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Branded residences move beyond luxury as buyers seek lifestyle, experience and long-term value, experts say
Branded residences are emerging as a distinct segment in India’s luxury housing market, experts discussed at CREDAI-NATCON 2026 on October 4
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Branded residences are emerging as a distinct segment in India’s luxury housing market, with developers and hospitality companies increasingly moving beyond the traditional proposition of a premium apartment to offer a combination of design, hospitality, curated services and lifestyle experiences.
The trend was discussed at CREDAI NATCON 2026 in Kolkata on Sunday. “The Growing Dominance of Branded Residences in India’s Real Estate Space”, moderated by Anshuman Magazine, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, India, Southeast Asia, Middle East and Africa, CBRE.
The panel included Yukti Nagpal, Director, Gulshan Group; Jacob Purackal, senior Director, Development, Hilton Hotels; and Adhiraj Guha, senior Mixed Use Development Specialist, Marriott Hotels. Amit Sinha, Ceo Holidays and Lifespaces Sector, Mahindra Group also shared his views on the evolving category.
The discussion comes at a time when India's residential market is expanding beyond conventional housing formats. The ANAROCK Research & Advisory report released at NATCON identified lifestyle-led branded residences among emerging residential sub-segments, alongside senior and student housing. Residential sales value reached around ₹6.10 lakh crore in FY26, highlighting the scale of the opportunity in the housing market.
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However, industry players said the growing appeal of branded residences cannot be attributed to a hotel or lifestyle brand alone. The product, they said, has to deliver an experience that justifies the premium.
“Branded residences bring the goodness of hospitality into real estate. The product itself has to be designed around the experience, because that is what the buyer is paying for. It could be the kind of service that allows a resident to order something at an unusual hour, just as they would expect in a hotel. The sales team also has to understand the product properly and explain that experience to the buyer. The value comes from bringing hospitality and real estate together in a meaningful way,” said Yukti Nagpal, Director, Gulshan Group.
Nagpal said the definition of luxury itself is changing. Earlier, buyers were more focused on specifications such as the quality of marble, stone and fittings. Increasingly, they want to know what they are actually receiving after they move in the services available, how those services are delivered and what they will cost.
The proposition is therefore shifting from simply “putting things” into a luxury project to creating a complete lifestyle. Elements such as curated menus, customised services, long-term repair provisions and sinking funds are becoming part of the conversation, particularly because buyers are increasingly conscious of the recurring cost of maintaining a premium lifestyle.
Nagpal said luxury is increasingly linked to scarcity and exclusivity, with buyers looking for differentiated experiences rather than just larger homes.
The trend also has significant potential beyond the traditional luxury markets. While Dubai remains one of the largest branded-residence markets globally and China is substantially ahead of India, developers see opportunities in Gurugram, Delhi-NCR and Tier-2 cities, where rising incomes and aspirational buyers are creating demand for premium housing.
For local developers, the opportunity is also to build brands of their own rather than depend entirely on international hospitality names. In several markets, buyers have established relationships with local developers and may prefer their familiarity, track record and understanding of local requirements.
Nagpal said developers need to understand what customers are actually looking for instead of assuming that expensive construction automatically translates into luxury. Gulshan Group, she said, has been focusing on integrating the lifestyle proposition into the project from the design stage and working closely with its marketing team rather than relying only on large launch events.
“We recently launched Taj Sky Scape and the focus has to be on how the brand blends into everyday life and how the project is designed. Our marketing team is collaborating closely, and we do not believe in large parties. We like to interact with like-minded people and understand what the customer is looking for,” she said.
'Brand should not become substitute for a good residential product'
Amit Sinha of Mahindra said the brand should not become a substitute for a good residential product.
“Branded residences are a global and aspirational concept, and there is an opportunity to create a lifestyle around them. The brand can create a pull, though the real question is what we are creating for people to live in. We have to design a great product and create a living experience that has value in itself,” he said.
He also pointed to the emergence of membership models, second-home concepts and experience-led living, saying developers are increasingly looking at solutions that combine ownership with access to curated experiences.
For hospitality companies, meanwhile, branded residences are a long-term commitment. Hilton’s Jacob Purackal said the term “branded residence” can be interpreted broadly because every developer is itself a brand. The role of a hotel company, he said, is to bring defined hospitality standards, trained staff and operating processes into the residential environment.
“Branded residences are a long-term proposition. Hospitality-led residences bring hotel standards into a residential environment, and in some cases the hotel itself can become an anchor for the development. The residence has to be able to carry those standards over time,” Purackal said.
He added that hospitality companies enforce brand standards, recruit the right staff and follow standard operating procedures similar to those used in hotels. However, the sector is still relatively young in India and its ability to maintain service standards throughout the entire life cycle of a residential project will be closely watched.
Adhiraj Guha of Marriott Hotels said the hospitality brand has to remain involved with the developer throughout the development process. Market-specific requirements, he said, have to be considered while maintaining consistency in service quality.
From design elements such as kitchens and layouts to the flexibility of homes and the way services are delivered, branded residences need to balance global standards with local preferences.
The larger shift, industry players said, is that buyers are no longer asking only what they are buying, but how they will live after buying it.
For Gurugram and other emerging luxury housing markets, this could make branded residences an important new segment. But their success will depend less on the logo at the entrance and more on whether developers and hospitality companies can consistently deliver the promised experience — and whether buyers believe that experience justifies the premium and the continuing cost of ownership.
