IHG Reflags Crowne Plaza Barcelona As InterContinental

IHG is opening a “new” InterContinental hotel in Barcelona in late summer 2021 that was not so good Crowne Plaza previously.

The hotel must have gone through renovations to reflag from a Crowne Plaza to an InterContinental. However, this has happened before (thinking of Mendoza, where Crowne Plaza suddenly turned to an InterContinental without any work done).

You can access InterContinental Barcelona here.

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The location

The location is a bit off of the most touristic part of the city.

Here’s the announcement from IHG:

InterContinental Hotels & Resorts to bring its unrivalled luxury to Barcelona later this year

Opening in late summer 2021, InterContinental Barcelona will offer three destination restaurants and bars and a luxury spa

IHG Hotels & Resorts, one of the world’s leading hotel companies, will open InterContinental Barcelona in the city’s Montjuic district later this year, the global luxury hotel brand’s second hotel in Spain.

As the world’s first and largest international luxury hotel brand, InterContinental Hotels & Resorts has pioneered luxury travel in new destinations and established, upmarket locations for 75 years. InterContinental Barcelona will deliver the renowned InterContinental experience, rooted in modern luxury design and service; combining knowledge of local culture with international know-how, a passion for great food, all delivered with today’s luxury traveller in mind.

InterContinental Hotels & Resorts is famed globally for signature bars and restaurants helmed by Michelin-starred Chefs and up-and-coming talent, and InterContinental Barcelona will be no different. Drinking and dining will be elevated with three magnificent restaurants, one of which will be headed by a Michelin-starred Chef; a Cocktail Bar; the Rooftop 173 and the Terraza Montjuic, designed for hosting events. A signature Club InterContinental experience will also feature prominently, and a 1,200m² spa.

Located on the site of what was the Crowne Plaza Barcelona, the hotel is undergoing a complete transformation to align with the InterContinental brand’s aesthetic of discreet luxury and global sophistication. Designed by the Spanish-based, Brime Robbins consultancy, InterContinental Barcelona will offer 273 elegant and spacious rooms, along with a 180m² Presidential Suite, and 17 junior suites.

More than 3,000m² will be available for hosting meetings, conferences, congresses, banquets, and exhibitions, including 18 meeting rooms with a capacity for 1,200 people. Interactive experiences such as augmented reality, virtual reality and video mapping are just some of the options that will be enabled by the 1Gbps download speed and 5G services in the hotel.

Enrique Escofet, Managing Director of InterContinental Barcelona, commented:

“As the largest luxury hotel brand in the world, with decades of luxury hospitality experience across the globe, we are delighted to announce the arrival of an InterContinental hotel in Barcelona, bringing the brand’s international knowledge, sophistication and our understanding of local culture to this vibrant city. We look forward to continually exceeding our guests’ expectations as they explore Barcelona, its animated culture and the world-class art and design it is famed for.”

Upon opening, the hotel will deliver upon its BIOSPHERE© certification, granted by the Responsible Tourism Institute (RTI) that guarantees fulfilment of international sustainability requirements.

Conclusion

I truly hope that the Crowne Plaza, a borderline dump, has gone through complete renovations before reopened as an InterContinental in late summer 2021 (that probably means that they hope to open before the end of 2021).

It is always good to have more InterContinental options (if only they offered a better benefits package for IHG Rewards elite and Ambassador members).

Personally, I am not a huge fan of these flag changes (from lower to higher brand) because they tend not to work well at the end. I hope that InterContinental Barcelona has everything figured out.