RLA Global Group CEO Roger Allen moderated a plenary panel at the 9th Gulf & Indian Ocean Hotel Investors’ Summit (GIOHIS), on October 26, 2026 at the Anantara Downtown Dubai Hotel.
From left to rigth: Yigit Sezgin, Rico Picenoni, Joao Cravo, Marion Fabro Delmas, Roger Allen
The session, BR-IS: As multiple players enter the branded residential space, can hotel groups ultimately come out on top?, opens the debate on one of the fastest-moving segments in the region. Across the GCC, fashion, automotive, design and entertainment brands are launching residential projects at pace, and developers now have more choice than ever. The question is whether these newcomers can match the service standards and brand premium that established hotel groups have built over decades.
Roger was joined by:
- Joao Cravo - Vice President of Asset Management, Trilight Hospitality
- Marion Fabro Delmas - Director Hospitality, H&H Development
- Yigit Sezgin - Managing Partner, Clé & Partners
- Rico Picenoni - Global Head of Residential, Langham Hospitality Group
Session details
Monday 26 October 2026, 10:40 to 11:15
Ballroom, Anantara Downtown Dubai Hotel
Report from the event:
The hotel side argued that service, capital planning and preventive maintenance protect value long after the launch campaign. The challengers pointed to Bulgari as proof that a non-hotel brand can succeed when its DNA fits hospitality and a strong developer builds the right service around it.
On one thing the panel agreed: the premium is never down to the brand alone. Location, developer track record, design and operations all have to work together.
Roger’s conclusion: for now, hotel brands come out on top. Not a knockout, but a win on points. With non-hotel brands still too young to have a resale track record, only time will tell whether that lead holds.
Thank you to everyone who joined us in the Ballroom.
