Global diversification of supply has not diminished the importance of branded residences across the Americas
The concept of a branded residence was conceived in the late 1920s, however, the sector did not truly emerge as a subset for the residential market until the 1980s. Historically centred in North America, today, branded residential schemes can be found in almost every corner of the globe. Once accounting for significantly all of the schemes in existence, today, North America accounts for only one-third of the total supply.
Parent companies and parent groups, with large numbers of brands in their portfolios, continue to compete for market share and brand recognition. For the Americas region, Marriott remains comfortably in first place with the highest number of completed schemes for hotel operators across the Americas. YOO and Four Seasons rank second and third place, respectively, for parent companies with the highest numbers of completed schemes. However, by the end of the pipeline period, Four Seasons will surpass YOO for second place for parent companies.
Just as the parent companies must differentiate themselves while maintaining growth in an increasingly crowded landscape, so too must individual brands in order to attract buyers. For hotel brands, the top three spots are claimed by Four Seasons, The Ritz-Carlton, and St. Regis. In contrast to global trends, the Americas – and particularly North America – remain dominated by schemes from luxury hotel brands. In fact, all of the top five hotel brands for the Americas are classified as luxury brands.
By contrast to the hotel brands, most non-hotel brands have fewer than ten schemes in operation. YOO and Trump, the latter considered a non-hotel brand for the purpose of this report, are the exceptions to this trend, however, as they have long histories of activity in the branded residential sector. In terms of pipeline growth, Pininfarina and Nobu each have pipeline growth of over 300% to 2030, demonstrating their commitment to growth across the Americas.
As the sector continues to grow, the locations where branded residential schemes can be found are growing, too. The Americas feature branded residential schemes in both city and resort locations. For city locations, such branded residences tend to form part of larger property portfolios for residence owners. In many resort locations, these residences are used as second homes for shorter periods during peak seasons. South Florida is the regional leader, with 42 completed schemes, while other top clusters of branded residences schemes are located in New York City, Los Cabos, São Paulo, and the Caribbean.
Branded residences operate predominantly within the prime end of residential markets. Associations of quality, luxury, and service which accompany brand affiliation can encourage premium pricing compared to other comparable non-branded stock in the market. Our analysis of a sample of markets demonstrates that the global premium stands at an average of 30% on an unweighted basis; however, premiums do vary significantly depending on location, brand, and type of branded residential scheme.
North America, with its high concentration of schemes in established global cities, exhibits average price premiums moderately below the global average. Major global cities tend to report a lower average premium than other markets considering higher levels of competition from non-branded stock with similar provision of amenities and similar quality. For Central and South America, on the other hand, premiums tend to be higher than the global average as branded residences typically will exceed the standards of other non-branded stock through their provisions of quality, security, amenities, and lifestyle.
Outlook
As the global economy continues to produce increasing numbers of high-net-worth individuals with international lifestyles, there will be an ever-growing demand for branded residences around the world. Demand for luxury branded residences from domestic buyers is likely to grow faster in emerging cities, such as São Paulo, Cartagena, and Mexico City, where the quality of the existing stock may not meet the requirements for high-quality fit-out and services by new HNWIs.
The diversity of branded residential schemes in terms of location, type, brand, and design continues to be a strong selling point for this unique property type. This diversity, along with the trust and confidence associated with quality assurance, exclusivity, and security will all contribute to sustaining and maintaining the impressive branded residential trajectory.
For more detail on the global branded residences environment and to read our Developer Roundtable, please see our main publication:
Spotlight: Branded Residences 2023
Spotlight: Branded Residences – EMEA