The FINANCIAL — “Italians are renowned the world over for their expertise in the hotel management sector, that is why I chose to have them as my partners,” said Temur Chkhonia, the owner of Georgia Palace Hotel, who has brought the Italian spirit of hospitality to Georgia by establishing the Italian style five star hotel GPH in the seaside resort of Kobuleti.
The architect, chief cook, restaurant and banquet manager of the hotel are Italian. All the hotel’s equipment is bought from Italy as well. Bruno Costantino is the most important Italian at Georgia Palace Hotel. He is the restaurant and banquet manager there.
“Our hotel’s Italian style, Italian mentality and vision are evident to our guests. Unfortunately Italian style is not yet profitable in Georgia, but I hope that it will be in the future,” said Costantino.
“We made a big step in developing the hospitality business, by creating a five star service, resort line of international quality,” Lela Tsulukidze, GPH Vice Executive Director, told The FINANCIAL.
“I came to Georgia three years ago. During the time that I have lived here I have seen lots of changes in the Georgian tourism industry. As I live in Adjara I have observed that the situation is getting better here. Batumi is developing very successfully. The tourism industry is developing not just in Batumi but in Kobuleti as well. However there are lots of things that still need to be done if we really want to develop international and domestic tourism. There are still problems with infrastructure in Georgia that need to be solved. But I believe that the situation will improve in accordance with the wishes of our guests.
The contribution of GPH to tourism development in Georgia and in Kobuleti is very important. We made sure of having some of the best staff. I shared my experience with our staff myself. In the field of restaurant and banquet management I have 30 years of experience in different parts of the world. I gave them all trainings every day and shared all of my experience with them.
I am so happy to see how our staff changed the way they worked. Now all of them are gracious, always smiling and taking care of the guests, working with true professionalism. I believe that we are a shining example for everyone.
“As Italian cuisine is well known all over the world, their stylish design and delicate service piqued our interest and that is why we have partnered with Italians,” said Lela Tsulukidze.
“Before starting a hotel business Mr. Chkhonia had relations with Italians. He and his wife fell in love with Italian architecture and design. After that they tried to bring some elements here and fulfil their wishes together with their partners, to mix Italian culture with Georgian.”
“The main problem is the infrastructure that we are missing in certain segments. My advice is to work hard in order to achieve a higher level in the hospitality business,” said Lela Tsulukidze.
“Foreign tourists should visit Georgia because we have such a fascinating historical past and lots of sights and important monuments to visit in the country. In each corner of our country you can find something interesting for tourists,” said Tsulikidze.
“The reason why tourists should visit Georgia is that this country is a new destination for European tourists,” believes Bruno Costantino. “Nowadays there is a tendency to explore new travel destinations. In such a situation Georgia really has the opportunity to attract a great number of tourists. But the problem is the high prices of air-tickets. Flights to Georgia are expensive. You can go from Rome to Madrid and stay in a 4 or 5 star hotel for one week and it will cost you 600 EUR. A flight to Georgia costs 600 EUR. So there is no competition and this is bad for industry development.”
Q. Do you promote Georgia and GPH in Italy, for example, or in any other country?
Bruno Costantino: Yes of course, this is one of the most important parts of making a hotel recognizable. For example last week our marketing and front office manager was visiting Barcelona in Spain. The purpose of this visit was to sell our hotel rooms to European tour operators for conferences and holidays. It is not just Italy and Georgia that we carry out marketing of GPH in, but other countries as well. Newspapers and websites are some of the ways we advertise the hotel.
Lela Tsulukidze: Advertising is one of the most important tools for promoting products; we are cooperating with lots of famous Georgian and international publications such as The FINANCIAL, British Tourism Journal, Air Board journal and more. We are participating in international exhibitions. Not just for Italians, but for other nationalities our hotel has become a new destination for rest and for business meetings, in the summer many Ukrainians visited our hotel.
Bruno Costantino: The high quality and best service are our standard. None of them depend on price rates. I mean it is not necessary to offer guests expensive service, just make sure that you offer them high quality service. As for my role in achieving a high quality standard at GPH, I would say that the best quality and service is the result of our daily training, from the beginning till now and in the future.
Q. GPH founder Temur Chkhonia said that the concept of weekend holidays is not yet developed in Georgia. How are you trying to solve this problem?
Bruno Costantino: This is a real problem. I think that the reason is that there is no highway between Tbilisi and Kobuleti. So it is not so easy to come here and spend the weekend at the hotel as it takes five to six hours to travel by car. The other problem is that all big entertainment events in the region are held in the summer time when we are fully booked. I think that the tourism department must organize more events during winter time than in the summer so that all Georgian people have more interest in coming here.
Lela Tsulukidze: Unfortunately Georgians are not used to spending weekend vacations far from home yet; we are trying to create interesting weekend packages which include recreation programmes, adventure, and flexible prices for families.
Bruno Costantino: It is not easy to build a 5 star hotel. You need a lot of money to achieve it. Anyway I recommend that Georgian hotels increase the quality of their service as much as possible so that they can compete with foreign brands. In my opinion GPH has raised Georgia’s image very much as it is the first 5 star hotel here.
Georgia Palace Hotel is the perfect choice for discerning guest, seeking to relax in a luxurious atmosphere with all modern conveniences and extensive range of health and wellness facilities.
Situated on a Kolkheti Plain and 25 km north of Batumi Kobuleti is distinguished by a unique microclimate which benefits cardiovascular, respiratory and nervous system unlike any other on Georgia's Black Sea coast.
A pleasant subtropical climate, fresh air, plenty of sunshine, warm sea and Adjarian Mountains nearby create one of the most desirable holiday destinations in Georgia.
156 elegantly designed and spacious rooms, all with private balconies, open the wonderful views of the sea, the surrounding mountains or our beautiful garden. A modern decor with soft, pastel colored furnishings create a warm, welcoming feeling.
All the guest rooms offer air-conditioning, cable internet, and hair-dryer, TV with satellite channels, mini bar and safe- boxes.
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