What Block Group does

Block Group is a private company whose identified commercial activity is serving as a local strategic partner in a license agreement with Planet Hollywood Resorts International, Orbi Group, and Iconic Entertainment to develop Georgia's first fully integrated resort in Tbilisi (announced 2026-03-20). The project comprises a 1,200-room two-tower luxury campus including a 500-room Planet Hollywood Hotel & Casino and a 600-room Radisson Blu hotel, alongside casino, entertainment, retail, and dining facilities, with an expected 2,000+ permanent jobs at the asset level. The company's revenue model in this role is structured as licensing/royalties tied to the development and operation of the integrated resort; no pricing terms are publicly disclosed.

The business model is partnership-driven: Block Group provides local market knowledge, regulatory navigation, and operational infrastructure that enable international hospitality brands to enter a high-growth emerging market (Georgia) without independently building that capability. The GTM motion is therefore channel-partner-based, with the company acting as the on-the-ground counterparty for foreign brand licensors and co-developers rather than selling a product to end customers.

A material data conflict exists in the input: firmographic fields describe Block Group as a South Africa-based digital media agency offering SEO, website design, Facebook management, and product feed solutions (founded 2015, 1-10 employees, theblockgroup.co.za), which is inconsistent with the integrated resort partnership narrative. This conflict is unresolved in the source material, and the analysis above primarily relies on the more specific, dated partnership source.

Name

Block Group

Website

https://theblockgroup.co.za

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Block Group is a local strategic partner in a license agreement with Planet Hollywood Resorts International, Orbi Group, and Iconic Entertainment to co-develop Georgia's first fully integrated resort in Tbilisi, comprising hotel, casino, and entertainment facilities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Integrated Resort Development & Hospitality Licensing

NAICS

Traveler Accommodation (7211), Other Traveler Accommodation (72119)

SIC

Hotels, Rooming Houses, Camps & Other Lodging Places (7000), Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Hotel & Resort Convention Venues (Convention Hotels) (THAHAAAC)

Keywords

• Integrated resort development
• Hospitality brand licensing
• Casino resort operations
• Hotel licensing partnerships
• Entertainment destination development

Headquarters

HQ city

Gauteng

HQ country

South Africa

HQ region

Africa

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Integrated Resort Licensing: Block Group participates as a local partner in a license agreement for integrated resort development, generating revenue through the development and operation of casino and hospitality facilities in Georgia.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Core offering

Block Group serves as a local partner/licensor enabling the development of an integrated resort in Tbilisi, Georgia, providing the licensing rights and local market framework under which international brands such as Planet Hollywood Resorts International and Radisson Blu can operate a 1,200-room luxury hotel, casino, entertainment, retail (shopping mall), dining, and conference/banquet complex. The arrangement positions Block Group as the in-country licensor and operational anchor for multi-brand hospitality ventures in the Caucasus.

Product overview

No specific product or service information for Block Group is available from the provided sources. The only reference to Block Group is as a partner in a business licensing agreement with Planet Hollywood Resorts International and Orbi Group for an integrated resort development project in Tbilisi, Georgia.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Integrated Resort Licensing Partnership (Tbilisi, Georgia)

Quantifiable outcome

• Creating over 2,000 permanent jobs

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Planet Hollywood Resorts InternationalcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 March 2026Block Group is a partner in a license agreement with Planet Hollywood Resorts International for the development of Georgia's first fully integrated resort in Tbilisi. The project includes a 1,200-room two-tower luxury campus with Planet Hollywood Hotel & Casino (500 rooms) and Radisson Blu hotel (600 rooms), along with casino, entertainment, retail, and dining facilities. This represents Planet Hollywood's strategy to expand into high-growth international markets through experienced local partners.
• Orbi GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 March 2026Block Group and Orbi Group are co-partners in a license agreement with Planet Hollywood Resorts International for Georgia's first integrated resort development in Tbilisi, in association with Iconic Entertainment.
• Iconic EntertainmentcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 March 2026Block Group and Orbi Group partnered with Iconic Entertainment in association with Planet Hollywood Resorts International for the development of Georgia's first fully integrated resort destination in Tbilisi.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Las Vegas Sands: Integrated resort operator with a strategy of entering high-growth international markets (e.g., Macao, Singapore). Relevant as a benchmark for the type of asset and licensing/operator structure Block Group is participating in.
• Wynn Resorts: A global integrated resort operator pursuing expansion into premium international markets, including the Middle East. Comparable in end-product (luxury integrated resort with hotel, gaming, dining, and entertainment) though at vastly greater scale.
• Caesars Entertainment: Major integrated resort operator with global brand licensing. Relevant as a comparable counterparty in international brand-licensing deals for hotel-casino-resort developments similar to the Tbilisi project.
• Genting Group: Asia-based integrated resort developer and operator with a track record of entering emerging markets (Malaysia, Singapore, Philippines, US). Provides a comparable template for international resort expansion that Block Group is effectively participating in at the partner level.
• Radisson Hotel Group: Owner of the Radisson Blu brand, which is the second anchor hospitality brand in the Tbilisi project. Operates a large global hotel portfolio and pursues international expansion via management and licensing arrangements similar in structure to the deal Block Group participates in.
• MGM Resorts International: Operates large-scale integrated resorts globally, including the MGM brand. Comparable end-product offering and similar to the Planet Hollywood/Radisson Blu-curated luxury campus Block Group is co-developing in Tbilisi.
• Melco Resorts & Entertainment: Operator of integrated resorts in Macau and Cyprus (City of Dreams Mediterranean). Comparable in pursuing integrated resort development in emerging or underpenetrated markets through licensing and partnership structures.
• Planet Hollywood Resorts International: The licensor and central brand in Block Group's flagship deal. Operates branded integrated resorts globally and is the principal counterparty defining the economics, brand standards, and ultimate revenue ceiling of Block Group's business model.

Direct peers

• Orbi Group: Co-partner with Block Group in the same Planet Hollywood license agreement for the Tbilisi integrated resort. Orbi Group is a regional development partner with comparable local-market execution responsibilities and similar capital-light exposure to the project.
• Iconic Entertainment: Listed as a co-partner with Block Group and Orbi Group in the Tbilisi integrated resort deal. Comparable role as a strategic co-developer associated with the Planet Hollywood license, sharing similar royalty/licensing economics.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Block Group