Branded Residences Forum a key event at Future Hospitality Summit, returns to FHS World this October with a new identity as FHS Living. On 1 October, the forum will expand beyond branded residences to cover a broader range of living asset classes.
Branded residences will remain at the core, but will now sit alongside Student Accommodation, Senior Living, Serviced Living, Co-living, Shared Ownership, Club Concepts and Mixed-use as part of one platform.
Ahead of the event, Jason Payne, CEO & Founder of BRESI, is speaking with the sponsors, partners and leading personalities who make these events so successful. Together they’re exploring the key factors driving market growth, emerging opportunities, and the challenges facing the branded residences industry in 2026 and beyond.
Introducing: Sameh Muhtadi, CEO, RAK Properties
Sameh Muhtadi is a real estate industry veteran with a proven track record in the sector. As the CEO of RAK Properties since 2022, Sameh has led the company to formulate and achieve its strategy and carry on with its vision and mission, overseeing the high-level communication with stakeholders and the Board to ensure that strategic objectives are achieved.
Sameh discusses how the branded residences sector is evolving, from the growing importance of integrated lifestyle destinations to the need for stronger collaboration between developers and brands.
He looks at the challenges around post-handover delivery, the importance of authentic design and operational excellence, and the opportunities for new residential concepts beyond the traditional hotel model.
JP: What do you personally value most about the conversations and connections that happen at BRF (FHS Living)?
SM: What makes this event so important for our industry is its ability to break down barriers between institutional hospitality operators, master developers, and the buyers / investors who are drawn to branded residential and lifestyle destinations.
The event’s expanded scope covering student accommodation, co-living, serviced living, and mixed-use concepts reflects the reality of where our industry is heading: the convergence of hospitality and real estate into holistic lifestyle hubs with broad and long-term destination appeal.
At RAK Properties, rather than build standalone assets our vision is curating integrated communities that have taken root at master-planned destinations like Mina, as well as the upcoming developments at The Strand.
The success and value of these places lies in the delivery of actionable insights, on how they deliver enduring placemaking, how they ensure a brand’s promises and client expectations translate into homes that offer sustainable, operational excellence as well as enduring capital value.
FHS Living is an opportunity to discuss these key areas, and much more, with experts in their field.
JP: The branded residences sector has grown enormously over the past 10–15 years. Where do you see it going in the next 5 years?
SM: Over the next five years, the sector will continue its transition into a deeply considered, quality-driven, and increasingly important market segment.
As buyers and end-users become more discerning, they’ll continue to move away from superficial ‘logo placement’ developments toward authentic places that put people and services first through an integrated vision of contemporary, ultra-lux living.
Geographically and structurally, across our industry we are seeing rapidly emerging lifestyle destinations take centre stage.
Ras Al Khaimah is a prime example: backed by major infrastructure initiatives, pristine natural environments, and investment anchors like the upcoming Wynn Al Marjan Island, demand is surging for low-density, premium branded homes.
Over the coming years, the real winners in this space will be the developers who pair world-class design pedigree, such as our work with Denniston on the Four Seasons Resort and Residences on Raha Island or the upcoming Armani Beach Residences, with owner-occupier-focused destinations that are brimming with essential – but also premium – community infrastructure and amenities.
JP: As the sector continues to mature, where do you think the industry still has room for improvement, and what do you see as the biggest challenge that needs to be addressed?
SM: Closing the gap between marketing promises and post-handover operational realities stands out as the biggest area where lasting and impactful improvements can be made.
While it is relatively easy to sell an elevated branded home off plan, it is more complex to manage long-term property maintenance, concierge continuity, privacy governance, and community activation once the keys are in the buyer’s hands.
As markets mature, buyers are looking closely at a residence’s lifecycle costs, service charges, and whether the ‘hotel’ or branded component complements or compromises the overall offering, particularly in terms of privacy.
As a master developer, RAK Properties works closely with our brand partners to establish airtight operational alignment and essential legal frameworks as early as the design phase, thereby ensuring our property management and post-handover service obligations are handled with the highest degree of care, intuitive service delivery, and on the ground expertise
JP: Do you see any opportunities for brands to develop new residential concepts rather than simply replicating the existing branded residence model?
SM: Absolutely. The ‘one-size-fits-all’ luxury hotel tower / resort model is no longer enough. Today, there are real opportunities waiting to be explored in non-hospitality lifestyle crossovers, such as fashion, wellness, culinary, and private club concepts that can be integrated into masterplans to uplift destinations with multi-generational appeal.
We are actively implementing exactly this approach across Mina. Beyond ultra-luxury flagship developments like Four Seasons, we are integrating iconic lifestyle brands and hospitality venues such as Ladurée, Bar Du Port Beach, Tashas, and bespoke beach club concepts to create a rich and vibrant social fabric across the community.
Within this space, there is tremendous opportunity for diverse brands to create new, hybrid and serviced living models that cater to extended stays by residents, remote-workers, and wellness-focused buyers who want the intimacy of a private home paired with the exclusivity, vitality, and bespoke service of a boutique venue.
JP: What separates branded residences projects that succeed in the market from those that struggle, and is there a single failure point that you see repeatedly?
SM: The single biggest failure is superficial brand alignment; simply slapping a prestigious brand name onto a generic architectural ‘box’ without considering key design and lifestyle elements is no longer enough.
Today’s discerning buyers will see through this immediately and demand much more.
What separates successful projects from the rest of the pack is their commitment to intentionality. From the initial pencil stroke, a place must reflect the DNA of its partner brand while working to safeguard and uplift sought-after elements of exclusivity, long-term value and curated appeal.
When we conceptualised the Four Seasons Residences on Raha Island, we engaged deeply with renowned experts such as Jean-Michel Gathy and Denniston.
This allowed us to engineer a clear architectural division between zones reserved for resort guests and private areas that will cater exclusively to residents.
Nowadays, a branded residence truly succeeds when it offers an unmistakable sense of place, intuitive privacy, and an authentic service model that protects capital appreciation and an evolving, deepening appeal over many years rather than simply driving launch-day sales premiums.
JP: What do you think has changed most in the relationship between brands and residential developers?
SM: This relationship has evolved from a purely transactional licensing deal into a deeply collaborative partnership built around co-creation and innovation. Previously, brands would hand over design guidelines to a developer then sit back to collect licensing royalties.
Today, however, operators understand that residential components fundamentally define brand equity and drive substantial recurring value.
Developers and brands now sit together from day one, working closely to co-create the entire customer journey, fine-tuning layouts, services, and spatial designs as part of a shared investment in long-term success and efficient destination management.
With developers taking on greater operational and master-planning responsibility, and brands becoming more flexible in accommodating bespoke client demographics and preferences, this relationship has matured and blossomed into a strategic alliance focused on maintaining a shared reputation, managing guest loyalty and retention, and guaranteeing the long-term sustainability of high performing and high demand assets.
JP: Can you tell us more about your involvement at FHS Living this year and what you are most looking forward to?
SM: It is an important, high-profile platform to share RAK Properties’ journey in pioneering luxury, lifestyle-driven living in the Northern Emirates.
With Ras Al Khaimah undergoing unprecedented economic and infrastructural transformation, we are in a unique position to share lessons learned from successfully delivering Mina, our master-planned waterfront destination, while expanding our recurring-revenue hospitality footprint, and executing landmark partnerships with global brands like Four Seasons and Armani.
Further, we’re currently in discussion with 2 premium brands that we hope to share updates on in the near future.
About RAK Properties
RAK Properties is a leading real estate developer committed to producing exceptional and sustainable destinations.
Specialising in contemporary and meticulously crafted communities, RAK Properties integrates excellence, innovation, and nature to create enriching lifestyles in alignment with the aspirations of tomorrow’s people.
We play a pivotal role in achieving RAK Vision 2030, focusing on delivering economic, social, and environmental value, all aimed at enhancing lives and places, and contributing to the growing narrative of Ras Al Khaimah.
Learn more about RAK Properties
About FHS World and FHS Living
FHS World is happening at Madinat Jumeirah in Dubai, 29 September to 1 October 2026, under the theme “Reinvest in our Future”. FHS Living (formerly the Branded Residences Forum) is held within the summit, on the afternoon of 1 October.
Event Overview
- Dates: September 29 – October 1, 2026
- Location: Madinat Jumeirah Conference & Events Centre, Dubai, UAE
- Theme: Reinvest in Our Future
- Key Focus: Hospitality investment, branded residences, living sectors, sustainability, innovation, and experiential travel.
Register your interest and secure your pass for FHS World 2026 and FHS Living HERE
BRESI is the world’s first dedicated global gateway for the branded residences industry, connecting buyers, property developers and brands across every major market. The platform provides a developer-focused global marketplace, comprehensive news media and a strategic partner network of the leading advisory companies in the sector, creating a complete branded residences ecosystem.
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