Many well-known hotels are sold in Georgia, - according to the real estate agencies. Gia Piradashvili, the founder of Chateau Mere, has not changed his mind about selling the hotel either, and he has been waiting for a suitable offer since 2023. According to him, the crisis in the sector is intensifying, which the sector is finding increasingly difficult to cope with.
"I'm still determined to sell the hotel. We're looking for a flexible option, we might change partners. Fortunately, we've found a partner through whom we'll be able to renovate and reconstruct the hotel, adapting it more to the situation that corresponds to the current situation in our country.
The current period is very difficult for the hospitality business. This includes both hotel and restaurant businesses. This is happening not only in Tbilisi but also in the regions, where maintaining this business is very difficult. This is due to the uncertain situation created in the country. Business, in any case, understands this situation this way. Sometimes there are cases when crises are prerequisites for new opportunities to emerge, but in our case, the situation is very difficult. Tourism has decreased significantly, and there is no vision of what could be the prerequisite for this business to grow and maintain the positions we have," - said Gia Piradashvili.
The point is that Minister of Economy Levan Davitashvili noted that the number of beds increased in recent years due to Airbnb, which the hotel business could not compete with. Gia Piradashvili agrees with Levan Davitashvili that competition increased in the market, but noted that the crisis in the hotel business is related to the current unstable environment and not to increased competition.
"Yes, I agree with Levan Davitashvili that there is increased competition here, but there was increased competition several years ago when tourists were coming more actively and the situation was much more stable, and there wasn't a perception from countries that Georgia is an unstable and dangerous country for visitors," - stated Gia Piradashvili, founder of Chateau Mere.
