Branded Residences—Tied to Names Like Bentley and St. Regis—Defy the Real Estate Slowdown
The number of such hotel- and luxury-affiliated housing developments is on track to more than double by 2031
2 min
Demand is booming for homes in developments affiliated with luxury hotels and lifestyle brands from Ritz-Carlton to Aston Martin and Armani.
There are a total of 720 branded residence developments worldwide, a figure that’s expected to double, with another 790 project in the pipeline through 2031, according to a report from Savills Global Residential Development Consultancy, released Monday.
Dubai is far and away the leader in the space with close to 60 completed branded-residence projects, and around 70 planned developments in the pipeline. South Florida is next, with more than 40 completed projects, and another 40 developments planned from Miami to Palm Beach.
New York is third for completed projects, while Cairo in Egypt takes third for planned developments.
Other active markets include Phuket in Thailand, Da Nang and Hoi An in Vietnam, and the Riviera Maya in Mexico.
Branded residences have proved resilient even as housing markets have broadly slowed amid rising interest rates. Their hotel or brand affiliation lends its imprint of familiarity and prestige, while many are co-located with a hotel where residents can access services and amenities or put their residence in a property-managed rental pool when it’s not being used.
While the branded residence was born in North America, other markets quickly opened up to the concept. The U.S. was the most active space for branded residences through 2015, after which its share began to dip below 50% of all projects. By 2031, it’s expected to make up just 25%, with the Middle East and Africa markets expected to grow at 270%, per Savills.
Branded residences have also taken hold across Asia Pacific.
“Beyond our forecast period, we expect to see an increase in the number of branded residential developments in Asia Pacific and for the region to rival North America within the next 12 years,” said Rico Picenoni, head of global residential development consultancy at Savills. “With highly active markets, such as Vietnam and Thailand exhibiting 10% annual growth, combined, and burgeoning markets such as Japan and South Korea exhibiting more than 50% annual growth, combined, it is not unrealistic that Asia will surpass North America.”
While hospitality companies are leading the charge in branded residences, seemingly every brand in the world has jumped on the real estate bandwagon, from car brands like Porsche and Bentley in Miami, to luxury designer brands like Fendi, Armani and Bulgari, with the Bulgari LIghthouse in Dubai. In fact, Hotel brands accounted for 81% of branded residences in 2023, though its share is expected to decline to 79% in 2024, per Savills.
Among hotel companies, Marriott leaves all the others in the dust, with close to 150 completed branded residences and more than 100 in development. That’s driven by the Ritz-Carlton and St. Regis brands, two of the top three brands for luxury residences, and some of the earliest players in the game.
The Four Seasons is next for completed projects, fuelled by the Four Seasons brand, with over 50 completed and around 25 in the pipeline. Accor has fewer existing residences but rivals Marriott with more than 100 projects in the pipeline.
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The 2026 McGrath Report warns that without urgent reforms to planning, infrastructure and construction, housing affordability will continue to slip beyond reach for most Australians.
3 min
Australia’s housing market has reached a critical juncture, with home ownership and rental affordability deteriorating to their worst levels in decades, according to the McGrath Report 2026.
The annual analysis from real estate entrepreneur John McGrath paints a sobering picture of a nation where even the “lucky country” has run out of luck — or at least, out of homes.
New borrowers are now spending half their household income servicing loans, while renters are devoting one-third of their earnings to rent.
The time needed to save a 20 per cent deposit has stretched beyond ten years, and the home price-to-income ratio has climbed to eight times. “These aren’t just statistics,” McGrath writes. “They represent real people and real pain.”
McGrath argues that the root cause of Australia’s housing crisis is not a shortage of land, but a shortage of accessibility and deliverable stock.
“Over half our population has squeezed into just three cities, creating price pressure and rising density in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane while vast developable land sits disconnected from essential infrastructure,” he says.
The report identifies three faltering pillars — supply, affordability and construction viability — as the drivers of instability in the current market.
Developers across the country, McGrath notes, are “unable to make the numbers work” due to labour shortages and soaring construction costs.
In many trades, shortages have doubled or tripled, and build costs have surged by more than 30 per cent, stalling thousands of projects.
Need for systemic reform
McGrath’s prescription is clear: the only real solution lies in increasing supply through systemic reform. “We need to streamline development processes, reduce approval timeframes and provide better infrastructure to free up the options and provide more choice for everyone on where they live,” he says.
The 2026 edition of the report also points to promising trends in policy and innovation. Across several states, governments are prioritising higher-density development near transport hubs and repurposing government-owned land with existing infrastructure.
Build-to-rent models are expanding, and planning reforms are gaining traction. McGrath notes that while these steps are encouraging, they must be accelerated and supported by new construction methods if Australia is to meet demand.
One of the report’s key opportunities lies in prefabrication and modular design. “Prefabricated homes can be completed in 10–12 weeks compared to 18 months for a traditional house, saving time and money for everyone involved,” McGrath says.
The report suggests that modular and 3D-printed housing could play a significant role in addressing shortages while setting a new global benchmark for speed, cost and quality in residential construction.
Intelligent homes
In a section titled Weathering the Future: The Power of Smart Design, the report emphasises that sustainable and intelligent home design is no longer aspirational but essential.
It highlights new technologies that reduce energy use, improve thermal efficiency, and make homes more resilient to climate risks.
“There’s no reason why Australia shouldn’t be a world leader in innovative design and construction — and many reasons why we should be,” McGrath writes.
Despite the challenges, the tone of the 2026 McGrath Report is one of cautious optimism. Demand is expected to stabilise at around 175,000 households per year from 2026, and construction cost growth is finally slowing. Governments are also showing a greater willingness to reform outdated planning frameworks.
McGrath concludes that the path forward requires bold decisions and collaboration between all levels of government and industry.
“Australia has the land, demand and capability,” he says. “What we need now is the will to implement supply-focused solutions that address root causes rather than symptoms.”
“Only then,” he adds, “can we turn the dream of home ownership back into something more than a dream.”
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