For a four-day trip to Tbilisi, Georgia, I wanted to pick two hotels and stay two nights each. Tbilisi actually has quite a few good options, which is almost like a little hidden gem. One especially worth mentioning is the Biltmore, the flagship of the Millennium group: it’s known as the highest hotel in the Caucasus region, and the price is pretty reasonable. I even used Mastercard to match my status to get Prestige benefits, but after seeing more photos, they looked a bit dated so I cancelled.
Other options like Radisson Blu and Swissotel are also quite good, but I chose to remain loyal to Marriott. For the first two nights, I spent points on a Design Hotels property – Rooms Hotels – mainly because I’ve been wanting to try boutique hotels lately, and this one is very highly recommended online.
The result was disappointing. The location isn’t bad, but it’s also not ideal, quite far from the Old Town. And the concrete industrial-style rooms were not my thing at all, nothing like the boutique atmosphere I’d expected.
Marriott elites get virtually no benefits here, not even a room upgrade. The only upside was the price: two nights for 30,000 points is very cheap. But now the points rates have almost doubled, so when it comes to silent devaluation, Marriott really isn’t losing to Hilton.
After two rough nights, I quickly moved on to check out the Paragraph Hotel at Freedom Square. As a Luxury Collection property, this place should hold a very high standing, and its room rates certainly place it in the first tier. Yet strangely, compared with other top hotels in the city (Biltmore, Radisson Blu, Telegraph and Stamba etc.), it’s rarely discussed. Even on TripAdvisor you have to scroll a long way to find it, which is puzzling. But based on online reviews and guest photos, it looked great, so I thought I’d give it a try.
Paragraph already wins on location: as the name suggests, it sits right next to Freedom Square, the very heart of Tbilisi. For tourists, it’s convenient to go anywhere. One reminder: sidewalks are rare in Tbilisi. Don’t jaywalk – it’s dangerous and you can be fined. Look for underground passages.
This night shot I took of the entrance turned out nicely; Georgian alphabet is adorable.
Every day at noon, a free walking tour departs from Freedom Square. I recommend joining – it’s a good intro to Georgian history and culture. I arrived at the hotel around 10am in the morning, so of course the room wasn’t ready yet. They gave me a lounge key so I could sit and wait; I had a quick look, went out for lunch, then joined the walking tour.
It seems rather common in the Caucasus for high-end hotels to have a piano display in the lobby. I returned at 3pm and the room was ready. This property apparently doesn’t accept suite night awards, but they proactively upgraded me to a Junior Suite.
It’s called a Junior Suite, but it’s really more like a standard one-bedroom suite. The living room is on the left:
And the bedroom on the right:
Because the outer walls of the hotel are curved, the rooms have angled windows, giving wide and pleasant views. The bathroom:
It’s not just new – the materials and finish feel excellent. The room is also very high-tech: there’s an internet TV in the bathroom, and the curtains are electrically controlled. The capsule coffee machine is disguised to look like a handcrafted brewer, which is cute.
The welcome amenities included a fruit platter and local red wine:
And a wax-sealed welcome letter, surprisingly formal:
The hotel isn’t very tall (just nine floors) and my room was on the eighth. But the floorplate is huge; walking back and forth between the room, the pool, and the lounge felt exhausting. Staying on the ninth floor would’ve been ideal.
On to dining, starting with breakfast at the all-day restaurant.
The quality and variety are excellent, with local dishes like mushroom cream soup and all kinds of sweets, plus honey and international items like Asian-style grilled chicken.
Egg dishes can also be ordered à la carte. Then I went to check out the executive lounge on the eighth floor, called “The Library”. By the way, per Marriott policy, lounge access typically doesn’t apply at Luxury Collection hotels, so it’s generous and commendable that this one does.
The lounge is small, but beautifully designed and filled with art pieces.
There’s also an outdoor terrace where you can enjoy the breeze and views.
During the day they only have simple fruit and pastries.
The evening happy hour isn’t extensive either, mainly starters and desserts.
Of course, Georgia has plenty of great food (though prices were higher than I expected), so there’s no need to rely on the lounge to fill up. The lounge’s biggest highlight: unlimited self-serve wine, all day long!
White, red, and rosé, eight kinds in total, fitting Georgia’s identity as a wine country. Pressing a button dispenses the wine like a soda machine at a buffet – charmingly odd. At check-in, the front desk told me that a restaurant on the first floor also offers free wine and cheese for all guests every evening, though I didn’t try it.
Finally, time for the spa, starting with two incredibly Instagrammable shots:
It’s hard to imagine anyone seeing this pool for the first time and not being amazed. A wide circular base, 360-degree glass walls, soothing mountain and city views. All things are perfectly blended.
The (heated) pool is very large, great for swimming in any direction, and comes with waterfall jets and massage beds. Next to the pool are several saunas with labels like “rock salt” and “herbal”; they also have a steam room and an ice room.
You have a nice view from the gym too.
There’s also an outdoor pool, but its aesthetics are much weaker, and in 20-something-degree weather it wasn’t usable.
Other than the proactive lounge invitation when my room wasn’t ready, the service throughout the stay was excellent. I even received an email from the manager offering to meet and discuss my experience. In conclusion: all aspects of this Luxury Collection hotel in Tbilisi are outstanding, the pool is stunning, and it’s absolutely worth experiencing!
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