Branded Residence ResearchBranded Residence Research

Key takeaways

• The brand guests love most is not always the one owners trust to manage their home.
• Owner expectations should be written into the service agreement, not left as aspiration.
• The brand premium should be set city by city within the corridor the conjoint and resale data support.

What problem was the client trying to solve?

A hotel group had been offered three residence projects by developers in Dubai, Miami and London. Each developer wanted a different brand from the group’s portfolio on the building. The fee was attractive. The risk was less visible: a guest spends three nights with the name, while an owner lives with it for twenty years.

The group needed to know which of its brands could carry a home, what owners would expect from that name once they lived inside it, and whether the brand premium would still hold at resale. The lenders and the board would want the same evidence. Not a licensing deal. A decision on which name to lend.

Why is branded residence demand difficult to research?

Branded residences turn a hotel brand into a long-term promise - and guest data says nothing about it.

Guests check out, owners do not

Satisfaction with a stay predicts little about expectations of living under the brand.

The premium has to be proven

Lenders and boards want evidence that the brand, not the address, drives the price.

The brand comes back changed

Service failures in a residence affect the hotel brand too.

Three markets, three buyer profiles

Buyers in Dubai, Miami and London want different things from the name.

What did the research set out to answer?

The objective: Establish which of the group’s brands affluent buyers will pay a premium to live under, what they expect from it, how much of the decision is the brand versus the address, amenities and service, and whether the premium holds at resale.

• Hear buyers and owners. Interview prospective buyers and owners already living in branded residences.
• Separate brand from building. Use conjoint to isolate the value of brand, address, amenities and service.
• Compare the group’s brands. Measure which brand carries the most weight with which buyer.
• Test the premium at resale. Compare branded resale prices against nearby unbranded homes.
• Define what owners expect. Turn owner expectations into a service standard.

How did Amber & Bull research branded residence demand?

This study was delivered as our Branded Residence Buyer Study, a hospitality industry solution within Custom Research, supported by Brand & Equity, Pricing & Value and Client & Segmentation. It covers the Aspiration, Selection, Encounter and Verdict stages of the Decision Arc.

Screened on investable assets and property ownership or purchase intent.

Phase 1: Resale Price Analysis

Compared branded and nearby unbranded resale prices in each city.

Phase 2: Buyer & Owner Interviews

30 interviews on what the name promised and whether it delivered.

Phase 3: Quantitative Conjoint

350 completes separating brand, address, amenities and service.

Phase 4: Brand Fit Recommendation

A brand-by-city recommendation with an owner service standard.

What did the study recommend?

Four recommendations came out of the study.

• Choose the brand by owner expectation, not guest appeal - The brand guests love most is not always the one owners trust to manage their home.
• Write the service standard into the agreement - Owner expectations should be contractual, not aspirational.
• Price within the evidenced corridor - Set the premium where the conjoint and resale data support it, city by city.
• Give owners a voice - An owner advisory structure protects both the building and the brand.

Why does this approach work?

Branded residence decisions are usually made on fees and developer relationships. The real risk is lending a hotel brand to a twenty-year promise without knowing what owners will hold it to.

Independent research with buyers and owners - separating brand from building and checking the premium at resale - gives the group, its lenders and its board the evidence to decide which name to lend, and on what terms.

Frequently asked questions

Why can’t hotel guest data predict branded residence demand?

A guest stays for nights; an owner lives with the name for decades. Owners hold the brand to a different, longer-term standard.

What is Branded Residence Buyer Study?

The Branded Residence Buyer Study is an Amber & Bull custom study that separates the value of a hotel brand from the address, amenities and service in a branded residence, tests what owners expect from the brand and checks whether the premium holds at resale.

Who took part in this study?

The study covered 350 quantitative completes · 30 depth interviews across Dubai, Miami, London. Respondents verified on investable assets rather than income: HNW (USD 1M–30M) and UHNW (USD 30M+), with affluent where stated. Prospective buyers of branded residences and owners already living in branded residences (any brand).