How does hospitality transcend traditional real estate asset classes? What happens when you erase the decades-old hard line between hotels and long-term residential spaces?

These were the defining questions of the recent FHS Living Advisory Board Meeting, hosted in the inspiring surroundings of Maslow's Kensington. Organised by The Bench, this exclusive gathering of investors, developers, operators, and industry disruptors came together to share insights, debate market trends, and help shape the agenda for the highly anticipated FHS Living, taking place in Paris on 23–24 February 2027.

Setting the Scene
There was no better place to debate the future of operational real estate than Maslow’s Kensington. As Guy Ivesha, Founder & CEO of Maslow's, explained: "We are not a hotel, but we've approached this concept very much like a hotel, simply replacing the bedroom with a beautiful office and retaining everything you would expect from a luxury lifestyle hotel." From the curated workspaces to the wellness studios and restaurants, the venue itself served as a living case study of how traditional spaces are being reinvented through a hospitality lens.

Matt Weihs, Chief Development Officer of The Bench, opened the session by outlining the rapid evolution of this sector. Historically focusing on branded residences, the conversation has expanded into a broader, highly compelling market opportunity: "Living" as operational real estate. Rather than being lost in giant, generalised real estate exhibitions, the industry needs a dedicated space to view real estate through a hospitality lens.

The Living Sector in Numbers - €70 Billion and Counting
Ali Shahid, CEO of The Bench, presented eye-opening research detailing the massive wall of capital moving into Europe's living sectors:

• Growing Capital Inflows: In 2025, investment in European living real estate grew by 22% year-on-year to €62.2 Billion. For 2026, the forecasted investment is set to exceed €70 Billion.
• Strong Investor Appetite: According to surveys, 96% of institutional investors already active in the sector plan to increase their allocation in "living" over the next five years.
• A Major Shortfall: This capital is chasing strong structural demand. CBRE reports a massive shortfall of 9.6 million homes across Europe, ensuring a long-term undersupply that requires innovative residential solutions.
• Alternative Sectors Booming:
  • PBSA (Purpose-Built Student Accommodation): Boasts dream-like occupancy rates of 97% across Europe, with a projected 11% annual growth in PBSA investment.
  • Co-Living: Targeted by 50% of institutional investors as an active asset class, up from 42% last year.
  • Senior Living: Briefly overtook data centres in global investment volumes during the first half of 2026, highlighting the massive demographic tailwinds of an ageing population.

Branded Residences - Commanding the European Premium
A core highlight of the Advisory Board was a deep dive into the branded residential market presented by Rosie Tucker, Associate at Savills. The statistics show a sector experiencing an unprecedented boom:

• Pipeline Expansion: Globally, the pipeline of branded residences is projected to exceed 2,000 projects up to 2040, representing an incredible 124% growth rate.
• The European Premium: While the global average price premium for branded residences held flat at around 33% in 2026, Europe outperformed significantly, commanding an impressive 38% premium (up from 29% twelve months earlier).
• Resorts and Standalones on the Rise: The market is rapidly shifting from urban-only developments toward resorts (accounting for 54% of the pipeline growth). Furthermore, "standalone" branded residences - built without a co-located hotel - are proving highly successful, exemplified by projects like the Ritz-Carlton standalone which sold out 140 apartments in a single day.

The Key Takeaway - Treating Tenants as Customers
Beyond the impressive statistics, the heart of the Advisory Board meeting was an interactive group discussion about what is actually driving success on the ground. The consensus was clear: Traditional real estate has a lot to learn from hospitality. Successful "living" projects are moving away from pure brick-and-mortar development to focus on operational excellence, community, and experience.

As Navneet Bali, Founder & CEO of LyvInn, and Dirk Bakker, CEO of Necron, noted during the debate, the future of the sector relies on treating tenants as customer-guests - building genuine communities, offering high-quality amenities, and designing environments that reflect personal lifestyles.

This is also driving the entry of non-hospitality luxury and lifestyle brands (from fashion to automotive houses) into the co-living and branded residences space. These brands bring ready-made culture, instant market validation, and strong customer loyalty, which in turn drives immediate project premiums and rapid absorption rates.

Looking ahead
The energy and ideas shared at Maslow's Kensington are directly feeding into the programme for the FHS Living Europe 2027 Founding Edition in Paris.

To move away from standard, rigid conference formats, FHS Living will prioritise interactive roundtables, deep-dive masterclasses, and facilitated networking. The Bench is also set to integrate a custom, AI-driven matchmaking app. The app collects detailed investor criteria (target geographies, asset classes, and investment scale) to automatically connect capital with developers, ensuring every attendee leaves with valuable connections and real deals in hand.

As the Advisory Board concluded, the hard lines of the real estate world are gone. The future of living is operational, experience-driven, and underpinned by hospitality.

Are you ready to shape the future of living? Join us at FHS Living Europe 2027 in Paris on 23–24 February 2027.