The Athenee Hotel, a Luxury Collection Hotel set the stage as the Branded Residences Forum Asia 2025 arrived in Bangkok, attracting property developers, investors, hospitality executives, and industry specialists, from around the world.
Here is our overview of some of the key conversations.
Organized by The Bench with C9 Hotelworks, and backed by sponsors like Global Branded Residences (GBR), Accor One Living, Marriott International, QUO Global, and Sectorlight.
The goal was clear: unpack the trends, challenges, and opportunities in a market that’s grown 180% globally in the past decade, with 788 projects currently running and an additional 900+ launching globally (or in pipeline) over the next 5 to 6 years.
Whilst this event was in Asia, it was good to see that there was a global focus to entire day, whilst highlighting how important Asia has become for the overall growth of the branded residences market.
Speed Networking and Welcome
The morning started off with a high energy speed networking session, where attendees, from industry professionals, developers to brand executives, exchanged ideas and business cards in a fast-paced format.
It really set the tone for the entire day, one of professionalism, knowledge and new and old friendships.
Following this, the Branded Residences Forum Asia 2025 was officially opened with an energising welcome from Jonathan Worsley, Chairman & CEO of The Bench,
From setting the stage for the day’s agenda to reflecting on the evolution of branded residences globally, he touched on the rise of branded lifestyle led living, shifting investor priorities, the market overall and why Asia is a global branded residences hotspot for developers and brands.
Bill Barnett then took to the stage to welcome everyone, briefly discussing the branded residences market and Asia as a region, clearly showing his enthusiasm for the sector and the forum itself.
Ho Kwon Ping. Founder and Executive Chairman of Banyan Group
Next up David Johnson, CEO of Delivering Asia, sat down with Ho Kwon Ping, Founder and Executive Chairman of Banyan Group. Over thirty years, he has built Banyan into a hospitality and residential powerhouse.
He spoke candidly about early hurdles, expanding into diverse markets, and balancing brand identity with commercial viability. His focus on wellness and cultural relevance resonated with the audience who are fully aware of the importance of wellness driven homes, and the obvious growth potential.
His thoughts on non hotel brands, involved in the sector was interesting to say the least (clearly not a fan) he made it clear, that he did not see the benefit of developing branded real estate, outside of the hotel industry.
In his final points he gave honest insight into the challenges that Phuket faces as far as sustainability, mass tourism and infrastructure, and the need for the island be given more support at government level.
It was a great start to event.
Jeff Tisdall, Chief Business Officer at Accor One Living
Jeff Tisdall Chief Business Officer at Accor One Living, gave a very detailed presentation on the branded residences sector.
For anyone new to the industry he provided a wealth of knowledge on what branded residences are, including the framework, benefits to buyers, developers, and operators.
The slides on the importance of financial management, technology and legal issues to ensure the success of developments, was particularly interesting.
Market Insights: Global and Asian Perspectives
Riyan Itani, Founder of Global Branded Residences, laid out the global picture. Riyan spoke on global markets as well as diving deeper into Asian hotspots, including existing projects and the overall outlook for pipeline developments.
Asia Pacific is set to equal North America as the world’s largest branded residences market for the first time in history.
The sector’s 37% global price premium over non-branded properties is driving the sectors appeal, he noted also that in just under 100 years the sector had reached 788 projects but it was expected to more than double, in just the next 5-6 years.
He clearly demonstrated the growth path of the sector, with approximately 900+ projects in pipeline. In terms of unit numbers Itani confirmed that 126,000 were complete and a further 164,000 were in pipeline.
Riyan was a great choice as an early speaker, his deep knowledge with 20+ years experience, a data driven approach and genuine passion for the industry, was clearly on show with this presentation.
Bill Barnett C9 Hotelworks followed with his take on the Asian market highlighting a market value of branded residences for sale, valued at USD 30.7 billion, comprising 38,893 units across 178 projects and large pipeline of yet to be launched developments.
Thailand holds 18% of the market share, leading the region, followed by the Philippines with 12% and South Korea at 11%. Vietnam’s 41% share of the region’s future pipeline was an interesting update.
The branded residence market in Asia from 2021 to 2025 has grown at a 10% CAGR. The active pipeline is dominated by co located branded residences with hotels (57%), while mixed-use developments (24%) and standalone residences (19%) are gaining momentum.
Urban destinations like Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, and Manila account for 53% of the pipeline, with resort areas like Phuket, Pattaya, and Da Nang making up the remaining 47%.
According to C9 Hotelworks data, the total pipeline is 67,353 units across 283 developments, encompassing both active projects available for sale and announced future supply.
Hotel Branded Residences – What The Brands Had To Say
Ananth Ramchandran of CBRE led a panel with Alexandra Yao of IHG Hotels & Resorts, James Price of Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, and Noel Merainer of Rosewood Hotel Group.
They discussed how brands adapt to changing owner demands and lifestyle shifts, with Asia as a key growth area.
Service consistency, years of experience managing hotels, and taking care of buildings and customers along with brand alignment were central to this discussion, outlining strategies to meet buyer and developer expectations, as well what the brands themselves expect.
Each panelist also gave insight in to how they approach development and management of residential developments.
For any property developer considering joining the sector, this discussion would have been extremely helpful.
A developers Perspective
Penny Trinh, Vice President at Marriott International, spoke with Sudeep Bhatt, Director of Strategy at Whiteland Corporation, about the companies Westin Residences Gurugram development.
This open and candid discussion covered Whiteland’s journey, including lessons learnt in brand alignment, market timing, and creating value for both buyers and operators.
This is the companies first branded residences, Sudeep discussed the added layer of complexity by adding a brand into the development process, which no doubt would have been key point for property developers in the audience considering developing in the future.
They discussed key lessons learned across brand selection, market positioning, owner relationships, and the importance of long term operational alignment.
In a light moment, Sandeep mentioned Marriott’s stringent standards, which Penny quickly pointed it out as, not being stringent but being consistent, which shows in some ways how developers think compared to an operator.
Marketing, Legal and Future Hotspots
After lunch, talks and presentations continued across marketing, legal, the potential of Japan as a branded residences hotspot, and a deeper dive into Vietnam.
Panelists and speakers dissected luxury buyer habits and regulatory hurdles, stressing the need to tailor offerings for both local and international buyers.
Non-Hospitality Branded Residences
Throughout the event, hotel branded residences took center stage and non hotel branded projects were not given the greatest of support by the mainly hotel represented panel of speakers.
However they were given exposure with Anthony Moulton of Brand & Co moderating a panel with Gianfranco Bianchi of The One Atelier, Ingo Ronald Schweder of GOCO Hospitality, and Shafi Syed of Equinox Hotels.
The panel examined how fashion, automotive, and wellness brands are entering the branded residences market, and moving beyond traditional hotel models.
Brand loyalty, design, identity, and community focus were the key selling points to how these projects attract buyers and price premiums.
Luxury In Asia
The final session featured Riyan Itani and Omar Romero, Chief Development & Luxury Officer at Minor Hotels, discussing how cultural nuances, growing wealth, and changing lifestyles shape Asia’s high end residences.
Omar emphasised that APAC has emerged as the hub of hospitality innovation, with brands delivering their most advanced offerings, surpassing those in the US or Europe.
The region’s high net worth consumers have evolved beyond conventional luxury symbols like gold chandeliers and marble floors.
Modern luxury travellers prioritise “anticipation of needs” valuing seamless service and properties tailored to their lifestyle.
And that was it, a great way to end what was an incredibly knowledge packed day.
Day the moved into evening with a Networking Reception at Anantara Siam Bangkok Hotel. Amid traditional Siamese architecture and tropical gardens, industry leaders sipped drinks, swapped ideas and hopefully tied up new business relationships.
Branded Residences Forum Asia 2025 Summary
Events like this are very difficult to arrange and the organisers did an excellent job, it was fitting that Bangkok took centre stage, considering the Thai capital has been such a driving force for the sector in the past decade, and home to some of the world’s best branded residences.
It’s hard to define who actually benefits from these types of forums, the casual observer or property investor is unlikely to join due to high ticket prices, those that work in the sector are unlikely to learn anything new.
With an industry so small most attendees already know each other, so without very careful planning they can end up being just an opportunity for a “get together”
The Branded Residences Forum Asia managed to create an event that was fresh and interesting, it had a strong global representation of attendees, and it was held in an exciting location.
It was a great success.
Hotel branded residences were at the forefront, non hospitality brands could have been given more opportunity to put their case forward, this is a growing sector with nearly 25% of branded residences being associated with non hospitality luxury brands.
Maybe for future events a long form discussion between two hotel brands and two luxury brands could be considered. Luxury non hospitality brands are not going anywhere, so this type of conversation could be valuable.
Some of the discussions were so insightful, it was a shame that they had to finish so quickly, and some talks could have finished quicker, but with that said, this is all subjective and one of the difficult tasks that organisers face, when planning such a large event held for just 1 day.
Congratulations to everyone involved
Next up is Branded Residences Forum Dubai in October for more information visit https://www.futurehospitality.com/world/brf
All images courtesy of The Branded Residences Forum. For more information and to watch a full video of the day please visit here
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