Hotel Paliani — Hotel in Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti, Georgia

In short

Hotel Paliani is a small, family-run hotel in Mestia, the principal town of Upper (Zemo) Svaneti in the Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti region of Georgia. The hotel occupies a building that was converted from the ruins of an auxiliary structure on a family property, a project carried out by the current owner, a Mestia native who holds an MBA in hospitality management from the École Hôtelière de Lausanne (EHL) in Switzerland. The hotel’s own account of itself is built around the story of three generations of one Svan family: a great-great-grandmother, Tamara, who was widowed young and raised four children while holding the property together; her grandson, who inherited it; and his granddaughter, the present owner, who built the hotel in his and Tamara’s memory. The address given by the hotel is 13 Avtandil Khergiani Street, Mestia.

The building and its history

The hotel does not publish an architect’s name, a construction year, or an opening date on its official website. What it does set out, in first-person narrative form, is a family history that explains why the hotel exists and what it is named after. According to the hotel, the building now occupied by Hotel Paliani was originally an auxiliary structure on a family property in Mestia, and it stood in ruins before being rebuilt as a hotel. The current owner says she inherited the property from her grandfather, with whom she lived for 23 years, and that she undertook the conversion of the ruined building into the hotel while completing her hospitality degree in Switzerland.

The name and concept of the hotel, the owner says, come from her great-grandmother Tamara, who was widowed at a young age and raised four children alone while protecting the family property that was eventually passed down to her grandson and then to the current owner. The hotel describes itself as a tribute to Tamara’s resilience and to the image of her sitting on the balcony of the property, dressed for an evening promenade in Mestia in the manner of women strolling a town’s main street in an earlier era.

Because the official website gives no fixed dates for any of these events, the sequence below is presented in narrative order rather than as a dated chronology:

• Property in Mestia built and held by the family of Tamara, who is widowed young and raises four children on it, according to the hotel.
• Property passed down through the family to the current owner’s grandfather, who raises her on it from early childhood.
• The current owner studies hospitality management at the École Hôtelière de Lausanne (EHL) in Switzerland.
• During and after her studies, she converts the ruins of an auxiliary building on the property into Hotel Paliani.

Rooms and suites

The official website does not publish a breakdown of room categories, room counts, floor plans, or stated views for Hotel Paliani. Availability and rates are shown through an online booking calendar on the site, which allows guests to select check-in and check-out dates and a party size of up to five guests per booking. Beyond this booking tool, no further detail on room types, amenities within rooms, or in-room features is given on the hotel’s own pages.

Restaurants, bars and venues

Darbazi — The hotel lists a restaurant called Darbazi, giving it a separate contact telephone number from the hotel’s main reception line, which indicates it operates as a distinct, named dining venue within the property. The official website gives no further description of Darbazi’s cuisine, seating capacity, or opening hours. The word “darbazi” is the traditional Georgian term for a hall or communal living space, historically associated with the central room of a Georgian home and also used generically for dining or gathering halls in hotels and guesthouses across the country.

No other restaurants, bars, cafés, or event venues are named on the Hotel Paliani website.

Wellness, pool and fitness

The official website makes no mention of a spa, swimming pool, sauna, gym, or other wellness facilities at Hotel Paliani. Travellers interested in such amenities should check directly with the hotel before booking, as none are described or implied in the site’s published text.

Meetings and events

Hotel Paliani’s official website does not describe any meeting rooms, conference facilities, or event spaces. No information on group bookings, business services, or private event hosting is provided.

Awards and memberships

The hotel’s website does not list any awards, certifications, or hospitality-industry memberships for the property itself. It does state that the owner holds an MBA in hospitality management from the École Hôtelière de Lausanne (EHL) in Switzerland, which she presents as part of the hotel’s founding story rather than as an accreditation of the hotel.

Prices and booking

No fixed room rates, seasonal pricing, or package details are published in the text reviewed on the Hotel Paliani website. Bookings are made directly through a calendar-based reservation widget on the official site, where travellers select check-in and check-out dates and the number of guests (up to five) to see availability. For current rates, travellers should consult the official website directly.

Location and getting there

Hotel Paliani is located at 13 Avtandil Khergiani Street in Mestia, the administrative and cultural centre of Upper (Zemo) Svaneti, within the Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti region of western Georgia. The hotel states that Mestia lies 456 km from Tbilisi and sits at an elevation of around 1,500 metres above sea level, describing the town as a starting point for excursions to the glaciers below Mount Ushba, for horseback riding through the surrounding mountain pastures, for engagement with Svan culture, and for skiing in winter.

Mestia is served by its own small domestic airport, generally used for scheduled flights connecting the town with Tbilisi, a route that takes roughly an hour by air when operating, as an alternative to the long road journey from the capital. The nearest international airport is in Kutaisi, reached from Mestia by a mountain road of roughly 170 km, a drive that typically takes several hours depending on season and road conditions. Within Mestia itself, the town is compact and walkable, with its central square, Svan defensive towers, and the Svaneti Museum of History and Ethnography among the landmarks commonly found within a short walk of hotels in the town centre, though the Paliani website does not itself specify walking distances to these points.

Good to know

• Address: 13 Avtandil Khergiani Street, Mestia, Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti, Georgia.
• Reception telephone: +995 595 67 00 05.
• Restaurant Darbazi telephone: +995 598 67 00 05.
• Mestia is stated by the hotel to be 456 km from Tbilisi and at around 1,500 metres above sea level.
• The hotel was created by converting the ruins of an auxiliary building on a family property into a hotel.
• Bookings are made via a calendar-based widget on the official website, for up to five guests per booking.
• No spa, pool, gym, or conference facilities are described on the official site.
• Mestia is a base for glacier excursions near Ushba, horseback riding, and winter skiing, according to the hotel.

Questions travellers ask

Where exactly is Hotel Paliani located?

The hotel is at 13 Avtandil Khergiani Street in Mestia, the main town of Upper (Zemo) Svaneti in the Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti region of Georgia, at an elevation the hotel states as around 1,500 metres above sea level.

How far is Mestia from Tbilisi, and how do you get there?

The hotel states that Mestia is 456 km from Tbilisi. Travellers typically either drive, which takes a full day by road, or fly on scheduled domestic flights to Mestia’s own airport, a route that takes around an hour when operating; the nearest international airport is in Kutaisi, roughly 170 km away by road.

Does Hotel Paliani have its own restaurant?

Yes. The hotel lists a restaurant called Darbazi, with its own dedicated telephone line separate from the hotel’s reception, though further details of its menu or hours are not published on the official site.

What is the story behind the name and design of the hotel?

According to the hotel, it is named in tribute to Tamara, the great-grandmother of the current owner, who was widowed young and raised four children while protecting the family property in Mestia. The current owner converted the ruins of an auxiliary building on that property into Hotel Paliani after inheriting it from her grandfather and studying hospitality management in Switzerland.

Does the hotel have a pool, spa, or meeting rooms?

The official website does not mention a pool, spa, gym, or meeting and event facilities. Travellers with specific needs in these areas should contact the hotel directly before booking.

Sources

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

Profiled in depth by the GTour desk on 27 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.