Fred Smits, General Manager of Sheraton Grand Tbilisi Metechi Palace, has released a statement regarding the current situation in the country.

"Dating back to the early 1990s, the Sheraton Grand Tbilisi Metechi Palace has a long history of standing by the people of Georgia and serving as a safe haven for local and international communities.

"Today, when the world faces the global coronavirus pandemic of COVID-19, we will support the Georgian community and show our gratitude to the people of Georgia.

"Accordingly, our owning company, the Ras Al Khaimah Investment Authority Georgia LLC (one of the Georgian investment entities of the Emirate of Ras al Khaimah), has taken the decision to support the Government and people of Georgia during these difficult times by working with the Government of Georgia to provide the Sheraton Grand Tbilisi Metechi Palace facilities free of charge to individuals identified by the Government of Georgia as being in need of this support.

"Marriott International is taking a similar position with a number of their Georgian hotels.

"A community always has been and always will be a priority for the Sheraton Grand Tbilisi Metechi Palace. With this gesture, we would like to reiterate our support to the people of Georgia," Smits said in the statement. 

The Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates in Tbilisi, H.E. Essa Albasha Alnoaimi, praised the initiative of the Ras Al Khaimah Investment Authority and states:

"We are proud of this humanitarian initiative as an act of solidarity to the Georgian people, undertaken by the Sheraton Grand Tbilisi Metekhi Palace, one of the successful Emirati investment projects in Georgia, to contribute to the Government of Georgia’s endeavor to combat the outbreak of the new coronavirus. Such support reiterates the strong relations between the two friendly countries at all levels, including in social and humanitarian cooperation as a result of the mindful vision of these brotherly countries’ supreme leadership. We ask God to protect all of us.”