The branded residence market in Asia just hit a record $30.7 billion, according to C9 Hotelworks’ latest market review. That number has been compounding at roughly 10% per year for the past five years. And it’s about to double.

This is the first issue of CapitalEast. Every Tuesday, I’m going to break down what’s actually happening in Asian wealth, premium property, and investing. Not from a desk in London or New York. From the ground. From Phuket, where I live and work.

Let’s get into it.

Quick primer for anyone new to this. A branded residence is a private home, usually a condo or villa, that’s developed in partnership with a luxury brand. Think Four Seasons, Ritz-Carlton, Banyan Tree.

Increasingly, think Porsche, Armani, ETRO.

You buy the unit. The brand manages the property, provides hotel-level services, and stamps its name on the building. You get a concierge, a spa, a gym, housekeeping, sometimes a private chef. And you get the brand’s quality control on everything from the door handles to the pool tiles.

The catch? You pay a premium. A big one.

Savills just released their 2025/2026 Branded Residences report, and the numbers are striking. Globally, branded residences command an average premium of 33% over comparable non-branded properties.

In urban markets, that average sits around 30%. But in resort locations it jumps to 39%. In emerging markets, the variance gets wild. Premiums can spike as high as 57% above comparable properties. That’s the power of a trusted name in a market where buyers don’t know the local developers, don’t speak the language, and can’t easily verify construction quality.

People want certainty. When you buy a Four Seasons or a Ritz-Carlton, you know exactly what you’re getting. You get the service. You get the maintenance. You get the resale story. And honestly, you get the status. That matters to the buyer profile we’re talking about.

I see this playing out every single week. Phuket is now ranked 5th globally for total branded residence supply, according to CBRE Thailand. Bangkok sits at 7th. Think about that for a second. A Thai island with a population of 400,000 is outranking most major world capitals in this category.

Branded residences now make up 10% of all condominium units in Phuket. In central Bangkok, that number is just 1%. The concentration here is intense, and it’s getting more intense.

The latest proof? ETRO Residences, which just launched in Bangtao. They broke every price record on the island. They hit 830,000 THB per square meter, roughly $26,350. That is more than four times the Phuket branded average of 197,745 THB per sqm. They sold 25% of their units right at the launch. We’re talking about an eight-villa project with starting prices at $5.79 million. The penthouse, at 415 square meters with a rooftop infinity pool and panoramic Andaman Sea views, goes for significantly more.

This is Thailand’s first international fashion-branded residential development. ETRO. The Italian fashion house. Selling homes in Bangtao, Phuket. Six years ago, that sentence would have sounded absurd.

Or look at the InterContinental Residences in Kamala. A $77 million development with 111 units on Phuket’s west coast. Different price point, same story. High demand, premium pricing, international buyers.

This isn’t just a Phuket phenomenon. Thailand leads the entire Asia Pacific region in branded residences, with over 40 completed developments. The country is on track to become the top market in APAC and fourth worldwide, behind only the US, UAE, and Mexico.

In Bangkok, Porsche Design just launched their first tower in Asia. Twenty-two “Sky Villas” priced between $15 million and $50 million, ranging from 525 to 1,135 square meters. The most expensive condo in Thai history. Duplex and quadplex units with car lifts. This is not your standard Bangkok condo launch.

Down in Bali, Mandarin Oriental is building 68 residences starting at $2 million. Bali’s branded segment is still early compared to Phuket, but the trajectory is clear. The money is flowing in.

And then there’s Dubai. The undisputed king of this market. Dubai has 64 completed branded projects and 87 more in the pipeline. The Bulgari Lighthouse penthouse sold for $112 million, setting a record before it was even completed. The Aman New York penthouse went for $76.8 million last year. The Armani Beach Residences on Palm Jumeirah start at $5.8 million. Dubai is where the ceiling keeps getting raised.

Globally, the sector now sits at 1,789 completed and pipeline projects. That’s 784 completed and 1,005 either under construction or announced.

Asia Pacific specifically is expected to see a 180% increase in branded residences by 2031. The pipeline is shifting too. Resorts now make up 54% of new projects, compared to 46% urban. And standalone developments, projects without an attached hotel, now represent 33% of the pipeline.

Brands like YOO, Pininfarina, and Elie Saab are proving that the name alone is enough to drive sales. Thirty-nine new hotel brands and 19 new non-hotel brands entered the sector in 2025 alone. Over 220 brands are now involved in branded real estate globally. Fashion houses, car makers, design studios. Everyone wants in.

So what do you actually do with all this?

First, understand the yield story. Branded residences in Thailand often achieve 50% to 80% higher rental yields than comparable non-branded properties in the same area. If you’re an investor looking at Asia, that’s the number that should get your attention.

Second, don’t ignore the downside. Service charges are high. You’re paying for five-star management whether occupancy is at 90% or 40%. If the market dips, those fixed costs don’t go away. And in some emerging markets, that 57% premium might be overinflated by hype rather than fundamentals. You have to pick the right brand in the right location. A Ritz-Carlton in Phuket is not the same bet as an unknown fashion brand in a tertiary market.

Third, watch the supply wave. A 180% increase by 2031 is a lot of new inventory. The projects that will hold value best are the ones with genuine scarcity, limited unit counts, prime locations, and brands with real operational track records. Eight units like ETRO. Not 500-unit towers with a logo on the lobby.

The $30 billion boom is real. The wealthy are consolidating their capital into branded, managed, hassle-free assets across Asia. Whether that’s smart or whether parts of this market are overheated is exactly what we’ll be tracking together.

Talk next week,

Danil Frolov