Marriott’s MOXY hotel brand to enter Georgia’s hospitality sector

Georgia is set to become the first Eastern European country to welcome a new affordable but chic hotel brand to the region.

Moxy is the newest hotel by world hotel chain Marriott International and focused on the rapidly growing 3-star-tier market by offering a combination of top service, smart design and affordable prices.

Today, Marriott representatives introduced the concept to Giorgi Kvirikashvili from the Ministry of Economy and the Sustainable Development of Georgia.

Markus Lenert, Vice President of International Development at Marriott Hotel said Georgia had "the greatest tourist opportunity”.

"We welcome the willingness of the Ministry of Economy to support our project. There is a good basis for starting the expansion of the Moxy brand from Georgia throughout the Eastern European countries,” he said.

In the next few months, Moxy will undertake a feasibility study of the Georgian market.

Investors have expressed their initial interest in developing the hotel in Batumi, the Black Sea tourist city, and Likani, a mountain spa resort in South-Eastern Georgia.

In the Black sea coastal Adjara region, global brands like Kempinski, Hyatt, Hilton and Ritz-Carlton are expected to begin operating in the

Sheraton Batumi Hotel; Photo Getty Images  

next five years. Adjara’s first internationally-recognised 5-star hotel, Sheraton, opened in June 2010. One year later the ribbon was cut to open luxury hotel Radisson Blu Hotel. Presently there are more than 120 hotels in the region.

"Investors are mostly interested in Batumi and we discussed the plan to broaden the city,” Minister Kvirikashvili said.

"In saying this, they also don’t want to exclude the possibility of building the hotel in the Eastern part of Georgia.”

Marriott is represented in the Georgian market by two hotels - Tbilisi Marriot Hotel and Courtyard Marriott. Both are located in Tbilisi, Georgia’s capital city.

Last year, Tbilisi Marriott Hotel, a luxury five-star hotel, celebrated its 11^th anniversary. The Marriott brand was brought to Georgia by GMT Group.

During its 11-year existence, the Hotel has welcomed many of Tbilisi’s VIP guests and international delegations, including Former American President George Bush, high official Hilary Clinton, English actor Malcolm McDowell, singers Bryan Adams, Andy Garcia and Shakira, to name a few.

Currently, the full-service international hotels operating in Georgia include Tbilisi Marriott, Courtyard Marriott, Sheraton Metekhi Palace, Radisson Blu Iveria and Holiday Inn.

The latest survey by Georgian National Investment Agency, responsible for attracting investment to the country, revealed that from 106 hotels across Georgia, 60-65 % of the total revenue generated in the hospitality sector was generated

Radisson Bule Batumi Hotel; Photo Getty Images 

by international hotel chains while the remaining 35-40% was held by the local market.

The survey also revealed high-quality hotels were concentrated in the capital city, while mid-range hotels, guest houses and family houses were more common in the regions.

In 2013, there were five hotel franchises operating in Georgia.