Hilton Hotels & Resorts expands in Georgia

Hilton Hotels & Resorts is expanding its presence in Georgia by opening new hotels in several parts of the country.

Currently the hotel management is searching for local or international investors to cooperate with while building new hotel in Georgia’s capital Tbilisi.

The hotel should be located in the very centre of the capital city. The location should be comfortable and acceptable for everyone,” Hilton regional representative Vladimir Lichev told iPRESS.

After opening one luxury hotel and another more affordable hotel, Hilton planned to enter a new segment of the market and open a Hilton Conference Hotel in Tbilisi.

We see the necessity of [conference hotels] in Tbilisi. Hilton Conference will be a place to hold international conferences. Meanwhile, we are also discussing the possibilities of opening more economy hotels in Tbilisi,” said Lichev.

The flagship brand Hilton Hotels & Resorts debuted in Georgia’s Black Sea resort town Batumi in May this year, whilst Georgia’s capital Tbilisi will be the location for a mid-market Hilton Garden Inn property in 2016.

The 14 storey, 165 guestrooms Hilton Garden Inn Hotel will be located in the heart of Tbilisi's financial district, on Chavchavadze Ave, where banks and commercial headquarters operate.

Financing of up to $18.7 million USD for the Hilton Garden Inn property has been provided by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). The project has also benefited from a technical and energy performance assessment sponsored by the Japanese government through the EBRD's Sustainable Energy Initiative.

Tbilisi is a thriving hub of industry and commerce and we feel our brand is ideally suited to fill a gap in the city's market for a mid-market, business friendly hotel. Our brand's features are all geared towards resonating with the modern traveller, who is always on the move, ensuring they have an easy and enjoyable stay with us,” said Adrian Kurre, global head of Hilton Garden Inn.

We are excited to be bringing these services to Tbilisi and look forward to setting a new benchmark amongst value hotels in the Georgian capital,” he added.

Once the Hilton hotels were fully operational in Tbilisi and Batumi, it would expand to other Georgian cities and towns.

As we know you have a free economic zone in Poti. We have also discussed Kutaisi [as a place where it is possible to open Hilton hotel],” Lichev said.

He spoke positively of Georgia’s hospitality sector but said it would be better if the country attracted more investors and developed its infrastructure further.

You should try to make all resorts [summer and winter] attractive for investors and visitors. I would suggest sharing Austria’s and Switzerland’s 100 years of experience,” Lichev said.