Hotel Brands: Driving Integrated Development

The number of mixed-use or “integrated” developments is thankfully increasing. And the role of hotels within them is changing too.

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Drive-in/drive-out, stand-alone hotels are on the way out. In their place: curated, “layered” environments where the hotel brand is woven into a broader mix that includes retail, entertainment, health/wellness and offices (including co-working).

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Hotels in this context can be twinned with branded residences – allowing long-, as well as short-term, stays.

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Hotel-driven integrated developments deliver convenience as well as comprehensive lifestyle choices. Examples include District 8 in Jakarta, Bluewaters Island in Dubai and Soi Langsuan in Bangkok.

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Boutique hotels, or brands which are slightly more off-beat, are well suited to these experiential, self-contained ecosystems – such as 25 Hours Hotels’ The Oddbird in Jakarta, and The Banyan Tree/Delano pairing in Dubai.

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From an investment perspective, mixed-use developments create diversified revenue streams. While stand-alone hotels are subject to seasonality and economic cycles, integrating them with offices and F&B-led retail increases their resilience and the profitability of all components.

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The developer appeal of hotel-driven mixed-use real estate therefore lies in a more diversified customer base with longer visits, shared infrastructure and operating costs, and – usually – a higher yield per square foot.

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The end-user appeal is in the development’s increased sense of purpose, connectedness, recognition of the “local”, and overall “destination” offering.