Summer Brings Extreme Sports Fans to Barcelona's City Center

BARCELONA, SPAIN--(Marketwire - Mar 26, 2013) - From racing down ramps to speeding around tracks, the pace of today's sports is picking up, and Barcelona will play host to two of the summer's most thrilling sporting events.

Racing fans will rev their engines for the Formula 1 Grand Prix Barcelona, taking place the weekend of May 10-12, 2013. Red Bull Racing, Ferrari, McLaren and Mercedes, among others, will hit the track at Catalunya Circuit, 20km northeast of the city centre and near this Passeig de Gracia hotel.

Right after the Formula 1 event, starting on May 16, another sport event you don't want to miss. The Summer X Games will attract more than 150,000 spectators from across the globe to this Spanish city. Organized by the U.S. sports network ESPN, the X Games are considered the "most extreme sports event in the world," with competitions in 17 disciplines including skateboarding, BMX, motocross rally car and FMX.

Events will take place at venues near this hotel in Barcelona, Spain, including Montjuïc Olympic Ring, Palau Sant Jordi, Montjuïc Municipal Swimming Pool, Sant Jordi Esplanade and Olympic Stadium Lluís Companys de Montjuïc. As home to the Summer X Games in 2013, 2014 and 2015, the city has gone above and beyond to accommodate the needs of the competition, creating 31,000 square metres, or four football fields-worth, of new courses.

The Summer X Games and Formula 1 Grand Prix make for great weekend escapes with friends, fellow fans or an entire team, and this hotel offers great deals on Barcelona group accommodations and a location convenient to event venues. Visitors can combine a day of extreme sports with one that takes in the city's iconic architecture, including the works of renowned architect Antoni Gaudi; some of his finest works are just steps from the Renaissance Barcelona Hotel in Pau Claris.

About the Renaissance Barcelona Hotel
Contemporary style, high-level service, comfortable accommodations and a convenient location all come together at the Renaissance Barcelona Hotel. Guests are just steps from Casa Batlló and La Pedrera, works of the famous architect Antoni Gaudi, and within the hotel's walls they'll find a space that's worthy of its iconic surroundings. Each of the 211 hotel rooms in this Barcelona property features a refreshing color palette, sleek accents and amenities including 24-hour room service, minibar, Wi-Fi, iPod dock, plasma TV, air-conditioning and coffee/tea service.