The Hotel Intercontinental Barcelona opens a 2,000 m² garden and urban orchard

The Hotel Intercontinental Barcelona has just celebrated its first anniversary. In its first twelve months of opening, the establishment has registered an uneven performance in terms of occupancy, but now it has reached cruising speed ---with an average occupancy since May of 74%--- and its forecasts are optimistic, especially regarding the recovery of congress and incentive activity, which is its strong point.

Located at the confluence of Rius i Taulet and Lleida streets, in Montjuïc, the former Hotel Fira Palace, later converted into Crowne Plaza, was reborn in October 2021 as Intercontinental Barcelona, allowing this international reference hotel brand to land in the city and increase its offer of five-star establishments. The reopening process has just culminated with the last planned action in the complex's remodeling project: the construction of a garden and an urban orchard in its interior patio that occupies an area of 2,000 square meters. With this work, the accumulated investment in the new Intercontinental amounts to 20 million euros, as explained to The New Barcelona Post by the hotel's director, Enrique Escofet.

The new garden of the Hotel Intercontinental Barcelona has been built on top of the roof of the establishment's convention rooms and pursues a triple purpose. The green roof that has been installed over the four meeting rooms will result in energy savings of 30%, since in summer less cooling of the rooms will be necessary and in winter less heating will be required. "The garden creates a thermal layer that represents a direct saving on the electricity bill," highlights Escofet.

Secondly, the aesthetics of the hotel are notably improved, as a grayish interior patio has been replaced by a striking garden whose views benefit both neighbors and guests of the establishment's rooms. Finally, this project contributes to increasing urban biodiversity and is in line with the municipal plan to green the rooftops of buildings. Equipped with drip irrigation and unique night lighting, only Mediterranean plants have been planted in the garden and some insect hotels have also been installed to promote this diversity.

One part of the project is an urban garden where this summer tomatoes, eggplants, lettuces, kale, and different aromatic plants have already been cultivated. These vegetables supply the hotel's gastronomic restaurant, Quirat, led by chef Víctor Torres. Likewise, the aromatic plants are used in Gebre, the establishment's cocktail bar.

"This garden fills us with satisfaction and we are very happy with how the work has turned out, which is the last thing we needed to complete the hotel's reopening and repositioning project, with an accumulated investment of 20 million euros," says Escofet. This investment has been executed by the property owner, Diagonal Plaza, belonging to two Barcelona families.

According to the director of the Intercontinental Barcelona, the first three months of 2022 were very tough, with minimum occupancies of 20%. However, from Easter onwards, the hotel's activity picked up and, since May, the establishment has recorded average occupancies of between 72% and 74%, with peaks reaching 80% in July and August. Escofet is also optimistic about the recovery of congress and corporate presentation activity: "We are very strong in this segment and have almost recovered pre-pandemic levels; we are only 10% below 2019, which was a record year for the old Crowne Plaza, but now the quality of our facilities and services is much higher, we have made a great qualitative leap."

Car presentations, internal training, congresses, press conferences, celebration galas, award ceremonies, incentive trips... over the last twelve months, the Intercontinental Barcelona has hosted all kinds of events, from companies in multiple sectors, such as technology, finance, or pharmaceuticals. Recently, Airbus held its European conference at the hotel, which is also the usual establishment for many of the football teams that visit the city, such as Inter Milan or Atlético de Bilbao, two of the most recent guests.

It is also common for singers and music groups performing at the Palau Sant Jordi or the Lluís Companys Olympic Stadium to stay at the hotel. "You have to consider that we have the most spacious hotel rooms in Barcelona; the smallest is 42 square meters," Escofet points out. Last June, the renovated presidential suite, measuring 170 m², was also unveiled and has already been occupied about 20 times over these five months.

85% of Intercontinental Barcelona's guests are foreigners, especially British, American, from the Middle East, and European countries like France. "Despite the city suffering problems such as increased crime and dirt levels, Barcelona continues to attract international clients immensely, who still trust this destination and are drawn by its gastronomy, the sea, or Gaudí's architecture. Barcelona has a strong pull, and we are confident that the current pace of recovery will consolidate," Escofet believes.

With a total of 273 rooms, this five-star hotel employs 200 people, and its rate does not drop below 310 euros per night. Since this month, the hotel, which boasts one of the largest spas in the city, must compete with another newly opened luxury establishment in the city that also focuses on congresses and conventions, the Sofitel Skipper Barcelona. "It is very good for Barcelona that new international prestige brands arrive; it helps all of us immensely because it contributes to positioning the city in the world and allows us to increase the level of the hotel industry," emphasizes the veteran manager.

The company Diagonal Plaza, owner of the hotel, operates it under a franchise agreement, meaning it pays an annual fee to the global hotel giant IHG Hotels & Resorts for the use of the Intercontinental brand. "It is very difficult for a luxury brand like Intercontinental to sign franchise contracts; it is not common at all. But with this same formula, we managed to make the former Crowne Plaza in Barcelona the best in Europe, and now we intend to do the same with this new brand," he concludes.