Sheraton Grand Tbilisi Metechi Palace

The Sheraton Grand Tbilisi Metechi Palace is a five-star hotel in Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia. It is in a central area overlooking Old Tbilisi and operated by Marriott International. The hotel opened in 1991.[2]

Sheraton Grand Tbilisi Metechi Palace
Sheraton Grand Tbilisi Metechi Palace, 2018
Map
General information
TypeHotel
LocationTbilisi, Georgia
Opening1991[1]
OwnerRas Al Khaimah Investment Authority Georgia LLC
Technical details
Floor count12

History edit

 
Sheraton Grand Tbilisi Metechi Palace lobby, 2019

The Metechi Palace Hotel was built during the Communist period, as a joint venture between Russian investors and Austrian-based ABV Leasing-und Hotelinvest GMBH. It opened in May 1991, barely a month after the nation of Georgia gained independence.[3] It was managed by ABV's Marco Polo Hotels chain, which also had properties in St. Petersburg and Moscow. The hotel operated nearly empty for its first few years, due to the Georgian Civil War, during which the hotel's lights were turned off every night, to avoid attracting sniper fire.[4] The three Marco Polo hotels joined Sheraton Hotels in 1997 and the property was renamed Sheraton Metechi Palace Hotel.[5] In August 2007, the UAE-based Ras Al Khaimah Investment Authority bought the hotel through its subsidiary RAKIA Georgia LLC for US$68 million. The hotel closed on December 1, 2014[6] and underwent a refurbishment costing over US$40 million.[7][8] It reopened on June 20, 2019, as the Sheraton Grand Tbilisi Metechi Palace.[9] In July 2022, the hotel was partly bought out to act as the stay-over hotel for the players of the 2022 FIBA U20 European Championship Division B

References edit

  1. ^ "Out of Georgia: The deadly weapons of guns and scholarship". Independent.co.uk. 23 October 2011.
  2. ^ "Out of Georgia: The deadly weapons of guns and scholarship". Independent.co.uk. 23 October 2011.
  3. ^ Margaret Shapiro (1994-05-21). "TBILISI HOTEL OUTLIVES TURMOIL". The Washington Post. Washington, D.C. ISSN 0190-8286. OCLC 1330888409.
  4. ^ Margaret Shapiro (1994-05-21). "TBILISI HOTEL OUTLIVES TURMOIL". The Washington Post. Washington, D.C. ISSN 0190-8286. OCLC 1330888409.
  5. ^ "Sheraton Metechi Palace hotel leads Corporate Social Responsibility activities in time of the major renovation ► FINCHANNEL". 6 July 2016.
  6. ^ "Sheraton Metechi Palace hotel to undergo $25 Million transformation".
  7. ^ Faucon, Benoît; Solomon, Jay; Fassihi, Farnaz (June 20, 2013). "As Sanctions Bite, Iranians Invest Big in Georgia". WSJ. Retrieved 2016-07-18.
  8. ^ Francescone, Pamela McCourt (29 October 2019). "A Luxury Makeover: Sheraton Grand Tbilisi Metechi Palace". Retrieved 2020-04-23.
  9. ^ "Sheraton Hotels & Resorts Celebrates the Transformation of Sheraton Grand Tbilisi Metechi Palace".

External links edit

41°41′20″N 44°49′24″E / 41.6888°N 44.8232°E / 41.6888; 44.8232