I am beyond excited to reveal that one of my favourite hospitality groups in Georgia, Communal Company, has launched a brand new boutique hotel-restaurant right here in Kutaisi, where I have been living for the past two years.
You might know Communal from their twin boutique hotels in Tbilisi (Communal Plekhanovi and Communal Sololaki), or from one of their wonderful Tbilisi restaurants, Craft Wine Restaurant, Weller and Madre.
Communal Company opened a hotel in Telavi a couple of years ago, and now their second venture outside the capital is here. I am a frequent visitor to Communal Kutaisi and let me tell you, it is every bit as majestic as their other properties. Communal’s impeccable design and superb service is a very welcome addition to this city indeed.
Communal Hotel Kutaisi and Doli Restaurant officially launched on November 23, 2023. The boutique hotel with a pool and restaurant-bar are set in a gorgeous 19th-century house on Tabidze Street in the old part of the city.
Ahead of opening night, the Communal Team kindly invited me to share an exclusive sneak peek of the new space. Since I’m now part of the furniture, I am continuously returning to update this post with more information, impressions and photos.
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Communal Kutaisi concept & design
As the name suggests, Communal Company is all about creating spaces that bring people together and foster kinship. In Kutaisi, this concept translates quite literally because the property was a private home, now unlocked to accommodate a bigger family.
The double-storey wooden door painted electric red and foyer with black-and-white geometric tiles are both very typical of Kutaisi and offer a grand entrance.
One thing Communal is very good at is balancing shared and private spaces. For example, breakfast is served family style, laid out on a long table, and at the same time the dining room is extremely intimate with nooks for breaking off into one-on-ones.
Given the city’s history and reputation for being a hub of 20th century arts and culture (it was just named a UNESCO Creative City of Literature), this is something very special for Kutaisi. The space reminds me of a writer’s salon or an artist’s haunt a-la Tolkien’s The Eagle and Child.
Communal always makes an effort to draw inspiration from the local context. In Kutaisi, design elements channel the 60s and 70s – sybaritic, sumptuous and swanky are all words that come to mind.
The property is a tribute to the writers, the symbolist poets, the stage directors and other Kutaisians who made this city special. The picture gallery in the dining room includes images of choreographer George Balanchine, the father of American ballet, who traces his paternal lineage back to Kutaisi (below left).
In the entranceway, there is a floorplan of Gelati Monastery hanging on the wall (above left).
There is also an element of nostalgia for long summers, youth and reverie. Sultry charcoal-coloured ceilings matched with matte plaster and dark timber wainscoting give the space layers of texture with exuberant pops of blood orange. The restaurant features an original ceramic fireplace, which has been refurbished and modernised.
The rooms
Every room at Communal Kutaisi is unique in its layout and style. The layout follows the original contours of the house and as a result, some of the rooms have a very novel floor plan – my favourite is the ‘Bathtub Suite’ that you enter via an open-plan bathroom complete with a clawfoot tub beneath a glass frieze of Jason and Medea.
Every room artfully combines light and dark, hard and soft to visually divide spaces into usable areas.
Another room boldly uses a polo pattern on the walls, bedhead and lampshade.
Larger rooms have their own fireplace and sitting terrace, while even the smaller rooms have excellent amenities including a minifridge and tea/coffee bar.
I’m pleased to see the signature radios from Tbilisi have been deployed here in Kutaisi as well. There is something so romantic about entering a space for the first time and finding the radio tuned into a Georgian ballad.
Complimentary breakfast for hotel guests is served in the restaurant dining room, plus you get access to all the hotel’s amenities including an outdoor pool (which I cannot wait to see – coming soon!) and the courtyard.
The restaurant
Doli Restaurant is currently open Tuesday to Sunday from 5pm until midnight.
In the future, Doli will extend its hours to breakfast (8am until noon), lunch and dinner (two sittings at 7pm and 9pm) and host an all-day brunch every weekend.
Doli is set on the ground floor of the house, with velvet banquette seating pressed against big windows that look out onto Tabidze. The space interfaces with the other bars and restaurants on the street, but still holds an elevated position and thus a sense of noblesse above the fray.
Doli’s menu revolves around Western Georgian fare, with a focus on traditional Imeretian and Megrelian dishes. This includes homely oven roasts done in a clay tone, wood-fired makhli BBQ, and special dishes that you cannot find anywhere else in Kutaisi, including one of my favourites, Megrelian kvari cheese dumplings.
I have tried almost everything on the menu – my favourite dishes so far are the kebabi, simple and succulent meat kebab dusted with sumac and served with a punchy yogurt sauce; the velvety ghomi with butter, which is unlike any cornmeal I’ve ever had before in Georgia; and the mixed grill plate, which has a bit of everything.
Other bites include mchadi with nadughi, village sulguni cheese, chicken in tkemali, and of course a house version of the classic Imeruli khachapuri.
The khinkali at Doli are exceptional: fat, juicy and full of flavour.
Whatever you choose, be sure to order a side of signature Doli bread, cooked to order in a tone oven.
Food is accompanied by a curated library of qvevri wines sourced from vineyards around Imereti, with some international guests as well. There is also a long list of non-alcoholic beverages, including homemade lemonades and Georgian teas.
The dining space is very versatile, transforming from a warm, airy breakfast room into a dimly lit, super private dinner venue. Communal Company’s signature open kitchen and chef’s table are featured here, plus there is a private dining area for groups, an exclusive Games Room with its own entrance, and poolside seating in the garden.
After hours, the retro sound system heats up and the subtropical cocktail menu with tinctures inspired by the humid Kutaisi climate takes over. I am quite partial to the Basil Slap!
Book a table at Doli Kutaisi using this link.
Check prices and availability for Communal Hotel Kutaisi here on Booking.com.