Movers: Ritz-Carlton Project Brings Aspen Pro Back to Houston

With a sense of either aspiration or nostalgia, towns around America claim to be the next Aspen. In Texas, some have bet on Fredericksburg, the seat of deer hunting, wine tasting and hobby farming country.

Not many likely would bet on Houston.

Texas’ most populous, sprawling city isn’t a getaway resort town. But according to agent Tommy Kanarellis, who recently returned to Houston after several years working in Aspen, an opportunity awaits to satisfy the mounting demand for luxury living in the Bayou City.

The Ritz-Carlton Residences of Houston, one of several branded condo projects underway in the city, hired Kanarellis as associate sales director, according to a press release from Redeavor Group, which is managing sales for the development.

Kanarellis was the top-ranked condo sales agent in Houston in 2021, when he worked for the Houston office of Compass Real Estate. He left Compass in 2022, worked a brief stint at Douglas Elliman, and returned to Compass in 2023. After working in both cities, helping Houstonians find second homes in Aspen, Kanarellis devoted his energies to Colorado starting in 2023, according to his personal website.

While general housing abounds in the Houston area, luxury homes are in short supply, according to local agents. Luxury sells faster in Houston compared to other Texas metros, and it occupies a remarkably tight quarter of the sprawling city. Not much exists outside of River Oaks and Memorial Villages.

The Ritz-Carlton Residences of Houston isn’t the only branded condo project taking shape in Houston. With buyers from the aerospace, medicine and energy industries in the mix, Houston developers are racing to refine the city’s luxury living options. Auberge-branded and St. Regis-branded projects are also in the works, and another Ritz-Carlton project is rising in the Woodlands.

Elsewhere in Houston, Ryan Fassett is joining Houston-based commercial real estate firm Oxford Partners as senior vice president, according to a press release. Fassett has focused on office and industrial tenant representation during his 15-year career, including posts at UGL Equis, Moody Rambin and Lee & Associates.

Meanwhile, Dallas-based architecture and engineering firm Premier, a privately owned subsidiary of Monty Bennett’s Ashford, promoted Johannes Michalsky to CEO on Jan. 1, according to a press release. Michalsky has spent 12 years at Premier, including a year as COO since 2024.

Ashford focuses primarily on hospitality, but Premier also operates in the student housing and general multifamily sectors.