Ambassadori Hotel Tbilisi

The hotel is in central Tbilisi by the river, with a stunning view, though our room didn’t face the river. They upgraded us without us asking, and the room was huge, spotless, and luxurious. Everything was perfect apart from the phone in the room, which didn’t work properly. The dining room was large, and the food was fresh and very tasty. There wasn’t as much choice as we’re used to at hotels, but we always found something to eat and really enjoyed it. The pastries were excellent. The exchange shop at the hotel had the best rate of all the places we checked in Tbilisi, so it’s worth changing money there. Excellent hotel and quality service.

We stayed at the Ambassadori Hotel in Tbilisi with a group of 16 and had a lovely time. Reception handled a few small check-in issues smoothly, and the staff were competent and helpful. The pool and sauna were standouts, and breakfast was generous and delicious. I’m Armin, founder of Gourmet Wine Travel, and I’ve brought my groups here five times now. Each stay has had consistent quality, attentive service, and a welcoming feel. It works perfectly as a base for taking guests to fascinating wine regions around the world. Highly recommend.

We’d happily return. Dinner was very good quality, with a Georgian-inspired menu, and the refined atmosphere had live piano even on a weeknight.

The hotel calls itself five-star, and that may be acceptable by Georgian standards, but to me it felt no better than a three-star hotel in the West. I’d give the rooms three stars and the service one. The breakfast buffet food was about what I’d expect from a four-star hotel. The building is otherwise fine, but many employees seemed stuck in an old Soviet style of service, where they act like they’re working and the guests are left to fend for themselves. Five waiters covered breakfast, yet during our five-night stay none offered help, even when only two or three tables were occupied. We had to get our own napkins and silverware, and borrow salt and pepper from other tables. They seemed more focused on the pretty maitre'd than on guests. When I asked for a sugar substitute, the first two waiters didn’t know what I meant. A third water found it only after I’d finished my coffee. The waiters moved a little more on Monday, when the restaurant manager was there. The advertised concierge desk doesn’t exist in any useful sense. The receptionist, who was on the phone most of the day, couldn’t make a simple reservation at one of the Sulphur bathhouses, even after making us wait 20 minutes in the lobby. Our room and bathroom were spacious, but there were only two towels. The safe was so high that I had to climb on a chair to see inside. Getting into the tub took care because its edge was 60 cm above the floor, with nothing to hold on to. The 40-inch TV looked like it was from 1999. We followed the instructions to have five T-shirts laundered and called for pickup at 8:30 AM. They were supposed to be ready by 7 PM. We called at 6:30, and after ten minutes the front desk said they weren’t ready because we hadn’t selected the Express service, which cost 50% more. That wasn’t true. We said we were leaving early and wanted the shirts back, presumably dirty. They agreed, then called five minutes later with “good news, your shirts are ready!” It felt like they’d lied to charge us for express service. Whenever we left the room, cigarette smoke drifted up from the casino below. We still had a reasonably good stay, despite drunks singing outside our window at 3 in the morning, but this was nowhere near five stars.