The Evolution Of Branded Residences In Portugal & Europe

There is something comforting about global brands. When you see a familiar logo, you know you are getting a specific quality standard.

Various brands have their own feel, a certain emotion a person gets once they see a logo or hear a brand's name. They can be fun, affordable, high-quality, and in the case of various accommodation chains, luxurious. 

Hotels and resorts, in particular, can induce a strong emotional response through their brands, such as the Marriot or Hilton, both top-tier hotel chains that exude luxury and quality. They enable familiar customers to feel excited, safe, and happy when seeing their brands, especially when those customers are traveling to foreign lands where they do not know the lay of the land. Brands provide constant familiarity in the realm of the unknown.

In the past couple of decades, many of these hotel brands have decided to translate their expertise in the art of accommodation to include short, medium, and long-term housing projects, giving birth to what is now known as branded residencies.

Branded residences are massive housing projects that encompass anything from hotels to long-term accommodations such as apartments or townhouses; however, they are in part designed, overseen, and managed by top-tier brands such as the aforementioned Marriot.

They have become such a hit, that the global branded residency market has grown a staggering 170% over the past decade, with North America historically dominating the market.

However, in recent years North America's market share of branded residences has fallen, not because brands are pulling out of the market; on the contrary, projects continue to pop up in North America, but because another region has wholeheartedly adopted branded residences - the Mediterranean. 

Analysts predict that the Mediterranean will soon boast 50% of Europe's branded residence market, and account for 10% of the global market very soon, completing a whopping projected market growth of 156%. This massive influx of branded projects is terraforming the housing landscape on the sandy shores of the Mediterranean, and bringing with it investors from all over the globe.

Branded residencies do not just offer outstanding living standards and exciting lifestyles, but they also provide massive returns for investors. In fact, branded residences produce, on average, 31% higher returns on investment (ROI) than traditional residency projects.

They are also more resilient to economic turbulence, as they are backed by global powerhouses that have experience in weathering storms and coming out on top.

Branded residences owe their massive success to the expertise of the brands behind them, as they understand how to choose a prosperous location, with 63% of all projects in urban areas, with the ever-bustling cities of Miami, Dubai, and New York home to the greatest numbers of projects, and they know how to attract clientele to their doorsteps. 

This profitability, sustainability, and overall unmatched allure continues to draw in more global investors. However, there is one more facet of branded residences that can make them even more desirable - when they qualify investors for an EU residency.

‍

Branded residences and the golden visa

Portugal has one of the most popular residency by investment programs in the world - the golden visa. Prospective applicants who invest in a qualified investment category can qualify, alongside their family members, for a Portuguese residency permit, which also paves the way for citizenship in five years' time with minimal residency requirements. 

However, the golden visa recently launched changes to its program, and the historically most popular investment category, real estate investment, has become less desirable, and the focus has shifted to a sleeker, easier option - mutual investment funds. 

Under the golden visa, applicants who invest 500,000 euros into a qualifying investment fund can obtain a residence permit. The Portuguese government oversees all of the hundreds of available funds, but it comes down to the investor themself to choose the one they want to invest in. This crucial divaricate point is where branded residences come into play.

Choosing a fund that focuses its investment on branded residence projects can provide a safer and more lucrative alternative than one investing in traditional housing. 

In branded residence projects, massive name brands, large banks, and top-tier fund managers are involved. All of these parties have stellar track records that they want to maintain, as well as a strict timeline to meet in order to move on to the next mega-project. 

In traditional residence projects, funding is usually hedged against collateral with third-party financial aid, but the stakes are much lower, and there isn't a brand name's reputation at stake. 

The framework and profitability of branded residence projects have helped increase the number of investors coming in, especially under the golden visa program, as they are proving to be a reliable and financially viable option for investors.

‍

Optylon Krea's Branded Prima Fund

The top branded fund currently operating under the Portuguese golden visa flag is none other than Optylon Krea's Prima fund. 

Prima fund operates on a sophisticated structure that allows the fund to invest in top-tier branded residence projects throughout the Mediterranean region under the umbrella of Ando Living, with current projects in Portugal and Turkey, while Spain, Greece, and Italy have plans set in place for future projects.

Ando Living offers investors great flexibility to choose their comfort level of risk versus profitability, allowing them to make money while obtaining a residence in Portugal.

Ando Living already has three projects in the heart of Lisbon; Sao Nicaolau, Santa Justa, and Douradores, with three more massive projects in the pipeline. 

Investors in the Prima Europe fund are not only rewarded by an amazing investment opportunity and a residency permit, but with greater flexibility and an abundance of perks not found anywhere else, such as:

• Target returns that can reach up to 20% depending on the structuring of the investment
• Conversion right with a 10% bonus
• The ability to convert their investment to a Prima project anywhere in the world
• The ability to change from the fund option to the real estate option until June of 2023
• Obtain returns from day one
• And benefit from a complimentary one-week stay in any Prima collection stay anywhere in the world.  

‍

In a world quickly leaning toward branded residences, we created 2 vehicles of investment : Prima fund and Ando Living Liberdade Club. To know more about Prima Europe fund, Ando Living and how you can be a partner to the world's best global brands, as well as obtain an EU residency through investment, contact us today to book a free, comprehensive consultation with one of our experts. 

‍