InterContinental Hotels has announced that the first Crowne Plaza establishment in Barcelona should be opening during the first quarter of this year. This announcement follows the signing of a franchise agreement with Hotel Fira SAU."Barcelona is a key city for us in Europe and our Crowne Plaza brand is absolutely the right fit for this area" says Hylko Versteeg, IHG's Development Director for Spain and Portugal. "The property's fantastic facilities and central location will provide the hotel with a competitive advantage and Hotel Fira S.A.U is the perfect partner to help IHG continue to grow in Spain".The Crowne Plaza Barcelona Fira Center will offer 276 guestrooms, wellness center, and fitness facilities. Most notably, it will offer the most extensive meeting facilities of any Crowne Plaza establishment, at 3,000 square meters. In addition, it will be located 100 meters from the Fira Barcelona Convention Center.