Sheraton Tbilisi is Back, and There’s Been No Compromise on Quality!

Exclusive Interview

The Sheraton Grand Tbilisi Metechi Palace is a five-star hotel in Avlabari overlooking the old town andoperated by Marriot International. The hotel was built in 1989 and opened in 1991, one of just a handful of joint ventures with Western companies seen during the Communist period, and remembered with nostalgia by many Tbilisians for its being a “beacon of light” in the darkest days following the collapse of the Soviet Union (it was quite literally one of few buildings with a constant supply of electricity!). In August 2007, the UAE-based Ras Al Khaimah Investment Authority bought the hotel through its subsidiary RAKIA Georgia LLC for $68 million. Rebranding began in 2013, and in 2014 it was decided to close the hotel in order to allow for a full upgrade, which included a brand recognition of excellence in the addition of ‘Grand’ to its title. Sheraton Grand hotels are recognized for their iconic locations, distinguished designs, excellence in service and guest experiences, exemplary dining concepts and exquisite spa experience. They are found in some of the world’s most treasured destinations. The Sheraton Grand Tbilisi Metechi Palace is now among them, having had a $50 mln major refurbishment to bring it to 21st century contemporary standards of technology, style and comfort.

GEORGIA TODAY sat down with Andreas Heidingsfelder, General Manager of the Sheraton Grand Tbilisi Metechi Palace, to find out what people can expect from an old-friend-made-new: the Tbilisi Sheraton.

We met in the infamously large lobby, which stretches up 10 floors and is now decked out in elegant accents of wood, with soft furnishings in tones of gold, grey and red. Behind us is the Wine Library, with a floor-to-ceiling wall of temperature-controlled bottles, and the decadent yet homey Craft House cocktail and beer bar. Uniformed staff, the concierges in grey modernized chokha, stand ready to serve, and outside the landscapers scurry to complete the beautifully designed garden prior to the March 1 official re-opening. The atmosphere is one of excitement, positivity and impeccable style. We ask Andreas, “what has changed?”

“First let me say what has not changed,” he suggests. “We’ve always been well-known for our service and high quality, and this is something which has not changed. We believe in our customers, as always, and that service is key.”

Aside from the latest technological advancements, which we’ll come back to in a moment, Sheraton Grand Tbilisi has welcomed the return of some of its base staff of 2014, a testament to the legend of the brand in Tbilisi.

“No-one lost their jobs when the hotel closed; they were all looked after and given the possibility to work abroad in other Sheratons. We had more than 20 abroad. Some came back to us for the re-opening. We will employ 288 team members in total, while at present the number stands at 234,” Andreas tells us.

There are 220 rooms in the hotel now, boasting contemporary designs and just as contemporary technology.

“The design is where the biggest change can be seen, and yet even with the modernization, we have been careful to bring the Tbilisi Sheraton back to the local area, in this case the Caucasus region, in its design elements.”

Indeed, we have already seen the massive conference rooms named after Georgian mountains, the accents on wood paneling in the lobby reflecting mountain peaks, geometric designs on the carpets representing mountain shapes, and the glass chandeliers in the 1000 sq. m. Ballroom hinting at icy glaciers and gushing Georgian rivers.

“Our Ballroom is the largest conference facility in the city,” Andreas tells us. On a later tour of the conference facilities, we are told that the Ballroom at full capacity can accommodate up to 1000 guests, while altogether the conference facilities can serve nearly up to 2000 people, with a separate entrance provided and top-range tech for every client’s need.

“We have been training our staff for many weeks now [prior to the opening] on service standards, on waste management, on healthy living, and how to use the new room management system which automates the heat and lighting related to occupancy, powering down automatically when the guest is not in the room in order to reduce energy consumption,” Andreas notes, adding that, “We at Sheraton take social responsibility very seriously. This sets us apart from the competition. In-house, we have running classes for our employees, and at our morning stand-up meetings, I always recommend they climb at least one flight of stairs a day while moving between floors, rather than use the elevator. It’s more efficient and healthier!”

Sheraton has always played a big role in the local community. We ask Andreas what plans he has in this regard.

“We will continue the good things we started in the past. We’ll be sponsoring the annual Heidelberg Cement Marathon in September. Planting trees, celebrating Earth Hour [Sheraton was the first business in the city to do so]. We are also happy to support needy elderly people, NGOs and other people in need- though such plans will come into effect towards end of year. We have plans related to supporting our employees’ children. We also have an ongoing relationship with the Temi Community- not only buying their wine and selling it to our customers but supporting them in building up and renovating their center for the vulnerable,” Andreas tells us. “In short, there are numerous things in the pipeline to benefit the local community and much still to do. We can’t stop world hunger, but we can dream. We’ve decided to focus for the time being on the environment, our own people and their families, and elderly people in need. As new initiatives come up, we will of course let you know!”

From the very first moment their doors open, Andreas promises that the Sheraton Grand Tbilisi will be adding value to tourism sector development in its renowned quality of service, which is set to attract a new audience looking to explore something different in a new Sheraton Grand, as well as past guests looking to return and enjoy familiar energizing experiences (and perhaps a soak in the new Wine Spa!)

“We believe in our quality. We believe in our brand. We’re adding to tourism in Georgia via what we deliver, and, of course, paying into the economy via taxes. Our brand is recognized globally, and Georgia in particular at the moment is on everybody’s map, following on from the 2018 Frankfurt Book Fair [where Georgia was Guest of Honor] and the rise in the popularity of night culture in Tbilisi which sees youngsters coming to Tbilisi to party on the weekend, spending money not only in hotels but in restaurants, taxis, at ski resorts, on wine to take home, and more.”

We ask Andreas where he sees the Sheraton Grand Tbilisi Metechi Palace five years from now.

“Still here,” he says with a laugh. “And still in this beautiful historic building, which is a known gathering point , not only thanks to its large lobby, but because Sheraton is known to the worldwide community as a place to go, a place to gather. In fact, Sheraton’s new slogan is ‘The World’s Gathering Place.’ This Sheraton in particular was always known as a place of light, of events, of high service. I always tell my friends, ‘where history was written in Georgia, Sheraton was a part of it.’ Presidential inaugurations were held here, it housed the first German Embassy for a time, and numerous state visits were supported by Sheraton. In five years, we’ll be continuing that tradition,” he says.

Andreas has been in Georgia for seven years, having seen tourism rise from 2.4 mln border-crossing tourists the year he arrived to around 8.4 mln at the last count. “I’m looking forward to the 10 millionth visitor to Georgia!” he tells us.

We wonder what changes the country has been through in his time here. Like many Western-born foreign residents, he points first to the state of the environment. “Both the city and countryside have become cleaner,” he says. “Awareness of correct waste management is growing, and recycling is on the rise. Pollution, however, has not changed for the better, and traffic has in fact worsened.”

In terms of investment, though, Andreas says “the outlook is more than positive,” naming not only tourism but also production (in the clothing industry) and services (such as call centers) and hydro power among the biggest contributors seen of late.

“More investments are coming to Georgia. German Chancellor Angela Merkel was here [last year] and signed off on some very good investments. I see many other countries also coming in and encouraging their companies to invest in Georgia,” he says.

Back to the new Sheraton, we ask Andreas how much “Made in Georgia” is present in the hotel.

“Our owner would naturally not compromise on quality. The standards of Georgian manufacturing could not meet the high demands of the brand, and so most of what you see in the hotel has been brought from abroad. Yet there is much of Georgia and the Caucasus to be seen. We convinced the interior designer to work with Georgian artist Ira Kurmaeva, commissioning her to create 793 different photographs. These were images shot between 2016-18: original art work selected for our rooms by the interior designers, made abstract, printed on canvas and framed in Georgia. It makes me extremely proud to have this Georgian connection present in our hotel.”

We also discover that 80% of the Sheraton Grand Tbilisi wine selection comes from Georgian producers, large companies as well as small and medium craft winemakers. “We want this space to become a gathering place for all wine enthusiasts in Georgia,” Andreas enthuses.

We next ask him what, of all the changes, excites him most.

“What excites me most? I can’t pick one thing,” he says with a smile. “All the bits and pieces make one whole, and I know each part so well. I know where each socket is; I know why the tiles are light gray, not dark; why the Sheraton-branded bed linen is white, not beige; why the design of this rug has red triangles, not blue. Every element excites me. It’s been enormously exciting in the past 6-8 weeks particularly to see it all coming together and the final touches made. I’m confident everyone who comes will enjoy it,” he says.

Indeed, Andreas has spent the past five years maintaining the Sheraton’s connection to the local and international, expat, community. “It was very important for me to keep contact with our old guests. You can see the success of this in the bookings we’ve received, already covering the next eight months,” he says. “Our past customers are loyal to the brand and to us here in this building, to our people, and they are coming back.”

Andreas and his tight-knit and well-trained staff look forward to welcoming guests old and new to the Sheraton Grand Tbilisi Metechi Palace once again: great news, as Tbilisi just wasn’t the same without it!

By Katie Ruth Davies