Life.Culture.Discovery.

Stamba Hotel, a jewel in Georgian capital Tbilisi’s hipster crown, housed in an old printing house

With its blossoming arts scene, the up-and-coming city is being hailed as the new Berlin or possible Brooklyn

The Stamba has played a role in the city’s cultural rebirth, hosting a variety of festivals in the hotel’s outside amphitheatre

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Located in Georgia’s capital Tbilisi, the Stamba Hotel proudly showcases its cool credentials. Photo: Stamba Hotel

Published: 8:00pm, 31 Oct 2019Updated: 2:54pm, 4 Nov 2019

So, is Tbilisi the new Berlin? It’s being hailed as that, yes. Or is the capital of Georgia – known for the Caucasus Mountains and its strenuous ethnic dancing – the new Brooklyn? Actually, Tbilisi is very much its own place, the heart of a country that has withstood invasion and occupation for centuries and remains proudly Georgian. It’s certainly blipping on the fashionable travel radar, though, and you sense a new wave of arts, architecture, design and culture is flourishing in the city.

Does this hotel reflect that? The Stamba may be a five-star hotel but it is also a hub of artistic activity, playing its part in fostering that new energy. A photo festival, a design festival and Tbilisi’s first architectural biennial have all been staged in the hotel’s outdoor amphitheatre. With free co-working spaces, too, Stamba has become an attractive destination for the Georgian creative.

Standing in the up-and-coming Vera neighbourhood, just off the grand, tree-lined Rustaveli Avenue, the hotel building, which was, during Soviet times, a printing house, possesses a genuine buzz.

What’s so special about a converted printing house? Well, the conversion in itself is spectacular. The building has been stripped back and its skeleton revealed. The lobby atrium soars five levels with printing machinery having been left in place. A glass-bottomed pool is planned for the top level. Indoor trees and other greenery pop up here and there.

Stripped back to its industrial glory, the property has 90,000 books for guests’ reading pleasure. Photo: Stamba Hotel

The rooms are huge (suites are larger still, of course) and there are contemporary flourishes – handmade ceramic tiles by London studio Pataki and wallpaper by Georgian designer Maya Sumbadze.

Any other references to the printing theme? Yes, “stamba” means “print” in Georgian and there are 90,000 books (most in English) lining the hotel shelves. There are plenty of squishy sofas to chill on while reading one, too.