Ohana Real Estate Development

Ohana Development is a privately held real estate company headquartered in Abu Dhabi, with residential activity across the UAE and Lebanon. Its corporate profile lists 2006 as the founding year of the current business, while the family’s property background reaches further back. The company itself now refers to more than 35 years of real estate expertise, reflecting those wider roots.

The business is led by Chief Executive Officer Husein Salem. A civil engineer by background, Salem grew up around the family property business before taking a larger role in its direction. Ohana operates from Landmark Tower in Abu Dhabi, with further offices and sales centres in the UAE and Lebanon.

Its residential strategy is centred on waterfront communities, private villas and branded residences rather than a large volume of standard apartment buildings. Current UAE activity is particularly concentrated in Abu Dhabi, where the company is working across Yas Canal, Al Jurf and Al Reem Island.

Ohana places considerable emphasis on customisation and what it describes as attainable luxury. The idea is to create homes with a strong design identity while keeping day to day living and family use central to the planning. Apartments, villas, maisonettes, penthouses and larger mansions now appear across the company’s residential offering.

International partnerships have become one of the clearest parts of the Ohana Development identity. The company has collaborated with ELIE SAAB, Jacob & Co. and Manchester City Football Club, using each partnership to shape the architecture, interiors or wider lifestyle concept of an individual residential scheme.

This approach is particularly important because Ohana is not simply adding brand names to completed buildings. ELIE SAAB Waterfront, Jacob & Co. Beachfront Living and Manchester City Yas Residences were conceived around their respective partnerships from the development stage.

The company also retains a substantial connection with Lebanon. Ohana Villas by Elie Saab Maison, Ohana Hills and Escape Villas form part of its official international portfolio, giving the brand a broader regional history beyond its current Abu Dhabi expansion.

Ohana Development Projects in Abu Dhabi

Ohana Development projects in Abu Dhabi currently centre on four major residential names: Manchester City Yas Residences by Ohana, Jacob & Co. Beachfront Living by Ohana, ELIE SAAB Waterfront by Ohana and Ohana by the Sea. Together, they show a clear concentration on waterfront locations and premium residential design.

ELIE SAAB Waterfront by Ohana on Al Reem Island helped establish the company’s current branded residence direction. The waterfront tower combines apartments and penthouses with an architectural and interior concept shaped around ELIE SAAB’s design language. Ohana confirmed the start of construction in March 2025.

Jacob & Co. Beachfront Living by Ohana followed in Al Jurf. The development expands the residential mix considerably, bringing together apartments, penthouses, sky mansions, villas and beachfront mansions. Jacob & Co. provides the branded design identity, while the coastal setting gives Ohana a stronger presence in Abu Dhabi’s low density waterfront market.

Ohana by the Sea is also located in Al Jurf but follows a more private villa led format. The community is positioned around the Arabian Gulf, landscaped open space and a protected natural setting, showing that the company’s residential work extends beyond branded towers.

The most significant recent expansion is Manchester City Yas Residences by Ohana. Launched in February 2026 at Yas Canal, the AED 15 billion project is described by Manchester City and Ohana as the world’s first Manchester City inspired branded residential destination. The wider community includes apartments, maisonettes, villas and townhouses arranged around waterfront spaces, sport and wellness.

The launch also brought considerably greater visibility to the company. Ohana announced AED 6 billion in sales during the first 72 hours, which it described as a new Abu Dhabi sales record. The scale of the project is equally important, as it moves Ohana from individual residential towers and villa collections towards a much larger master community format.

For buyers comparing Ohana Development off plan projects with the wider market, off plan projects in the UAE provide broader context across different locations, property types and developers.

Ohana Development is therefore best understood as an Abu Dhabi centred private developer with wider Middle Eastern roots. Its recent growth is being driven by waterfront locations, branded residences and selective global collaborations rather than a high volume of unrelated launches. Manchester City Yas Residences, Jacob & Co. Beachfront Living and ELIE SAAB Waterfront now provide the clearest picture of where the company is heading.