Georgian hospitality group Adjara has made a name for itself converting brutalist Soviet-era buildings into boutique hotels, including the award-winning Stamba Hotel in Tbilisi. It has also helped nurture a new generation of Georgian creative talents.
Local artists and designers say the group's support has helped elevate the creative industries in the country.
"The importance of Adjara Group is huge," said Tamuna Gvaberidze, a gallerist and design consultant from Georgia's capital Tbilisi. "They created a lifestyle and provided a hub for creative people."
Georgia, which sits between Europe and Asia in the South Caucasus region, is currently considered one of the world's hottest travel destinations and home to one of the most vibrant creative scenes. Hotels "played a crucial role" in Georgia's cultural revival
Adjara Group has helped both, said Gvaberidze, who runs Window Project gallery in the capital.
"They don't follow regular hotel business rules," she said. "They contribute a lot to the Georgian art scene, tourism development and the growth of the whole country."
"Projects like the Stamba and Rooms hotels have played a crucial role in the cultural renaissance and development of our country in many ways," agreed Nata Janberidze and Keti Toloraia of Tbilisi design studio Rooms Design, who described the group's approach as "maverick".

"We lived in a backwater here in the 90s when the Soviet Union ...