Many visitors to Georgia dream of staying in a typical Tbilisi house, waking up each morning to greet the city from their wooden balcony overlooking a communal courtyard.
The House Hotel Old Tbilisi, a new 17-room boutique hotel set inside a historic mansion in Kala district, seeks to recreate this experience for guests.
A member of Design Hotels (one of just three in Tbilisi), The House Hotel is anything but homespun – the yard is the hearth of the property, but you won’t see the neighbour’s laundry flapping in the breeze here! It beautifully combines heritage elegance, contemporary trends and luxury finishes to pay loving tribute to Old Tbilisi in the most respectful of ways.
Aside from the design, the hotel has an unbeatable location and a terrific onsite bar-restaurant, Blue Fox. On paper, it has all the makings of a premier boutique hotel in Tbilisi Old Town.
I recently had the pleasure of staying at House Hotel to judge for myself and learn more about the property’s ethos and the story in the process. A big thank-you to the team for hosting me!
Please note: This post contains affiliate links, meaning I may earn a commission if you make a purchase by clicking a link (at no extra cost to you). Learn more.
Transparency: I was hosted by The House Hotel Old Tbilisi in exchange for a fair and honest review. As always, all opinions, recommendations and criticisms remain my own.
Get 10% off your reservation at The House Hotel Old Tbilisi: Use the promocode WANDERLUSH when you book directly through the website.
The House Hotel story
On historic Chakhrukhadze Street, footsteps from Tbilisi’s oldest church, Anchiskhati Basilica, and the once-buzzing trading outpost at Erekle’s Square, there is a clutch of grand houses with intricate wooden balconies.
Number 15, which backs onto busy Shavteli Street, is one of the most beautiful addresses in the area. It was built in the 17th century by a wealthy merchant and changed hands many times throughout its history.
Its location in the centre of Silk Road Tbilisi, close to all the action of the city’s bazaars and resting under the watchful eye of Narikala Citadel, which enveloped this riverside precinct, is truly the heart of Old Tbilisi.
Time has not been kind to the wooden houses in this area, with many literally on the verge of collapse. Number 15 was one of the lucky ones, salvaged and reclaimed to accommodate The House Hotel, Kerten Hospitality’s first property in Georgia.
The hotel’s entire concept (including, obviously, the name!) springs from the historic house itself. She gave up some real treasures during the renovation process, including an original red brick chimney that has found a new purpose as the restaurant’s basement wine cellar.
I remember walking past this old house as recently as last winter, peeking through the makeshift fence to admire the crumbling balconies framed by persimmon trees. It has undergone a complete transformation since then – but I am relieved to see that work has been done with a light touch to keep the spirit of the old house intact.
Guest rooms are arranged over three storeys and all face onto a shared yard. In the centre, a single silvery olive tree rises up from a round brick planter as if it were water springing from a well.
The courtyard is indeed the anchor point of the hotel and a place to gather over a drink or a meal – just as caravanserais, which apparently inspired the architectural phenomenon of the ‘Tbilisi courtyard’, had a shared central space for communing.
This part of Tbilisi has a long tradition of hosting travellers from afar and making them feel at home, something that House Hotel seeks to carry forward into the next chapter of the city’s history.
The rooms
The House Hotel’s courtyard, with its frilly blue fretwork and terraces, is true to the period when the house was built. The main entrance on Chakhrukhadze Street is a bit of a contrast – a more austere citron-coloured facade with a heavy wooden door.
The heritage charm goes into overdrive as soon as you enter the lobby, where pressed tiles and colourful carpets compliment a beautiful arrangement of modern artworks taken from the owner’s private collection.
The reception desk and other timber features throughout the hotel are crafted from upcycled wood salvaged from a wooden oda house in Kutaisi. Other materials too, including the red bricks and stone, have been re-used to make the build as low-impact as possible.
This theme continues in the hotel’s 17 rooms. I stayed in one of the Studio Rooms, which has a king size brass bed, built-in storage, and a modern ensuite with a rain shower.
The rooms have a very cosy feel thanks to the raked ceilings and wainscotting. I love the colour palette they have chosen for the interior, warm grey-blues that perfectly complement the wooden floors.
My favourite feature, unsurprisingly, is the Caucasian rugs and kilims draped across every floor. All the antique rugs are designed from the region, sourced just down the road at the wonderful Caucasian Carpets shop.
My room also had a full-length balcony. To keep the feeling of a shared courtyard, they have used wooden shutters to divide the outdoor spaces rather than hard barriers.
The views of the rooftops of Old Tbilisi, the Mtkvari, and the former Presidential Palace and Sameba Cathedral on the opposite side of the river are absolutely stunning.
Murals by Musya Qeburia
One flourish that sets The House Hotel apart is the hand-painted murals found in each room. They were specially created for the hotel by Tbilisi-born artist Musya Qeburia, whose large-scale works grace the streets in Batumi and Poti as well.
For this project, Musya was invited to recreate a cast of fictional (but true-to-history) characters from Old Tbilisi – silk road merchants, musicians, and noble families dressed in traditional Georgian garb. They are also repeated on the hotel keycards.
The paintings are a beautiful touch, especially since every room is unique – the characters almost feel like companions. Near the nightstand you will find a QR code that you can scan to learn more about your room’s patron.
Breakfast at Blue Fox
A complimentary breakfast at Blue Fox Restaurant and Bar is served a la carte for hotel guests, with your choice of three items from the menu. Highlights for me included the shakshuka, the Georgian menemen, the poached eggs with dukkah and labneh, and the waffles with mascarpone and red berries.
Blue Fox is also open to walk-ins for breakfast – but in my experience it’s nice and quiet in the early morning (breakfast starts from 8am) so you can enjoy the tranquil courtyard almost all to yourself. The bar is open late, but I never heard a peep from my room on the third floor.
Blue Fox is also open for lunch and dinner, showcasing Georgian-European menu designed by Micheline Star Chef, Jaume Puigdengolas. Choose between Georgian-style mezze, charcoal grilled meats, and a couple of inspired creations including Georgian patatas bravas, local pork done Korean-style, and khachapuri with truffle.
The details
The House Hotel Old Tbilisi is located at 15 Chakhrukhadze Street.
The team have very generously offered a special discount for my readers: Use the promocode WANDERLUSH to get 10% off your reservation when you book directly through the website.
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Hello, thanks a lot for the article. You convinced me to go to this hotel which is very pretty. However it is very noisy… There is live music every night until 22 in the restaurant in the courtyard and then normal music and people chatting loudly until later. You can definitely hear the noise from the rooms… and it’s impossible to sleep until the restaurant is closed…
Hi Aurea – oh no, I’m sorry to hear that. I have stayed here twice now and never noticed the noise. Thanks for your feedback and I hope you still enjoyed your time in Tbilisi.