Communal Hotel Plekhanovi

We admit we never saw it coming, but Tbilisi, Georgia is now home to some of the most fully realized and authentically unique boutique hotels in the world. The Communal hotels make use of antique townhouses in some of the city’s most desirable old neighborhoods — in the case of Communal Plekhanovi, that’s Chugureti, a hip, creative district a short distance from Marjanishvili Square and Tbilisi State University.

With just 14 rooms it’s still guest-house-sized, and at that scale, a hotel can aim for a communal atmosphere without feeling crowded or chaotic. The style is a postmodern mixture of period architecture, classic fixtures and furnishings, and a very modern graphic color sense; no two rooms are alike, but the hotel presents a unified aesthetic and makes an impression that’s nothing if not memorable.

Speaking of communal experiences, there’s a substantial buffet breakfast that serves as an introduction to Georgian cuisine, and later in the day guests mingle in the bar and on the terrace. For lunch and dinner there’s Weller, the hotel’s restaurant, and while it’s worth making time for, it’s by no means the only one in town — the hotel’s vibrant location invites a bit of urban exploration.