Gil Dezer, President, Dezer Development

Invest: sat down with Gil Dezer, president of Dezer Development, to discuss the evolution of branded residences, the importance of aligning product and buyer, and why Florida remains his top priority for growth. “Branding only works when it is authentic and when the entire package fits together,” Dezer said.

What originally drove your strategy of partnering with brands like Porsche Design, Bentley Motors, and Armani, and how do you see that model evolving today?

We started in 2001, right after September 11, when New Yorkers began coming down to South Florida. At that point, we partnered with Donald Trump and developed six Trump buildings on the beach between 2001 and 2009. What I saw was that branding gives you a level of attention you cannot buy through traditional advertising. It gets your name out there in an effective way.

Those projects were highly successful. We sold them out, paid off our lenders, and had no foreclosures, even through the downturn. After that, we started looking for the next generation of brands, and that is when we connected with Porsche Design. The idea was not just to put a name on a building, but to make the building about the car lover. That is where the patented Dezervator system came from, bringing the car and the owner directly to the unit.

Today, the model is more crowded, and that is the challenge. A lot of developers are trying to replicate branded residences, but many of them are just putting a name on a building without creating a true connection between the brand, the product, and the buyer. For us, branding only works when it is authentic and when the entire package fits together.

How important is technological differentiation to your development philosophy, particularly in these automotive-branded projects?

It is important for us. We use the latest technology we can find throughout the building, but it has to serve a real purpose. Some of it is highly visible, and some of it is more structural. For example, we added a third layer of glass to one of our buildings as a wind blocker. That is not flashy in the traditional sense, but it improves performance and comfort.

We also incorporate more visible innovations, like disappearing kitchens and the car elevator system. The key is that technology has to enhance the experience of living there. We are not interested in gimmicks for the sake of marketing. We are interested in innovations that improve functionality, lifestyle, and long-term value.

Dezer played a major role in transforming Sunny Isles Beach. What opportunities do you still see there, and how do you maintain momentum in a competitive luxury segment?

The way you maintain momentum is by building the best product. We believe we are delivering one of the strongest offerings in South Florida today, and that matters in a market like Sunny Isles Beach, where there is little land left.

That scarcity is what defines the opportunity now. There is not much oceanfront property remaining in Dade County, and when supply becomes that limited, pricing naturally moves up. Buyers understand that they are purchasing one of the last opportunities of its kind in a specific location.

With projects like Uptown Harbor, you are expanding beyond residential into mixed-use environments. What is driving that shift?

The reality is that we have always been active across multiple asset classes. The public tends to hear most about projects like Bentley or Porsche because those are the most visible, but our company has long been involved in many forms of real estate.

We own warehouses, office properties in New York, rental developments in Orlando and other parts of Florida, and hotel assets as well. We are a full-service real estate development firm, and we build across the spectrum.

Your developments often combine hospitality-level amenities with private residential ownership. What is your view on the convergence between real estate and hospitality?

We were early to that idea. Back in 2000, when I built the Trump Grand project, it included two condominium towers adjacent to a hotel. What I wanted to avoid was burdening condo owners with the cost of operating a hotel. Instead, residents had access to hotel services on an a la carte basis.

That meant they could enjoy room service or other hospitality offerings when they wanted them, without paying for a full hotel operation if they were not using it. Over time, a lot of the market caught on to that concept. What we do now is take it further because we own and operate hotels ourselves. Our hotel division also serves as our condo management company, so we manage our residential properties with a hospitality mindset, just without transient guests.

That allows us to offer an elevated lifestyle. At Bentley, for example, we signed Todd English, a four-time James Beard Award-winning chef, to serve as the resident chef. We also provide beach service, spa amenities, a dog spa, a salon, and the details people associate with a luxury hotel, but in a private residential setting.

You have partnered with firms such as Related Group. What makes a successful development collaboration?

The reason those collaborations work is that each side brings something different to the table. Financially, yes, they are partnerships, but operationally, they are collaborations.

What we do well may not be what they do best, and vice versa. That creates a strong dynamic. We complement each other’s strengths, and that has led to a successful working relationship over multiple projects. It helps that there is a high level of trust and mutual respect. When you have that, you spend less time dealing with friction and more time focusing on execution.

With such a large land bank in South Florida, how do you decide when to develop and when to hold?

Lately, I have been in no rush. I remember when we were selling for $400 a square foot, and now we are selling for closer to $3,000 a square foot. When you have seen that kind of appreciation over time, you understand the value of patience.

We have banked our land properly, and we have the cash flow to cover the carrying costs, so we can afford to wait. I also do not like to build more than one project at a time because I do not want to become my own competition. Our preference is to focus on one project, execute it well, finish it, and then move on to the next.

How do you determine which innovations add long-term value versus short-term marketing appeal?

A big part of it comes from the fact that I live in my own buildings. That gives me a practical understanding of what residents actually need and what they do not. Some innovations are fun, and some are essential. The important thing is knowing the difference.

A good example is how people live today compared with even 10 years ago. Now, everyone is receiving Amazon packages constantly, so we are working on a robot that can deliver packages directly to residents rather than requiring them to come downstairs or rely on staff for every delivery. We have also widened driveways to accommodate Uber and food delivery traffic more effectively. These are not the most glamorous innovations, but they make a building function better in the real world.

Looking ahead over the next two to three years, where do you see the biggest opportunities for the company?

In the near term, Florida is the place to be. South Florida in particular remains our priority, and if anything, I would like to increase our commitment there. I think the state is set up for strong performance if interest rates come down and some of the broader tax dynamics shift in favor of buyers. If those things happen together, demand and pricing could move significantly higher.

Over the longer term, we are looking at opportunities in other places and across other asset classes as well. We are always working on deals, but we typically do not talk about them until they are ready.

Is there anything else you would like to highlight?

One thing that is especially important to understand is the role of the Dezervator. At Porsche Design Tower and Bentley Residences, the patented car elevator system is central to the concept. It is not just a novelty. It is one of the main reasons we partnered with automotive brands in the first place.

We wanted to create buildings for car lovers and make the automobile part of the residential experience. That is what distinguishes our projects from other automotive-branded developments. Without that real integration, it becomes a watered-down version of the concept.