Sleeping high: stay at Batumi’s Kartuli Hotel on the 37th floor of a skyscraper by the Black Sea | The Escapist 

Where?

Batumi, Georgia

What?

Forget Singapore: the ultimate skyscraper hotel is now in Batumi. Opened in the fall of 2019 on the 37th floor of a high rise, Kartuli Hotel was conceived not just as a hotel, but a place where tourists can explore Batumi through artistic and cultural exchanges with locals. The view from Kartuli is all you need to get an idea of Batumi’s eclectic vibe and mismatched architecture. Admire art nouveau buildings, brutalist blocks, conceptual skyscrapers, the snow-capped Caucasus Mountains in the distance, and the waves crashing against Batumi’s white-pebbled beaches, all while sipping a glass of Saperavi in a hammock.

Wrest your eyes away from the view and towards the hotel’s interiors and you’ll see a fusion of Georgian folk and contemporary culture, blending minimalism with a local touch. The design combines monochrome tiles, neon lights, and modern spiral staircases with handwoven Georgian rugs and cushions. An example of the pleasing blend of design and tradition is the hotel’s lobby, which integrates the classic Batumian metal roof with wood to form the desk and bar. Using Georgian calligraphy, the neon light installations form lofty words that the hotel’s staff suggest represent Batumi’s identity, such sea, air, and freedom.

Carving out a small niche in an otherwise largely corporate-style hotel landscape, Kartuli offers its guests a relaxed and authentic experience of young life in Batumi.

What not to miss during your stay:

— Head to the Batumi’s botanical garden, an exotic park stuffed full of beautiful plants and trees that’s perched on a hill looking out over the Black Sea.

— Take home one of the hotel’s colourful postcards, exclusively made for the hotel by Black Dog Shop, a Tbilisi-based graphic design agency.

— Eat Khachapuri Ajara, a delicious boat of bread with butter, soft-boiled eggs, and cheese. Delicious.