1. United Arab Emirates: World’s tallest hotel opens in Dubai
Dubai is again home to the world’s tallest hotel, after the opening of the IHG-branded Ciel Dubai Marina, featuring 1,004 rooms and rising 1,237 feet in the United Arab Emirates city.
Operators said the 82-floor hotel takes the “world’s tallest” mantle away from the 505-room Gevora Hotel in Dubai, standing at 1,169 feet. The newly opened property, owned by Dubai-based Immo Prestige Holding, is operated by First Group Hospitality under the Vignette Collection brand of IHG Hotels & Resorts.
2. UK: Region on track to lead European investment recovery
The United Kingdom and its prime office locations are expected to lead the charge as overall real estate returns for 20 European countries average 8.4% annually over the next five years, according to a real estate outlook report from investment management firm AEW. The firm is focused on logistics and residential properties but is increasingly targeting U.K. offices.
AEW analysts found Europe’s overall real estate climate recovering slowly but surely, with liquidity returning and prime yields tightening. “The valuation falls are broadly behind us and, as with today, we see the sun coming up at some point,” said Christina Ofschonka, AEW’s chief investment officer for Europe.
3. France: Paris office property could fetch top price
Invesco Real Estate has begun marketing a prominent Paris office property for sale with an asking price approaching €1 billion, which would rank among the year’s highest-price deals in France, according to sources.
The planned sale of the Capital 8 business center comes as the Paris office market has been in a state of uncertainty. Sources said Invesco earlier this year rejected an offer for the property that it viewed as insufficient, after it invested in a significant renovation.
4. Germany: Banks increase real estate financing
Real estate financing business in Germany grew significantly in both the third quarter of 2025 and the year to date, led by residential property loans.
From January to September, the country’s Pfandbrief banks issued €107.3 billion in total property loans, an increase of 18.2% over the same period of 2024. Third-quarter loan volume reached €37.2 billion, an increase of 20.4% from a year earlier. Year-to-date residential lending, most of which was tied to existing properties rather than new construction, increased 19% from a year earlier as commercial property loans rose 16.8%.
5. Canada: WeWork’s Toronto expansion reflects national rebound
Flexible office provider WeWork is recovering from its bankruptcy and the restructuring that followed, an improved state of affairs that’s reflected in its latest expansion in the country: a full floor in One University Avenue, a high-profile Toronto office tower.
Across the board, New York-based WeWork said occupancy in coworking spaces is up, and demand has recovered enough to add locations. While that’s promising for growth, the head of the firm’s Canada operation said WeWork will no longer try to be in every market, in part a response to criticism of the company in the decade before it filed for bankruptcy protection from creditors in late 2023.
6. US: Why Meta is turning stores into playgrounds for wearable tech
On the outside, Meta’s new Los Angeles flagship seeks to make a big, blue brand statement in West Hollywood’s Melrose design district. Step inside, and the two-story space buzzes with interactive zones including a tiny skate park made for “fingerboarding,” a vinyl listening lounge and an immersive room that turns selfies into art.
While they may seem out of place for a technology showroom, each space is designed to make potential buyers more comfortable with Meta’s wearable hardware, including Ray-Ban and Oakley Meta smart glasses and Quest virtual reality headsets, as the corporate parent of Instagram and Facebook joins other tech giants producing these products in a bid to boost profits.
This report was compiled from CoStar’s news publications in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, France and Germany.