A castle hotel worth $155 million to be built atop a mountain above Batumi

Two "towers," 14 and 16 stories tall, styled after a medieval castle, will rise on a mountain above Kvariati beach in Adjara. This is Sky Castle, the fifth hotel in the Wyndham Grand Batumi Gonio complex being built in Batumi by European Village, a Georgian-Israeli holding company. The project was presented in Tbilisi on June 16.

A castle with history

The architectural choice isn't accidental. Archil Partenadze, CEO of European Village, explained that on August 12, 1121, the army of Georgian King David the Builder defeated the Seljuks at the Battle of Didgori. Crusader knights from Jerusalem took part in that battle, traveling toward the battlefield along the Adjara coast, passing the very spot where Sky Castle is now being built.Partenadze described Sky Castle as more than a hotel, calling it a historical monument built in a style close to medieval castle architecture, meant to commemorate the alliance between Georgia and Europe and the civilizational feat that united different peoples. He added that the project will host an annual international historical reenactment festival featuring jousting tournaments, archery competitions, and performances by bards and minstrels.Investment in the project totals $155 million, of which more than $26 million will go to the Georgian treasury in taxes. The hotel will have 430 rooms and will be connected to the beach by an elevator - the elevation difference between the summit and the shore will give guests views unmatched by other resorts in the region. The resort's concept is billed as "Luxury of Silence" — silence and seclusion as a deliberate choice rather than simply an absence of noise.