Israeli Developer to Build Georgia's Tallest Tower, Trump Tower Tbilisi
Israeli-born entrepreneur Meni Benish, founder of Archi Group, is spearheading the development of Trump Tower Tbilisi, a project set to become Georgia's tallest building. The tower, part of a larger $2 billion complex called The Downtown Tbilisi, will feature luxury residences and is expected to be a landmark in the Georgian capital. Benish, who immigrated to Israel from Georgia at age 10, returned decades later to explore business opportunities and founded Archi in 2006, which has since become Georgia's largest real estate company.
The Trump Tower Tbilisi, designed by international architecture firm Gensler, will stand approximately 65 stories high. The entire Downtown Tbilisi complex will encompass around 600,000 square meters of construction, integrating luxury apartments, a hotel, office and retail spaces, and entertainment venues. This project marks the first Trump brand development in the region and aims to position Tbilisi as a new international hub for business and lifestyle.
Benish expressed his excitement about bringing the Trump brand to Georgia, noting the significant transformation of Tbilisi from a dark, underdeveloped city to a modern, vibrant metropolis over the past two decades. He recalled the challenges of early days, including dealing with Soviet-era buildings with unreliable elevators, contrasting it with the high-end standards of the current project.
The luxury apartments in Trump Tower Tbilisi are slated to sell for prices unprecedented in the Georgian market, starting around $7,000 per square meter and potentially reaching $15,000 per square meter on higher floors. Benish anticipates that the primary buyers will be foreign investors, diplomats, and businesspeople, rather than local Georgians, due to the high price point.
The project involves a consortium of partners, including Archi Group, INVIA, Sapir Organization, Block Stone Capital, Koba Ivanov Group, and Villaro. The Trump Organization is actively involved in the project's details, from design to public relations. The construction itself presents a significant engineering and financial challenge for Georgia, with a tender underway for a foreign contractor due to the lack of local experience with projects of this scale. The official launch event is scheduled to take place in Tbilisi with Eric Trump in attendance.
