Dr Alan O’Neill speaks with Pius Furlong about Dubai, Saudi Arabia, branded residences, hotel development, and how major hospitality projects move from concept to operation.

In this episode of Boardroom Insights, Alan O’Neill speaks with Pius Furlong, founder and CEO of Tara Global and a senior hospitality development specialist with deep experienceacross Ireland, Dubai, Oman and Saudi Arabia.Pius explains how luxury hospitality and branded residential developments work in the GCC, including the roles of developers, hotel brands, non-hospitality brands,white-label operators, management companies and owners’ associations. He shares insight into projects involving global brands such as W, Missoni, Pagani, Fendi, Nickelodeon and Trump, and explains why branded residences have becomesuch an important part of the development model in Dubai and the wider region.The conversation also explores the money trail behind these projects, the difference between hotel management agreements and franchise/white-label models, why Dubai continues to show resilience during periods of uncertainty, and why Saudi Arabia and Ras Al Khaimah are becoming major future growth markets for hospitality development.A fascinating behind-the-scenes look at how major hospitality projects move from idea to site, brand partnership, sale, operation and long-term guest experience.