For almost a decade, once the most beloved hotels for visitors of communist Georgia - Iveria Hotel has sheltered refugees from Abkhazia – the Autonomous Republic of Georgia. The former landmark of Tbilisi and one of the central buildings looked unpalatable.
Only it was in 2004 that Silk Road Group - a group of Georgian and international investors decided to invest in the building and remodel it into city s most attractive hotel, turn it into the symbol of progress and economic advancement of Georgia. Continuous reforms of business environment had made large real estate investment and tourism projects possible.
A key success factor for the project was its social component. In dealing with the building, the refugees were given plentiful compensation to vacate the building and find decent alternatives. This was a major demonstration of corporate social responsibility of the business group. At the same time that helped the government to effectively solve the burning issue of the refugees. Besides the business goals, broad social objectives were also met. To realize its ever ambitious plans, the investment group has established Development Solutions (DS) – a professional real estate development company. DS was assigned to develop a world class hotel in the heart of Tbilisi as well as manage other real estate projects in Tbilisi and Adjara – the Black Sea coastal region of Georgia. It was a considerable challenge not only in terms of business feasibility but also in terms of an architectural solution. The development company was supposed to deliver a concept which would naturally fit into the unique landscape and traditional architecture of Tbilisi.
The first step was to carefully study the touristic market of the Georgia s capital and check the feasibility of a big international hotel. The feasibility study conducted by the Horwath Consulting (international specialized tourism and hospitality consultants) reaffirmed basic physical and qualitative parameters of the future project. The second step was to study technical and structural firmness of the existing building and conduct a geological study, which also was carried out successfully.
Selection of architects was probably the most crucial part of the project. Architects were challenged to produce an architectural masterpiece that would inspire everyone - contemporary and future generations, all Georgians and Georgia s visitors, the old and the young - at the same time organically relating with the national specifics and local traditions of Georgia. Steffen Frensen-NY based architect was assigned to outline the architectural concept. Design development, interior and exterior design was assigned to Graft Architects HMbH - a Berlin based full service architecture studio conceived as a ‘Label for Architecture and Urban Planning.
Almost 3 years and approximately USD 95 million were spent to finish the construction of this hotel. Now almost every citizen and visitor of Tbilisi has noticed huge glass building in the center of the city, on Rose Revolution square. This building will serve as a host of Radisson Blu hotel chain. Biggest hotel in Georgia offers complete luxury for business and leisure travelers. 249 spacious rooms are designed in modern way and have wonderful view over the capital and River Mtkvari.
Now magnificent hotel is in full swing and it is widely accepted by the public. The hotel is supposed to foster development of tourism in Georgia, promote the quality of hospitality services and implement best practices in the industry, contribute to the employment and business in Georgia.
Next in schedule, Development Solutions plans to deliver a second Radisson Blu hotel in Batumi, capital city of Adjara. The construction has already launched and one more architectural landmark will be finished by 2011. Again this project paid out ample compensations to refugees, residing in the building for years. In the future, nonetheless important societal effect will be achieved by launching 160-room hotel in Batumi. We have number of other outstanding projects coming in the pipeline in Tbilisi and Adjara. You can find more about our plans at www.ds.com.ge.
