Marriott Hotel Tbilisi

I didn't expect much when I booked a room at the Tbilisi Marriott. Sure the photos on the website looked good, but I remained skeptical. The building dates from 1915 and has served as a hospital and a soviet government building. Marriott rehabbed the building and opened the hotel in late 2005.

I arrived at the hotel at 4am. The check-in process was a breeze. When I booked the reservation, I requested to have a fruit and cheese plate in my room upon my arrival. I completely forgot about my request until I opened the room door and saw my snack sitting on the coffee table. Yay!!

I had a large room that overlooked Rustaveli Street, the main street in Tbilisi. The room was nicely furnished and very clean. It also had cable TV with many channels, a refrigerator/mini-bar and a safe. Wireless internet is available at an extra charge.

The workout room was nothing special. Although it is on 2 floors, the overall space small. There is a nice variety of weight machines, treadmills and other cardio machines. The lobby of the Marriott is beautiful. It is kept in the classical architecture style. Many people were sitting and chatting over cocktails and coffee while others opted to read.

Adjacent to the lobby is the Parnas Cafe. You can have cocktails, coffee, pastries or a light meal in the Cafe. I ate there a couple of times and was very pleased with both the meal and the service. One thing to keep in mind is that there aren't any no-smoking rules so be prepared for the onslaught of cigarette smoke.