Biltmore Tbilisi Hotel, located on Rustaveli Avenue, reported a decrease in occupancy rate for January 2025 compared to the same period last year. As the hotel's sales director, Mariam Kutateladze, told BM.GE, the Biltmore's occupancy is affected by the ongoing political processes in the country.
"The current situation had a significant impact on the tourism sector, including hotels located in Rustaveli Avenue. We are no exception. Accordingly, we cannot fulfill our monthly budget for January. However, we will see how the month will end. Compared to the previous year, we certainly have lack of load for January," Mariam Kutateladze said.
According to Biltmore's sales director, the New Year period turned out to be relatively busy for the hotel, although cancellations were observed in the earlier weeks: "There were cancellations during the New Year period. On December 31, the hotel was quite busy, we hosted guests from neighboring countries. But, a week or two earlier, we had a higher occupancy, however the reservations were canceled."
The political upheavals in the country are also affecting business tourism. As Mariam Kutateladze notes, events are practically not being held in the conference spaces of the Biltmore Tbilisi. Against the backdrop of reduced demand, Tbilisi hotels also had to reduce their pricing policies, although, according to the Biltmore's sales director, the hotel does not plan to make radical changes in this direction.
"I can say the same about the conference direction, the current situation also affects this aspect. You know, when Rustaveli is closed, it is difficult to hold an event here. Therefore, I cannot say that the conference direction is active.
In general, I think all hotels have to adjust prices. However, we do not have the luxury of this. We cannot radically change prices. We are focused on quality, which has its own value, a five-star brand has its own strict requirements. Given this, we were unable to take such radical steps and change our pricing strategy. However, let's see how the situation continues, we may also have to reconsider some things, although we do not have any radical changes," says Kutateladze.
According to the sales director of Biltmore Tbilisi Hotel, the activation of bookings has been observed since the spring. Mariam Kutateladze told BM.GE that the fulfillment of these reservations will also depend on the current events in the country.