architects Oliver Franz Schmidt, Natali Canas del Pozo and Lucas Echesteve Lacy. 

The name of the concept restaurant, “Genius Loci Concept Restaurant”, comes from the concept of “Genius Loci”, understood as a determining factor of the architectural work when the physical, sensory, natural, cultural and spiritual elements are fully considered at the time of design, giving the place an essence and character of its own.

The studio has presented a proposal that seeks to highlight the good work of the brand in terms of the organic combination of the historical with the contemporary and its desire to connect with local culture and sustainability, for which it has tried to reproduce a moment so typical of this local culture such as sitting around the table to eat or drink and, above all, to socialize. An act of meeting and celebration recreated in an environment reminiscent of classical forms, but contemporary in its layout and finishes, which seek to create two complementary environments within the same space.
 
The concept restaurant focuses on two traveler profiles: on the one hand, the Luxury hunter, a type of traveler avid for exclusive and luxury experiences, with a preference for immersive environments, authenticity and cultural experiences. On the other hand, the Authenticity seeker, a traveler who seeks authentic immersions in local environments and cultures, who seeks not to feel like a tourist. The materials and finishes chosen for the space reinforce this approach: one of the rooms is dominated by the color terracotta, which is associated with an indoor lounge, while the other is dominated by shades of cream and green, evoking the idea of a courtyard. Fabrics, upholstery and wallpaper create a warm visual composition, but also generate an acoustic comfort that is essential for a gastronomic space.