Following the global recognition of Elias Hannoush of Morgan’s International Realty, awarded as one of the TOP 100 Real Estate Brokers of the World by Luxury Lifestyle Awards, this exclusive dialogue offers deeper insight into the mind shaping one of the most influential forces in modern property investment. Led by World Luxury Chamber of Commerce President Alexander Chetchikov, this interview explores the evolution, philosophies, and future direction of Morgan’s International Realty, guided by the vision of CEO Elias Hannoush.

Alexander Chetchikov: Elias, your company has just been recognized among the TOP 100 Real Estate Brokers of the World. What does this moment represent for your journey and leadership at Morgan’s International Realty?

Elias Hannoush: Being recognized among the Top 100 brokers globally is a meaningful milestone, but for me it represents validation of a much bigger journey. Morgan’s didn’t start as a large organization with systems and capital—it started with a vision to do things differently in an industry that often prioritizes volume over value.

This recognition reflects the culture we’ve built: disciplined, research-driven, client-first, and deeply focused on long-term relationships. From a leadership perspective, it reinforces my responsibility to keep raising the standard—not just for our company, but for how real estate brokerage is practiced globally. For me, this isn’t a finish line; it’s a signal that we’re building something that can last and scale with integrity.

AC: Luxury today means something different to every client. How do you personally define luxury, and how has that shaped the direction of your brand?

EH: For me, luxury is deeply emotional before it is ever material. It’s the feeling of being understood, protected, and confident in a decision that often represents years of work, sacrifice, and ambition. When someone trusts you with that, luxury becomes responsibility.

That belief has shaped the direction of Morgan’s in a very deliberate way. Our role is not to sell property, but to advise on decisions that impact lifestyle, legacy, and capital preservation. We’ve built the brand around judgment rather than urgency, and around depth rather than scale.

AC: Your portfolio spans branded residences, ultra-prime developments, and private investments. How do these categories influence the way people experience luxury living?

EH: What defines luxury is choice. For an end user, the right choice directly shapes how they live every day: how the space feels, how it functions, the privacy it offers, and the environment they wake up to, whether it’s a branded property or not. For an investor, the outcome is just as personal. A well-researched, well-timed decision affects returns and ultimately how freely they can live and plan.

Our role across branded residences, ultra-prime developments, and private investments is to guide those choices. That means doing the homework properly, understanding risk, and advising with full accountability.

AC: Many UHNWIs are seeking real estate that reflects identity and meaning. What emotional or aspirational elements do you believe luxury properties must now deliver?

EH: For many UHNW individuals, a home is no longer a symbol — it’s a mirror. It reflects who they’ve become and what they value after years of building, pressure, and responsibility.

Emotionally, luxury properties must offer a sense of ease and belonging. A place where life feels lighter, more balanced, and more intentional. Aspirationally, they’re not about showing success — they’re about enjoying it privately, in a way that feels earned and personal.

The most meaningful luxury homes today don’t try to impress. They allow people to slow down, feel grounded, and live in spaces that quietly support their identity and the life they want to lead.

AC: Your industry continues to shift rapidly, from global market cycles to new investor expectations. What fundamental changes do you see redefining real estate today?

EH: Technology has fundamentally changed where value sits in real estate.

Access and information are no longer scarce. Data, listings, pricing, and even market analysis are widely available. That has removed the traditional information advantage.

What technology hasn’t replaced is judgment. In fact, it’s made it more important. With more data and more noise, the real challenge is interpretation — understanding what matters, what doesn’t, and how a decision will age over time.

As a result, technology hasn’t eliminated the human role in real estate; it has elevated it. The professionals who add value today are not the ones with the most access, but the ones who can combine data with context, experience, and accountability to guide better decisions.

AC: You launched initiatives such as the Middle East’s first Branded Residences Report. How do data and research empower smarter decision-making for investors?

EH: Data and research don’t replace intuition — they sharpen it.

In real estate, especially at the upper end of the market, decisions are often influenced by emotion, narrative, and timing. Structured research brings discipline into that process. It gives investors context: how a product performs over time, how it compares globally, and where real risk sits beneath the surface.

The Branded Residences Report was created to remove assumptions from decision-making. It allows investors to separate perception from performance, and to understand whether they’re buying into a concept that will remain relevant — not just one that looks good at launch.

Ultimately, data empowers smarter decisions by creating confidence. When investors understand the full picture, they don’t just buy better — they hold better, plan better, and commit with clarity.

AC: From acquiring management divisions to launching advisory platforms, your expansion is multifaceted. How do you identify which ventures to pursue in a fast-changing landscape?

EH: Every service or division we’ve launched came from real demand. In many cases, our clients and investors were already asking us for guidance before the structure formally existed. The service followed the responsibility, not the other way around.

A good example is developer advisory. It wasn’t something we set out to build. Developers began relying on our judgment on positioning, product, and long-term relevance, and that trust naturally evolved into a formal advisory platform. Today, we work with multi-billion-dollar development firms because they value how we think, not just what we sell.

At a broader level, our approach is to support every serious participant in the real estate ecosystem — individual, institutional, investor, or developer , that discipline is what keeps expansion focused and meaningful.

AC: You built your career from zero capital after moving to Dubai at 19. How has that shaped your understanding of risk, resilience, and industry leadership?

EH: When you start with nothing, risk isn’t abstract — it’s personal. Every decision carries weight, because there’s no buffer, no fallback. That teaches you early on to respect risk, to think before you act, and to understand the difference between hope and strategy.

Resilience, for me, wasn’t about being fearless. It was about learning how to stay steady when things were uncertain, how to take responsibility for outcomes, and how to keep going even when progress was invisible.

As a leader today, that background keeps me grounded. I don’t take trust lightly, I don’t take capital lightly, and I don’t take people lightly. My role is not to chase growth at any cost, but to build something stable, thoughtful, and resilient — because I know what it means to build from nothing, and what it takes to protect what’s been built.

Thank you, Elias, for sharing your insights, vision, and global perspective. Your story continues to inspire the industry and elevate conversations around the future of luxury real estate.

To learn more, visit https://eliashannoush.com/ and https://www.morgansrealty.com/.