Branded residences in Dubai, in four sentences
A branded residence is a freehold home in a building whose services or design are signed by a hotel, fashion or luxury house; in Dubai, foreign buyers can acquire one in full ownership in designated freehold zones.
GADAIT International compares 9 addresses on Palm Jumeirah, in Business Bay and in Downtown: 6 developed by OMNIYAT and serviced by Dorchester Collection, plus Bugatti, Baccarat and Armani Beach.
Of the 7 with a published entry price, the lowest is AED 17,300,000 (The Alba Resort Residences) and the highest is AED 52,223,850 (ORLA, Dorchester Collection), according to sources dated between 1 September and 5 October 2026.
These are indicative "from" prices, subject to availability: GADAIT reconfirms price, area and status of each unit before any presentation.
Sources: OMNIYAT availability list of 5 October 2026; prices recorded on 1 September 2026 on Bayut, Zawya, Metropolitan Premium Properties and propsearch, as published on each residence page of this site. Page updated on 12 October 2026.
The 9 branded residences, side by side
Brand or operator, developer, area, architecture, number of residences, delivery and entry price in AED, with the date and source of each price as published on our residence pages. Where no price is published, it stays on request: GADAIT publishes no figure without a dated source.
| Residence | Brand · operator | Developer | Area | Architecture · design | Residences | Delivery | From (AED) | Price source · date | Our page |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Alba, Dorchester Collection | Dorchester Collection | OMNIYAT | Palm Jumeirah | Zaha Hadid Architects (· YODEZEEN, Resort Residences) | 153 (88 Residences + 65 Resort Residences) | Q3 2028 (announced) | AED 17,300,000 Resort Residences; The Alba Residences from AED 23,800,000 | OMNIYAT availability list, 5 Oct 2026 | View → |
| VELA Viento, Dorchester Collection | Dorchester Collection | OMNIYAT | Marasi Bay (Business Bay) | Foster + Partners · Gilles & Boissier | 95 | Q3 2027 (announced) | AED 17,552,001 | OMNIYAT availability list, 5 Oct 2026 | View → |
| Baccarat Hotel & Residences | Baccarat (144-key Baccarat hotel) | Shamal Holding × H&H Development | Downtown Dubai | Studio Libeskind · 1508 London interiors | 49 + penthouses | Q4 2026 (announced) | AED 19.9–21M | Bayut, Metropolitan Premium Properties · 1 Sep 2026 | View → |
| Bugatti Residences by Binghatti | Bugatti | Binghatti | Business Bay (canal) | Not documented | 182 (171 Riviera Mansions + 11 Sky Mansion Penthouses) | 2026-2027 horizon (announced) | AED 21.2M (2-bed) | Bayut, Zawya · recorded 1 Sep 2026 | View → |
| Armani Beach Residences | Armani/Casa | Arada | Palm Jumeirah (outer crescent) | Tadao Ando · Armani/Casa interiors | 53 | Q4 2026 (announced) | AED 21.5M | Metropolitan, propsearch · 1 Sep 2026 | View → |
| VELA, Dorchester Collection | Dorchester Collection | OMNIYAT | Marasi Bay (Business Bay) | Foster + Partners · Gilles & Boissier | 38 | Q4 2027 (announced) | AED 43,330,140 | OMNIYAT availability list, 5 Oct 2026 | View → |
| ORLA, Dorchester Collection | Dorchester Collection | OMNIYAT | Palm Jumeirah (crescent) | Foster + Partners | 89 + 2 super penthouses, 1 Sky Palace, 1 mansion | Completion certificate targeted early 2027 | AED 52,223,850 | OMNIYAT availability list, 5 Oct 2026 | View → |
| ORLA Infinity, Dorchester Collection | Dorchester Collection | OMNIYAT | Palm Jumeirah (crescent) | Foster + Partners · YODEZEEN | 20 four-bedroom duplexes | 2027 (expected) | On request | Not on the OMNIYAT list of 5 Oct 2026 (2 resale offers of 7 Sep 2026) | View → |
| AVA at Palm Jumeirah, Dorchester Collection | Dorchester Collection | OMNIYAT | Palm Jumeirah | Portia Fox Design | 17 full-floor residences | Final completion certificate pending (OMNIYAT update of 20 Aug 2026) | On request | Not on the OMNIYAT list of 5 Oct 2026 | View → |
"From" price = entry price as published on our page for each residence, subject to availability and to confirmation by the developer. For the OMNIYAT residences, it is the lowest priced unit on OMNIYAT's list of 5 October 2026 (detail by typology on our OMNIYAT in Dubai page). Baccarat is sorted on the low end of its published range. Como Residences (Nakheel, Palm Jumeirah) is often listed among Dubai's branded residences but carries no hotel or fashion brand, so it is not in this table: see our Como Residences page. Delivery dates as announced by the developers, subject to change.
What you pay for when you pay for the brand
According to Savills, Dubai counted more than 140 branded-residence projects in early 2026, and a branded residence trades on average 25 to 35% above a comparable unbranded property. That figure is a market average: it does not measure the premium of any residence in this table, and GADAIT does not publish one project by project.
What the premium buys is threefold. First, an operator's standard: a hotel group such as Dorchester Collection runs the residential services (concierge, valet, spa and dining) to the standard of its hotels. Second, a design signature: Foster + Partners, Zaha Hadid Architects, Studio Libeskind or Tadao Ando, with interiors by named studios. Third, a recognised name on resale, which helps a foreign buyer identify the asset, without guaranteeing its value.
The counterpart is a higher service charge than in an unbranded building, set by the owners' association, and a dependence on the operator's contract: ask for its term and the conditions of its renewal.
Five criteria to compare branded residences
Entry price is only the first line. These five criteria separate residences that look alike on a brochure.
The hotel operator
Who runs the building matters more than the name on the façade. 6 of the 9 residences in this table are serviced by Dorchester Collection; Baccarat Residences shares its address with a 144-key Baccarat hotel. Ask for the operator's contract term and scope.
The services actually included
Concierge, valet, spa, dining, housekeeping: list what is included in the service charge, what is billed à la carte and what is reserved for hotel guests. Service charges are set by the owners' association and confirmed residence by residence.
The delivery date
Announced dates for the off-plan residences in this table run from Q4 2026 (Baccarat, Armani Beach) to Q3 2028 (The Alba); AVA is awaiting its final completion certificate. Off-plan, a date is an announcement: check the construction updates and the contractual completion clause of the SPA.
Resale liquidity
Scarcity is part of the appeal, from 17 residences at AVA to 182 at Bugatti Residences, but a small building also means fewer comparable transactions on resale. A resale requires a developer NOC and a transfer registered with the DLD.
The payment plan
Documented plans differ widely: Armani Beach 60/40 (60% during construction, 40% on handover), Como Residences 20/60/20, VELA Viento 5/20/15/10/10/40 (offers of 28 September 2026). Bugatti and Baccarat do not publish theirs. Compare the share paid before completion.
Payment plans as published on our residence pages (Armani Beach and Como Residences: as of 1 September 2026; VELA Viento: OMNIYAT sales offers of 28 September 2026). Plans change from one release to the next: GADAIT confirms the schedule of each unit.
Buying a branded residence in Dubai with GADAIT
GADAIT International has been a registered OMNIYAT partner since March 2024, under a brokerage agreement: we receive OMNIYAT's dated availability lists for VELA Viento, VELA, ORLA, ORLA Infinity, The Alba and AVA. For Bugatti, Baccarat, Armani Beach and Como Residences, we hold no developer partnership: we request the current price list and availability and reconfirm them before presenting a unit.
Your brief and a shortlist
Budget, area (Palm Jumeirah, Business Bay, Downtown), number of bedrooms, delivery horizon: we narrow this table to the residences that match.
Reconfirmation before any presentation
Price, area, floor plan, availability and payment schedule are reconfirmed on the date we send them: with OMNIYAT for its projects, and with the developer or the market for the other residences.
Reservation and sale agreement
Reservation deposit, then signature of the sale and purchase agreement (SPA) with the developer; for a resale, a memorandum of understanding and the developer's NOC.
Escrow, DLD registration and handover
Off-plan, payments into the project's escrow account, Oqood registration and the 4% DLD fee; then key handover and transfer of the freehold title.
To go further: OMNIYAT in Dubai: every project and 2026 prices, our guide to buying property in Dubai, the breakdown of buying costs, how escrow protects an off-plan purchase and the Dubai Golden Visa.
Receive the detailed comparison and availability
The residences that match your brief, with price, area, floor, service charges and payment schedule, reconfirmed on the date we send them.
The 5 most exclusive branded residences, the Golden Visa from AED 2M, the tax frame (0% income tax, 0% capital gains) and the real acquisition costs — 9 pages to keep, yours for your email.
Branded residences in Dubai: your questions
In our comparison of 9 addresses, the published entry prices run from AED 17,300,000 (The Alba Resort Residences, OMNIYAT availability list, 5 Oct 2026) to AED 52,223,850 (ORLA, Dorchester Collection, OMNIYAT availability list, 5 Oct 2026). 7 of the 9 residences have a published entry price; ORLA Infinity and AVA are on request. These are indicative "from" prices, dated and sourced row by row, subject to availability and to confirmation by the developer.
Savills estimates the average premium of a branded residence at 25 to 35% over a comparable unbranded property, and counted more than 140 branded-residence projects in Dubai in early 2026. It is a market average, not a measurement for each project: GADAIT publishes no premium for a specific residence. What the brand pays for is the operator's service standard (concierge, valet, spa, dining), a design signature and a recognised name on resale.
A residential purchase of at least AED 2 million in a freehold zone can open the way to the UAE's 10-year Golden Visa, and every published entry price in this comparison exceeds that amount. Eligibility, however, depends on the authorities' criteria at the time of application (title deed or off-plan contract, developer, documents): it is confirmed case by case, ideally before reservation.
The Dubai Land Department (DLD) registration fee is 4% of the purchase price, i.e. AED 692,000 on the lowest entry price in the table (AED 17,300,000). Registration, trustee and, for a resale, developer No Objection Certificate (NOC) fees are added.
Off-plan payments go into an escrow account dedicated to the project, governed by Law No. 8 of 2007 and supervised by the DLD and RERA; funds are released to the developer as construction progresses. The contract is registered with the DLD (Oqood). The payment schedule varies by project: GADAIT confirms the one attached to each unit before any reservation.
GADAIT International has been a registered OMNIYAT partner since March 2024: for the six OMNIYAT residences in this comparison, we receive OMNIYAT's dated availability lists and reconfirm each unit before presenting it. For the other residences, we hold no developer partnership: we request the current price list and availability and reconfirm them before any presentation. In both cases we place each unit against the rest of the table, so that you choose on comparable, dated figures.
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