FHS Living Reveals First Speakers for Paris Edition as Hotelisation Reshapes Europe's Real Estate Sector

Brookfield, Nuveen Real Estate, Aroundtown, Realstar Group, Candy Capital and Accor One Living among the first names confirmed for Pullman Paris Montparnasse on 23–24 February 2027

PARIS, Nov. 04, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- FHS Living, Europe’s investment forum for the living sector, has confirmed the first speakers for its Paris edition, taking place at Pullman Paris Montparnasse on 23–24 February 2027. FHS Living is part of Future Hospitality Summit (FHS), the investment series organised by The Bench, which has run hospitality investment forums for more than two decades. FHS also runs FHS World in Dubai, now in its 22nd edition, as well as FHS Saudi Arabia, FHS Africa and FHS Egypt. Senior leaders from real estate investment, development and operations are among the first names confirmed for Paris, with more speakers to be announced in the coming weeks.

FHS Living brings together the investors, developers and operators behind Europe's living sector, built around the hotelisation of real estate: applying hotel-style hospitality, design, services, and management to non-hospitality properties like office buildings, residential apartments, co-living spaces, and mixed-use developments. The forum covers nine asset classes: hotels and resorts, branded residences, student accommodation (PBSA), senior living, serviced living, co-living, shared ownership, club concepts and mixed-use developments.

FHS Living is an investor-led forum where, across two days, real estate capital from Europe and the Middle East will meet the operators and developers who make hospitality-led real estate perform. Hosted investor meetings run alongside the programme on both days, with pre-qualified, pre-scheduled 1:1 introductions between capital, developers and operators, so investors can meet the projects and partners relevant to their mandates in a single visit.

Real estate investors including Brookfield, Nuveen Real Estate, Aroundtown, Realstar Group, Candy Capital and Orange Capital Partners join living-sector operators such as citizenM, Maslow's and The Embassies of Good Living, hospitality groups Accor One Living and Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, and advisors Landsberg Residential Consulting.

The first confirmed speakers include:

• Lauren Okada Young, Managing Director, Brookfield, Asset Management
• Jasper Gilbey, Head of Housing, Alternatives & Strategic Transactions, Europe, Nuveen Real Estate
• Ryan Prince, Vice Chairman, Realstar and Founder, UNCLE
• Kamaldeep Manaktala, Group Deputy CEO, Aroundtown SA
• Stephen Sackur, Former Presenter, HARDtalk
• Eric Jafari, Founder & CEO, Aendre
• Michael Levie, Co-Founder, citizenM
• Annemarie Manning, Head of Investor Solutions, Orange Capital Partners
• Guy Ivesha, Founder, Maslow's
• Jan Garde, Founder & Chairman, THE EMBASSIES of Good Living
• Dimitris Manikis, President EMEA, Wyndham Hotels & Resorts
• Jeff Tisdall, Chief Business Officer, Accor One Living & Global Head of Mixed-Use, Accor
• Barry Landsberg, Principal, Landsberg Residential Consulting
• Nick Candy, Chief Executive Officer, Candy Capital
• Dirk Bakker, Chief Executive Officer – Hospitality, Necron Group
• Fritz Dickamp, Managing Director, Studio 49
• David Keen, Founder and CEO, QUO
  

The numbers explain why Paris, and why now. Investment in Europe's living sectors rose 22% to €62.2 billion in 2025 and is forecasted to exceed €70 billion in 2026 (JLL), while Europe faces a shortfall of 9.6 million homes (CBRE). In branded residences, Savills puts the European price premium at 38%, up from 29% a year earlier.

The two-day programme builds on the conversations at FHS Living's edition at FHS World in Dubai in October, with every session framed around a topic investors, developers and operators are currently working on. Main-stage discussions range from Europe's living investment outlook to whether the operator is the missing piece in the hotelisation of real estate, who the resident really is and what makes hotelised living bankable. Dedicated sessions on student housing, senior living and branded residences sit alongside the policy and planning needed to close Europe's 9.6 million home gap. Away from the main stage, masterclasses, interactive roundtables and case study clinics open up the real numbers behind completed deals, while a networking reception and site visits to key living assets turn conversations into business.

Ali Shahid, CEO of The Bench, said: “Europe's living sector spans student housing, senior living, co-living, branded residences and more, yet the investors, developers and operators behind it have rarely had one room that brings them all together. FHS Living is built to be that room. This first set of speakers shows the calibre of investors and operators taking part, and with hosted investor meetings at the core of the format, our aim is simple: to move deals forward.”

FHS Living draws on the track record of the FHS series, which brought together more than 3,000 senior delegates in 2025, including 621 investors and €2.68bn in business opportunities generated.

NOTES TO EDITORS

About The Bench

The Bench has built a legacy as a global curator of opportunity, designing transformative forums and summits that empower the hospitality and travel industries to connect, innovate, and thrive.

With over two decades of expertise, The Bench creates platforms that go beyond transactions to inspire collaboration and drive meaningful change.

Each event brings together government leaders, tourism ministries, global travel associations, leading hospitality brands, hotel owners and investors, airlines, destination developers, and more. From flagship gatherings like FHS World (formerly AHIC) and FHS Saudi Arabia, to FHS Africa (formerly AHIF) and AviaDev, The Bench creates events where ideas spark, relationships deepen, and investments take flight.

The Bench thrives on fostering dynamic and forward-looking dialogues, uniting industry pioneers to address challenges, seize opportunities, and co-create the future. Each event is crafted to deliver more than just connections - it’s about transforming ideas into action and building a better tomorrow. Discover more at thebench.com.

About FHS Living

Dates: 23–24 February 2027

Location: Pullman Paris Montparnasse, Paris, France

Partners:
Accor One Living as Founding Partner; Maslow’s and Meliá Hotels International as Headline Partners; Landsberg Residential Consulting and QUO as Partners; ISHC as Supporter; BRESI, Urban Living News and Smack Hospitality as Media Partners.

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/726b2101-dcc0-4685-80eb-80b50f60f59c

Media contact

Lyza Rashid, The Bench
Email: lyza.rashid@thebench.com