Building the Settlements of the Future

Metropol has grown rapidly over the past two years. What was your initial vision, and how are you implementing it now?

From the very beginning, our goal was to offer customers a unique experience. Our strategy was to create a diverse portfolio that included residential, investment, and holiday home projects. Regarding residential complexes, the greatest challenge for us was to be represented in all the key areas of Tbilisi to offer our clients a wide variety of choices. In addition, all our projects include the necessary infrastructure and recreational zones to ensure comfortable living.

Before entering the market, we devoted a lot of time and effort to studying consumer preferences and behavior in Georgia and worldwide. Each of us has different needs at different stages in life. While we usually look for a small apartment to make our first purchase at a relatively young age, we later need a larger house with diverse features once children come into the picture. Proximity to schools, kindergartens, and recreational spaces is a priority. We want to meet our customers’ needs at any stage of their lives by helping them purchase whatever they are looking for, be it a townhouse, land plot, apartment, or investment property.

The Georgian real estate market is quite saturated. How do you operate successfully in this environment of fierce competition?

Our people-oriented approach toward building homes sets us apart from our competitors. We create each detail with people and their welfare in mind: the height of the ceiling, the working and recreational zones, the location, the purpose, or any other parameter. We do not just build homes. We allow customers to invest in unique projects. Buying a home is one of the most exciting and important decisions in someone’s life. All our actions are aimed at helping people turn their dreams into reality.

We understand that each person’s needs are different. That is why a diverse portfolio and continuous development are the central values that guide us in our work: we strive to respond to all market challenges with distinctive projects, high-quality standards, and personalized offers.

You are currently implementing six projects in Tbilisi and Batumi. What can customers expect from these projects?

The total construction area of the projects implemented by Metropol currently exceeds 545,000 square meters and amounts to 3,500 apartments. We are building residential homes in Tbilisi and the surrounding regions, while the Batumi projects include both residential and investment properties. The investment projects in Batumi are called Metropol Cube and Metropol Oval, which we are building in partnership with the five-star international hotel chain Louvre Hotels Group. These projects have already received international recognition. Metropol Oval won the Best Luxury Real Estate Development in Georgia at the Luxury Lifestyle Awards 2024, while Metropol Cube emerged victorious in the Mixed-Use Development for Georgia category at the International Property Awards.

In addition, we are building Metropol Parallel on Abuseridze Street in the heart of Batumi. The project consists of multi-apartment residential blocks with panoramic views.

As for Tbilisi, we are about to complete Metropol Bagebi on the Vake-Tskneti Road, which will boast green spaces and panoramic views. Apartment owners will be able to move into their properties in early 2025. In the Ortachala district, which is popular with tourists, we are building two multi-story apartment blocks with recreational zones, sports fields, and spaces for socializing. I should also mention our flagship project on Kavtaradze Street, which includes 534 apartments and a large recreational zone. This complex will have a kindergarten for the additional comfort of the residents.

Finally, we are launching a project to develop a large, modern private settlement in Shindisi, located outside the city center.

What is the concept of the holiday home project?

The Shindisi project is a clear example of our focus on following our customers’ journeys and responding to their housing needs. We took note of the increased demand for private houses. We decided to offer customers an entirely new type of settlement, following the model employed by leading developers in Dubai and the United States. We want to completely change the experience of buying a house outside the city.

In the past, anyone wanting to move out of the city had to find a plot of land, design their house, and manage the entire construction process themselves. This approach placed a significant burden on homeowners. Apart from the fact that this is incompatible with the modern pace of life, there is another problem: you might build a house exactly as you had imagined, but you can only meet some of the potential requirements independently. I am referring to commercial facilities, playing fields, and so on. We want to offer our customers land, living spaces, and everything else they might need: shops, recreational areas, and even a swimming pool if desired. We take care of all the components that people interested in buying a private house had to deal with themselves in the past, and much more.

The green construction trend is gaining momentum, and public interest in energy-efficient and environmentally friendly projects is growing. How is Metropol responding to this trend?

All our projects are implemented in full compliance with modern construction and energy efficiency standards. We also specifically select locations that offer our customers highly energy-efficient buildings. We use premium-quality Ytong blocks from Germany in our projects. Our construction fully complies with the Ytong energy efficiency standards and the Georgian legislation. Our buildings have energy-efficient heating and cooling systems, natural ventilation, and other modern technologies that reduce emissions.

We prioritize sustainability initiatives, which translate into measures such as implementing waste reduction programs, responsibly sourcing materials, supporting renewable energy initiatives, and incorporating green spaces into every project. We are fully aware of our responsibilities towards our co-investors and future residents, which is why all our projects are and will be energy efficient.

What innovative approaches do you use in your projects and customer interactions? 

It is part of our strategy to devote a significant portion of our resources to adopting the latest technologies and fostering innovation within the company. We need this to increase operational efficiency and customer satisfaction and ensure that we are prepared to meet the challenges of the future. Our projects are equipped with smart home systems, meaning we create a level of comfort for our residents that corresponds to international standards. In addition, prospective buyers can view and get a feel for their future home with virtual reality goggles before making a purchase. We want to innovate as much as possible at every stage of a project’s implementation. For our investment projects, we use modern technology to make it easy for customers to manage their property. For example, they can use an app to perform any operation related to their property, such as calling a maintenance specialist or requesting cleaning services.

How closely are your vision and values ​​as the head of the company aligned with Metropol’s mission?

Metropol is focused on customer-centric approaches, continually striving for diversity in development and reputation building – values that are also very important to me personally. In this business, you must keep growing and learning, stay on top of new trends, and constantly think about the next step. If you do not have your finger on the customer’s pulse, there’s no point in even talking about success. My curiosity helps me a lot in this regard. Another one of my personal traits that influences the company is always thinking about the next step and future developments. After each successful project, instead of taking a break, we start thinking about our subsequent initiatives with renewed vigor.

How do you ensure that customer-centric approaches are part of the company’s organizational culture?

Perhaps the most important lesson I have learned throughout my career is that the best decisions are those dictated by customers. I spent ten years in the banking sector and around three years in hospital development. I have always had close contact with customers, so I have learned to look at the product through their eyes. I am instilling the same culture at Metropol. You become successful when you understand your customers. There may be no demand on the market today, but when you know your customers well, you understand what they need today and what they might need tomorrow. In each project, we take the feedback from our residents into account and align it with the company’s strategy. Our team members understand that the customer is always central to our activities. They sincerely believe in what we do.

Finally, considering the company’s development, where do you see Metropol in the next few years in terms of its position in the domestic and international markets?

Our goal is for Metropol to not only innovate in the Georgian market but also become a significant player in the global arena in the long term. In the future, we will be able to implement the standards we are currently establishing locally in other countries. We are ready to take on projects wherever we can to create value and help people make their dream homes a reality.