Stamba Hotel

The first boutique hotel to open in Tbilisi felt like a novelty. The second, perhaps, marked the beginning of a trend. But the third — Stamba Hotel, upscale sister to the successful Rooms Hotel Tbilisi — is evidence of a bona fide movement. The Georgian capital has opened itself up to the world in a big way, and the world, it seems, likes what it sees. This is a buzzing, cosmopolitan city, a revelation to those of us who remember when it was locked up behind the Iron Curtain, and a fashionable playground to a younger generation for whom that story is ancient history.

There’s more than a slight family resemblance between Rooms and Stamba; the latter occupies a classic Thirties building, once home to a famous publishing house, and the building’s post-industrial patina gives it a visual identity all its own — along with surreal flourishes, like the trees that grow through the five-story central atrium. The rooms go all in on retro style, with leather headboards, brass fixtures, and weathered textures, and while they’re unpretentious, they’re possessed of more than a touch of luxury. Meanwhile the public spaces attract travelers and locals alike — Café Stamba, the restaurant, is a hot ticket, as is the Pink Bar with its enormous crystal chandelier.