In collaboration with Marriott, Satya, a Houston-based real estate developer, is due to open the first-ever St. Regis residence in the Texan city later this year.
Sunny Bathija, the CEO of Satya, believes the time is right to provide this type of luxury accommodation for the citizens of North America’s fourth most populous city.
He said: “There seems to be a gap in the market in Texas and especially in Houston. I’ve developed condos there and I’m proud of what I’ve done, but I wanted to take things up a level.”
In part, this desire comes from Bathija’s own experience of owning and living in branded residences (Ritz Carlton and St. Regis) in Miami. However, he said: “We knew we could not just copy and paste from other markets.”
Having found the land in the affluent Memorial neighbourhood – “location comes first, brand comes second” – Bathija reached out to Sarah Khalifa, vice president, mixed use development, North America, Caribbean and Latin America, Marriott International, to take on the branding. Khalifa, being a Houstonian, immediately recognised the project’s potential.
Entering a unique market
However, two main challenges loomed in transposing a high-end branded residence concept to Houston.
Firstly, there is no shortage of land in Texas and Texans are used to living in large single-family homes rather than condos.
Nevertheless, Bathija had noticed growing demand for condos, especially from empty nesters who no longer want to manage a large home: “They want to travel more and they want somewhere easy to lock up and leave. I’m also seeing a lot of people who have the money and want a better brand.”
For sales and marketing, Satya partnered with Douglas Elliman who created a chart comparing the costs of living in a single-family home with the St. Regis condo fees.
The comparison chart claims that the costs of living in a single-family home are “either comparable or more expensive” than paying HOA (home ownership association) fees, once building insurance, utility bills, and amenities (gym, swimming pool) and services (valet and butler) are taken into consideration.
Bathija commented: “People are still getting educated. We are emerging from a single-family home market into condo living in Texas. We are very unlike Miami, New York and California, where people are already accustomed to that. It's one of the challenges, but people are receiving it well.”
Brand standards
The second challenge to confront was delivering the St. Regis brand standards in a market with a capped selling rate. Bathija explained: “Bringing a St. Regis to Houston, it cannot be less lacklustre than that one in Miami or New York. You’ve still got to give that same look and feel which people are expecting because they have travelled to these places.”
In Miami the same product might sell for $2,800 per square foot; while in Houston it’s $1,600 per square foot, which some will perceive as high because the market norm is $1,100 per sq. ft., he added.
With the interior designers ForrestPerkins, every day has been a balancing act between staying on budget and not compromising on quality, Bathija said.
What is on offer at the St. Regis Houston residences? “We've got 40,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor amenities, which is unheard of, and I think that's what is selling,” he said.
Sales velocity
Pre-sales started in late 2024 and performed strongly with penthouses and larger units selling faster. Pre-construction, there was still time to change the design. “We went back to the drawing board with Pickard Chilton our design architects. We increased by one more floor. We made bigger footprints. That’s what Texans like, so that’s what we did.”
The residences are surrounded by parkland and the Buffalo Bayou. Bathija said: “We took advantage of our surroundings and made our amenities based upon what is locally available.” That means bike storage and a room for repairs. The residences are pet-friendly and include a pet spa.
Other amenities include a yoga and movement studio; meditation garden; dedicated yoga lawn; co-working spaces; library; private offices; cinemas; children’s activity centres, and a full spa with treatment rooms and saunas.
Who is buying? “Our main market is the local empty nesters, as previously mentioned. We are seeing a lot of buyers from the oil industry, both Americans and foreign nationals. We have investors, people who are not ready to live here now but will be in ten years and are looking at the branding to deliver appreciation in value.”
Founded in 1999, Satya has more than 100 projects under its belt, valued at $500m, including several boutique-style condominiums in Houston.
All quotes taken from the panel session: ‘Seizing the Moment: A leading brand’s perspective on residences’ at the Brand x Residential event in New York City, June 2025. Sunny Bathija, CEO, Satya was in conversation with Sarah Khalifa, vice president, mixed use development, North America, Caribbean and Latin America, Marriott International