Why I Pay Close Attention to the Brands

By Karl Mifsud

After I understood the demand, the next question was obvious.

Who’s building for it?

That’s when names like Taj, Radisson Blu and other globally recognised hospitality brands started appearing in my research.

To be honest, I wasn’t interested because they were famous.

I was interested because I wanted to understand why they had chosen those locations.

Companies like these spend decades building their reputation.

They don’t put their name on a project because someone has a good marketing brochure.

Before they commit, they’ve already analysed tourism, infrastructure, population growth, airline capacity, government investment and future demand.

That matters to me.

Not because I assume they’re always right.

Because I know they don’t make those decisions lightly.

One of the biggest mistakes investors make is believing the brand is the investment.

It isn’t.

The brand is another piece of evidence.

When I see a respected operator commit to a location, I don’t borrow confidence from the brand.

I borrow curiosity.

I ask myself,

“What did they see?”

The more I looked at Dubai, the more the numbers started telling a story.

International overnight visitors have grown from around 5.5 million in 2020 to almost 20 million today, with the UAE Government targeting 40 million visitors a year by 2030.

That’s not marketing.

That’s public policy.

Then I looked at population growth.

Around 3.3 million people in 2020.

Around 4 million today.

Targeting 5 million residents by 2030.

More visitors.

More residents.

More businesses.

More infrastructure.

More demand.

That’s what caught my attention.

Because people don’t travel because a hotel exists.

Hotels are built because people are already travelling.

That changed the way I looked at these opportunities.

I wasn’t focused on the building.

I was focused on what was bringing people there.

That’s where the real due diligence begins.

My Thoughts

I’ve never invested in bricks and mortar.

I’ve always invested in what brings people to them.

That’s still the first thing I look at today.