Earlier this month, Cheval Collection lifted the lid on exciting news. It launched Cheval Residences Knightsbridge Gate in London hot on the heels on another of its branded resi projects, the beachfront Dubai Islands scheme Cheval Residences Dubai Islands.
A logical step
Yes, everyone is rushing to get a piece of the branded resi action. However, Cheval argues that the launch of its second branded residence project is the company simply formalising what it has already been doing for decades.
“We’re not a hotel brand operating hotel rooms and now suddenly going into apartments,” says Nick Pilbeam, chief commercial officer at Cheval Collection told Hospitality Investor. “This is already what we do. We’ve been delivering luxury living for more than 40 years.”
This distinction from global hotel operators now extending into residential real estate is something Cheval lays emphasis on, noting it is a hospitality-led serviced apartment specialist moving into ownership products that closely mirror its core operational DNA. Pilbeam argues the company already possesses something many brands are still building: a ready-made funnel of high-net-worth guests who already live within the Cheval ecosystem.
“We attract guests from more than 150 countries and we have very high repeat rates. A number of our guests already live in our apartments for long stays. So the question becomes: why rent when you could buy?”
That existing customer familiarity and Cheval’s experience operating luxury serviced apartments gives it confidence of its success in an area where some newer entrants are still learning.
“This is the closest possible extension to our core business. We understand privacy, discretion and white-glove service because we already do it every day,” Pilbeam says.
Selling like hotcakes
Cheva’s expansion into branded residences comes as the sector continues to balloon, with everyone wanting a piece of the pie, from hospitality brands to non-hotel entrants such as automotive brands and fashion brands as Savills notes a 19 per cent year-on-year growth in schemes to the end of 2025
Pilbeam believes this trajectory shows no sign of slowing down.
“This isn’t temporary. It’s not a blip. I think there’s a 10-year-plus growth horizon for branded residences because it’s a virtuous-circle proposition. It works for developers, it works for brands and it works for buyers.”
But why now? The launch of the Knightsbridge project came just weeks after that of Cheval’s first branded residences project, Cheval Residences Dubai Islands which will comprise 99 serviced beachfront residences and is due to open in 2029. Although both projects seem very different and are in very different markets, they are a strong signal from Cheval about where its own direction of travel.
Cheval began life in Knightsbridge more than four decades ago with its original Cheval Place property and already operates eight properties across west London. Now, it has returned to the district with its UK flagship for the group’s branded residences business. Located at 55-93 Knightsbridge, the Grade II-listed Edwardian property comprises 15 ultra-luxury residences ranging from one-bedroom apartments to six-bedroom homes.
Pilbeam says further branded residences properties are currently under negotiation across the UK, Europe, Middle East and North Africa, with the company targeting relatively limited, highly curated luxury inventory in prime urban markets.
“In terms of where our pipeline is currently sitting, it is in those markets that are not necessarily in the capital but are reasonably sized while still keeping that luxury positioning of not being super high density. I wouldn’t describe it as a mass scaling of the brand. We need to be very selective for this win-win with our guests and with the unit owners,” he says.
A considered approach
Rather than forcing projects into a standardised format, Cheval says it is adapting its structure according to location, buyer profile and asset type.
“We’re looking at all the variations. Standalone with no rental pool, standalone with rental pool, mixed-use schemes, hybrid models. Different owners and different locations require different things,” Pilbeam says.
It’s that thinking that means that unlike Dubai Islands, the London project will not feature a rental pool.
“The demographic of buyers for the Dubai property means there will be investors that want it for personal use and also want to rent it out. Whereas in London, because of the lower key count, the ultra-luxury positioning and the level of investment required for, for the owners it’s more of a private use property rather than investment rental stock,” Pilbeam says.
However, he stresses that Cheval carefully considers each project on a case-by-case basis.
“It's not necessarily a brand standard of ours. It's more about tailoring our proposition to the unique owners and the unique properties. All of our properties are different,” he says.
Moving forward, as branded residences continue their rapid global expansion, one of the biggest questions facing the sector is which projects will stand the test of time. Cheval is betting that operational authenticity will matter more as the market matures.
“For Cheval, it's a natural extension of what we do. We've had a very positive response to the market in terms of moving into that space and I think we'll do a lot more. We're not focused purely on branded residences, but I think it'll be a big part of our portfolio and future signings going forward. We now have two live projects that are public and we have more on the pipeline.