Sapphire City Hotel
Forty-two rooms above Fountain Square, one restaurant, one lounge bar in central Baku
Sapphire City Hotel is one of five properties under the Sapphire Hotels Group, a regional chain built on the idea that Azerbaijani hospitality and modern design can share a floor plan. The hotel takes its place on Nizami Street, a busy retail spine in central Baku, facing Fountain Square. It is a compact stay. The Old City is a short walk away, along with several of Baku's museums and a run of local restaurants. Inside, La Fontaine serves Azerbaijani dishes alongside international staples, and the lounge bar downstairs works for a coffee break by day and a cocktail after dark. Guests travelling on business or for leisure both fit the hotel's brief, and the loyalty scheme, tiered as Silver, Gold and Diamond, adds discounts and small privileges such as a late check-out or a complimentary airport transfer for repeat visitors. There is no pool or spa on site here, unlike some of its sister hotels along the coast. What Sapphire City offers instead is proximity: the square outside, the Old City nearby, and a restaurant and bar under the same roof for guests who want to stay put after a day in the city.