Real estate innovation through differentiation

MANILA, Philippines - As luxury real estate consumers’ standards become higher, developers and investors are likewise doing their best to stand out. One sure fire way to do this, says Century Properties managing director Robbie Antonio, is to innovate through differentiation.

In a roundtable discussion at the recent Wall Street Journal executive conference, “Unleashing Innovation,” Antonio said that differentiation is effective simply because buyers who are paying top-money expect no less than premium products.

“Differentiated products are not only eye-catching, they also offer lifestyles that are notches higher than what the market has been accustomed to,” Antonio said.

Attended by some 200 executives comprised of various industry leaders, entrepreneurs as well as personalities in the business of innovation from around the world, the Wall Street Journal conference encouraged participants to “debate on the most cutting-edge ideas in business and technology today” in the hope of inspiring “practical advice and strategies to drive innovation in large companies, small businesses and society.”

Speakers included top business executives such as Eduardo Saverin, Facebook co-founder and Investor, John G. Rice, vice chairman of General Electric Company, Owen Mahoney, CFO and CAO of Nexon, James E. Rogers, chairman, president and CEO of Duke Energy, Vineet Nayar, vice chairman and CEO of HCL Technologies, Ya-Qin Zhang, chairman of Microsoft Asia-Pacific R&D Group and Corporate vice president, Microsoft, as well as academics such as Tarun Khanna, Professor at the Harvard Business School, and Director, The South Asia Initiative at Harvard University and Pericles Lewis, Founding President and Professor of Humanities at Yale-NUS College.

Antonio represented the only Philippine company in the forum which scaled a full range of topics from the history of the human imagination, conquering foreign markets through local innovation, less expensive medical innovations, and the recruitment of great creative talent in various industries.

The Century Properties International Collaborations head provided the highlights of luxury Philippine real estate with focus on the differentiation strategy that his company has taken on in recent years and which will continue to do so with more brand collaborations already underway.

Branded successes

Century Properties has a string of successes with its differentiated real estate products, most of which are collaborations with upmarket brands such as the New York-based Trump Organization, Italian design powerhouses Versace Home and MissoniHome, international icon and real estate heiress Paris Hilton and most recently, the most acclaimed international design company based in Europe, yoo Inspired by Starck.

Each of these brands has seeped into local real estate and home design culture with their design offerings of Century Properties projects such as the Trump Tower at Century City, the Milano Residences, the Azure Urban Resort Residences and the Acqua Private Residences’ Livingstone and Iguazu towers. The entry of the brands have since upped the ante in the local industry and sparked a change in the game.

As unprecedented and landmark partnerships, they have allowed the company to create real estate products that feature never-before introduced and ultra-modern living choices.

“Our partner brands have their own distinct aesthetic or design ethos that provide them with directions in designing lifestyle experiences,” Antonio, who is also Century Properties’ head of International Collaborations, said.  

Common among such projects are personalized, leisure and wellness-oriented, sustainable and intelligent features.

Century Properties brings personalized living experiences through designs and amenities custom-fitted to a community who share similar lifestyles.

Azure is for families who have embraced laidback living offered by a resort-oriented environment while Acqua is for highly mobile families and individuals with an inclination towards high- design and green living.  

In all of its luxury towers, leisure facilities are a common sight. Spas, built-in pools, modern children’s play places and themed green-properties have all proven to be a hit.

The Milano Residences has Loggia units, which have their own pools overlooking the metropolis, giving unit owners a rare leisure experience. Meanwhile, Trump Tower has its own luxurious set of spa facilities such as a spa, spa lounge and pool that also overlooks the city. 

Abundant green spaces and pocket parks across its projects promote holistic well-being for their residents, as evident in the Acqua Private Residences. yoo inspired by Starck for instance, has created designs that promote a consciousness of nature or the environment.  

Introducing the “hyperamenatized” living experience

Century Properties has also differentiated its products through its “hyperamenitized” living spaces or projects with large-scale and modern amenities.

At the Gramercy Residences, a multi-level sky park that features an infinity pool, a lap pool, a kiddie pool, a sky garden, a gym, a spa, a mini movie theater, a restaurant and more have been provided. The Knightsbridge, Acqua and Azure developments likewise all have a mix of some of these amenities all aimed at offering leisure to their residents.

Century Properties has also infused modern technology into its developments buyers are beginning to clamor for smarter products. Beginning with The Gramercy Residences, Century partnered with PLDT to make it the most modern residential infrastructure in the country with its powerful interconnectivity capabilities, whether through internet connection, cable TV or telephony services.

These modern conveniences are also expected to be rolled this out in Century’s other luxury developments.

With the successes of its projects, Century Properties has proven that differentiation might as well be another name for luxury.