Hostel Paliani — Hostel in Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti, Georgia

In short

Hostel Paliani, marketed on its own website as “Paliani Hotel”, is a small, family-run property at 13 Avtandil Khergiani Street in Mestia, the administrative centre of Upper (Zemo) Svaneti in northwest Georgia. According to the hotel, the building occupies land that has been in the same family for several generations and was converted from a former auxiliary structure on that family plot. The hotel is run by a granddaughter of the family who holds an MBA in hospitality management from the École Hôtelière de Lausanne (EHL) in Switzerland. The property includes a restaurant called Darbazi, which has its own direct telephone line for reservations. Beyond the personal history recounted on the site and the Darbazi restaurant, the hotel’s website published for this review does not list room categories, facilities, prices or awards, so prospective guests are advised to check the official booking page directly for current details.

The building and its history

The hotel’s own account of its history is told as a family story rather than a conventional architectural record, and it does not give specific construction or opening dates. According to the hotel, the site was an “auxiliary building” standing in ruins on a family property in Mestia before it was rebuilt as a hotel. The founder describes being raised on the property by her grandfather from early childhood and being chosen by him as heir. She also traces the inspiration for the hotel to her grandfather’s mother, Tamara, who was widowed young, raised four children, and worked to keep the family property intact through a difficult period. The hotel’s name and decorative theme are presented by the owner as a tribute to Tamara’s memory. The founder went on to study hospitality management at the École Hôtelière de Lausanne in Switzerland and used the ruins of the old auxiliary building to create the hotel that exists today.

• Early generations: the family property in Mestia, including the building that later became the hotel, passed down through at least three generations, according to the hotel.
• Tamara’s era: the current owner’s great-great-grandmother, Tamara, was widowed young and worked to raise four children and protect the family’s land and buildings.
• Grandfather’s generation: the property was inherited by the current owner’s grandfather, who in turn raised and later named his granddaughter as heir.
• Conversion into a hotel: the granddaughter rebuilt the former auxiliary building, which had fallen into ruin, into Paliani Hotel, a project completed around the time she earned her hospitality management MBA at the École Hôtelière de Lausanne.

No calendar years for these stages are given in the source text, so the timeline above should be read as a sequence of family events rather than a dated construction history.

Rooms and suites

The hotel’s website, as reviewed for this profile, does not set out specific room categories, room counts, view types or in-room amenities. The site provides a booking tool with fields for check-in and check-out dates and number of guests (up to five), but no accompanying room descriptions were published in the pages reviewed. Travellers who want details on bed configuration, room size or views should consult the live booking page on the official site or contact reception directly using the number listed below.

Restaurants, bars and venues

Darbazi is the hotel’s restaurant, identified by name on the hotel’s contact page, which also lists a dedicated phone line for restaurant reservations separate from the hotel’s main reception number. No further detail on the restaurant’s cuisine, opening hours or setting is given in the source text reviewed.

Wellness, pool and fitness

The hotel’s published pages reviewed for this profile make no mention of a spa, swimming pool, gym or other wellness facilities. If such amenities exist, they are not described on the sections of the official website available at the time of writing.

Meetings and events

No information on meeting rooms, conference facilities or event spaces is included in the hotel’s website text reviewed. Guests interested in hosting events should contact the hotel directly to ask about availability.

Awards and memberships

No awards, accreditations or hospitality-association memberships are mentioned on the hotel’s official website pages reviewed for this profile.

Prices and booking

The hotel’s website offers an online booking widget allowing visitors to select check-in and check-out dates and the number of guests before proceeding to “Book Now.” No specific room rates, seasonal pricing or cancellation terms are published in the pages reviewed. Current rates and availability should be confirmed on the official booking page.

Location and getting there

Hostel Paliani is located at 13 Avtandil Khergiani Street in Mestia, Georgia. The hotel’s own contact page describes Mestia as lying 456 km from Tbilisi and sitting at around 1,500 metres above sea level, calling it the centre of Upper (Zemo) Svaneti and a starting point for excursions in the region, including walks to the glaciers below Mount Ushba, horseback riding through the surrounding mountain pastures, and winter skiing.

Mestia is a compact town, and visitors generally travel on foot between its central sights, which include the Svaneti Museum of History and Ethnography and the clusters of stone Svan defensive towers that characterise the area; the hotel’s website does not state the exact walking distance from the property to these landmarks. Mestia also has a small regional airport with seasonal flights connecting to other Georgian cities, offering a flying time of roughly an hour, though most travellers reach the town by road, a drive of several hours from Tbilisi or Kutaisi along mountain routes. The hotel’s website does not specify its own distance from the airport or from the town’s bus and marshrutka stops.

Good to know

• Address: 13 Avtandil Khergiani Street, Mestia, Georgia.
• Reception telephone: +995 595 67 00 05.
• Restaurant Darbazi telephone (reservations): +995 598 67 00 05.
• Mestia sits at about 1,500 metres above sea level, according to the hotel.
• Tbilisi is 456 km away, as stated on the hotel’s contact page.
• The hotel was created from a former auxiliary building on a family property rather than purpose-built as a hotel.
• The owner holds an MBA in hospitality management from the École Hôtelière de Lausanne (EHL), Switzerland.
• The hotel’s website does not list room types, facilities beyond the Darbazi restaurant, or published rates; these should be checked directly on the official site.

Questions travellers ask

Where exactly is Hostel Paliani located?

The hotel is at 13 Avtandil Khergiani Street in Mestia, the main town of Upper (Zemo) Svaneti in northwest Georgia, which the hotel describes as sitting at about 1,500 metres above sea level.

How do you get to Mestia from Tbilisi?

The hotel’s website states that Mestia is 456 km from Tbilisi. Most travellers reach the town by road, a journey of several hours through mountain terrain; Mestia also has a small regional airport with seasonal flights to other parts of Georgia, though the hotel’s own text does not give transfer times from either the road route or the airport to the property itself.

Does Hostel Paliani have its own restaurant?

Yes. The hotel lists a restaurant called Darbazi, which has a separate telephone number for reservations, distinct from the hotel’s main reception line.

Who runs the hotel and what is its background?

According to the hotel’s own account, it is run by a woman who inherited the family property in Mestia from her grandfather and converted a ruined auxiliary building on the site into the hotel after completing an MBA in hospitality management at the École Hôtelière de Lausanne in Switzerland. The hotel’s name and story are linked by the owner to her great-great-grandmother, Tamara.

What can guests do in the area around Mestia?

The hotel’s website describes Mestia as a starting point for trips to the glaciers below Mount Ushba, horseback riding through the surrounding mountain pastures, exploring Svan culture, and skiing in the winter months.

Sources

• Hostel Paliani — official website (paliani.ge)
• Hostel Paliani: About
• Hostel Paliani: Contact

Profiled in depth by the GTour desk on 28 October 2026 from the property’s official website; photographs are the property’s own, from its official website, credited under each image. Not sponsored; tell us if something has changed.