It has all the trappings of a luxury villa in the tropics, but Uluwatu Estate is more than just a home. This year, it became the first property in Asia to be listed under Mandarin Oriental Exclusive Homes, a partnership between the five-star hotel brand and the upmarket villa rental platform StayOne. Launched in spring 2022, Mandarin Oriental Exclusive Homes is a collection of branded luxury private residences across the globe that are available for short-term rental, appealing to what the jet-set seek beyond exclusive stays—the quality assurance provided by a renowned brand, along with an experience that goes beyond what a run-of-the-mill luxury hotel suite or villa offers.

“Many people crave a secluded oasis—a high level of privacy that they can’t get in a hotel,” Zecha says. “A unique private villa offers this sense of isolation, alongside an attentive personal service that is relaxed and not stiff, allowing you to feel totally at ease.” At Uluwatu Estate, a Mandarin Oriental-approved chef creates tailor-made menus; the housekeeping service is akin to that of the hotels; and the manager attends to guests’ every whim round the clock. Zecha recalls the story of a guest who felt comfortable enough to leave his child behind with the estate’s staff while he attended to business in another country.

Uluwatu Estate joins more than 20 other private residences, which are in destinations like the French Riviera and the Greek islands, under Mandarin Oriental Exclusive Homes. They are handpicked by a dedicated team in accordance with a 300-point checklist, ensuring they “meet the highest quality standards befitting of Mandarin Oriental’s globally respected and trusted brand delivering personalised service”, says the portfolio’s operations director Luca Finardi, who adds that Uluwatu Estate made the selection thanks to its “exquisite design and exceptional services”. “Since [the portfolio’s] launch, and travel opening up post- pandemic, we have identified growing customer demand ... for luxury private villas in Asia Pacific,” he says. “It is a popular region for discerning travellers, and hotels will continue to identify ways to further blend the hotel and villa experience in new destinations.”

The concept of branded residences—which has traditionally been marketed to buyers—is nothing new. The very first hotel branded residence, The Sherry-Netherland in New York, opened in 1927. While there is no formal definition, a branded residence is generally recognised as a residential property which is associated with an established brand, such as a hotel operator, according to the Knight Frank Branded Residences Report 2023. The operator provides the property with its branding, services and amenities. According to Savills’ Branded Residences sector overview published in 2018, there are several types of branded residences on the market: those located on the same site as a hotel; condo hotels, where residences are located within, or comprise an entire hotel building; standalone, where the residences are in a separate site to the hotel, but where the brand’s hotel is usually present elsewhere in the location; and non-hotels, where the residences are associated with brands outside the hospitality sphere.

Today, there are more than 400 branded residences around the world. Asia Pacific accounts for 20 per cent of them; North America takes the lead with 40 per cent, per Knight Frank. In 2020, a Savills report pointed to a 170 per cent increase in the number of branded residences in the decade that led up to that year.

While Uluwatu Estate and Mandarin Oriental Exclusive Homes are catering to luxury travellers—the Mandarin Oriental also has a Residences model that differs from Exclusive Homes, with fully serviced apartments developed for sale—what it does have in common with true branded residence schemes are the location factor and the response to the post-Covid era. 

“The ‘live-work-play’ concept is fast becoming a global trend, especially with the pandemic bringing the culture of working-from-home to the forefront,” says Victoria Garrett, Knight Frank Asia Pacific’s head of residential. This is leading to buyers rethinking their lifestyle and work preferences, such as living in less densely populated locations.

In the Asia Pacific region, around 60 per cent of branded residences are in cities; the rest are in resort destinations, with around 39 per cent of them in sunny locales, and the remainder in snowbelts, per Knight Frank. For comparison, in North America, around 77 per cent of branded residences are in cities. Garrett says Thailand has become a popular place for buyers—those from Hong Kong, in particular—especially after the pandemic.

“Since Covid, there has been a trend towards people moving away from the major cities of Hong Kong, Singapore and Shanghai in order to continue their jobs in Phuket and the rest of Thailand,” says Gordon Oldham, a lawyer who is the founder of The Pavilions Hotel & Resorts, which has branded residences in two locations in Phuket—these include three-bedroom villas and a penthouse, complete with a private pool—as well as in El Nido in the Philippines and Niseko in Japan. “In my opinion, Phuket is no longer a vacation town; rather, the entire island is now a city—albeit one that features a significant number of beaches, open areas and parks—with terrific infrastructure. People are now viewing it as a very pleasant place to work.” 

Radha Arora, Rosewood Hotel Group’s president and co-chief development, echoes these sentiments. “Thailand has long been a coveted retreat, and the influx of travellers to Southeast Asia, since the region’s reopening, affirms Phuket once again as a top resort destination globally,” he says. The group is set to unveil Rosewood Residences Kamala on Phuket’s west coast in 2024; there will be 14 luxury villas featuring contemporary designs, each with between four and six bedrooms, and private pools with views of the Andaman Sea. This marks the first Rosewood standalone branded residence in Asia Pacific. “For buyers—many of whom are no longer tethered to one place, and thereby able to travel between homes and destinations more freely than before—hotel branded residences offer an invaluable sense of convenience and ease. Residents have peace of mind that their homes will be ready for them, to their exact liking, upon arrival—and are tended to by a team of experts while they are away.”

Even early adopters are benefiting from the trend. Aman Resorts’ Amanpuri Villas on Phuket’s west coast, which opened along with the brand’s first hotel in 1988, is often referred to as one of the first branded residences in Asia. The initial concept, says Aman’s global head of residences and club Vanessa Grout, was to create branded residences that afforded access to the hotel’s facilities—the usual suspects in a five-star property, such as infinity pools and secluded beaches—along with encouraging a sense of community. “Today, the concept of branded residences has increased in popularity across all markets, and in Asia, we feel this growth is led by the preference for owners to purchase properties connected to a brand they trust.” Discretion, privacy, exceptional design and a focus on wellbeing are what buyers seek, adds Grout. In 2026, Aman Niseko Residences will open, along with a hotel, catering not only to those drawn to the area’s famous powder snow and world-class skiing in winter, but also its mild summers.

The branded residences at Four Seasons Resort The Nam Hai, Hoi An, meanwhile, which opened back in 2016, gained an early foothold in an emerging market— Knight Frank points to Vietnam as one of the fastest-growing markets in branded residential developments in Asia. Ly Binh, the property’s director of residences, acknowledges that the Asia market is still relatively small compared to that of the US, but “expanding considerably since the pandemic due to the interest in a comfortable, stylish space during the lockdowns”.

Those days might be a distant memory, but for the super-rich, the search for exceptional experiences during getaway stays—and perhaps a lifestyle shift altogether—won’t go away any time soon. As Garrett puts it: “I can see more [branded residences in] remote, resort destinations focused on experiences and wellness, taking people into an oasis away from their busy day-to-day lives.”

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