The state of Asia's real estate

Fresh from the sessions of the Asia Real Estate Summit (ARES) 2025 at The Athenee Hotel in Bangkok, I left with one clear takeaway: Asia's property landscape is shifting-quietly in some corners, dramatically in others-but always with intention.

- REY ROBES ILAGAN

Powered by PropertyGuru, this year's summit gathered the full breadth of the real estate ecosystem: developers, investors, agents, designers, policymakers, and media. It felt less like a conference and more like a barometer of where our cities and communities are headed.

With the theme "Trusted Marketplaces, Thriving Communities," ARES 2025 delivered a series of conversations that underscored that the future of real estate in Asia is no longer just about building; it's about building better.

The sessions spanned the region's economic outlook, the evolution of experiential design, the rise of branded residences, wellness-anchored communities, and the powerful entry of AI into property markets.

Jules Kay, general manager of Awards and Events at PropertyGuru Group, opened the summit by framing this year's ethos: "We are connecting technology with design, finance with sustainability, data with human experience, policy with innovation, these all come together at ARES."