With Its $2.5 Million-Plus High-Tech Sales Center and Luxe Spa, Houston’s High-Rise of The Future Emerges — Texas’ First St. Regis Residences Sets a New Path

Building a temporary sales center that costs more than 2.5 million dollars will surely seem crazy to some. And for many Houston high-rises, it would be. But when one believes like Sunny Bathija believes, this expense becomes a testament to the possibilities. A bet on the future. When you’re trying to raise the bar, one cannot be afraid to leap. So the forthcoming St. Regis Residences, Houston even brings a sales center to swoon over.

Which fits with the ambitions of this unconventional developer and this new 38-story tower that will rise over the Bayou Bend Collection with easy access to Memorial Park.

“We are not only building a condo,” Bathija tells PaperCity Houston. “We’re creating new milestones and we are raising the bar. We are hoping that will be the new bar which everyone will start having. Everyone will start having a new level of condo living in Houston.”

The St. Regis Residences, Houston is banking on being a trendsetter with clout. Its 90 residences start at $3 million and skyrocket up to the two-level penthouses which include their own private in-unit elevators between the floors. Still, it’s the amenities that really get Bathija going. In all, 40,000 square feet of amenities are on tap. Everything from a spa geared to be on of the top spas in Texas to a private movie theater to sky lounge with its own cognac bar.

These new high-rise will be a pampering palace in almost every sense, a self-contained cocoon of luxury in one of the most desirable areas of Houston.

“Forty thousand square feet of amenities is unheard of in Houston,” Bathija says. “This is going to bring us into that category where anyone planning a new project will have to step up their game plan.

“It’s going to change how people think about condos in Houston.”

PaperCity received the first rendering of The St. Regis spa, which gives a sense of its scale and intended scope. Separate steam rooms for men and women, a full sauna, heated seats and an indoor plunge pool will help make this spa stand out. It will be the type of spa you might find in a five star resort, which is the point of the St. Regis affiliation in many ways.

Bathija even hired a spa consultant to make sure this wellness land more than measures up.

“We are not only building a condo. We’re creating new milestones and we are raising the bar. We are hoping that will be the new bar which everyone will start having. Everyone will start having a new level of condo living in Houston.” — developer Sunny Bathija

Sunny Bathija is a natural salesman, one whose enthusiasm comes through even over a call that end of a long day. But this seasoned businessman who entered into the world of high-end luxury buildings later in life did the research. Much of it with his own feet. Bathija owns a condo in a branded high-rise in Miami and when he visits that mecca of luxury towers, he goes into other buildings to see the newest offerings.

He’s determined for this new Houston tower to be cutting edge. Every bit the equal of what can be found in New York, Miami and Los Angeles. So he takes the best of what he sees elsewhere and brings those ideas back.

A World Of Its Own

Bathija figures that if someone is going to spend $3 million and more to live in a high-end tower, it’d better offer more perks than even a sprawling River Oaks house. That state of the art gym? The country club worthy pool? They will both be in this St. Regis high-rise.

“They don’t have to step out for a lot of these things,” Bathija notes. “They don’t have to get a membership in a spa or a fancy gym. We’re providing it all here. Want to lounge at the pool? It’s on the same level. Cabanas — we thought about small things. Like the person sitting or talking at the pool, what would they want in their cabana?

“Everyone brings their laptop or brings their phones. So we need charging stations. It has to be a five star experience. Even our barbecue stations are not just barbecue stations. We actually created outdoor family rooms where people can have their barbecue, have a nice seating area and the entire family can be accommodated.”

It all centers around service in the end. This tower being the first all-residential St. Regis development in Texas anchors that. The idea is that residents will be treated like guests at a St. Regis hotel are, but even more personalized.

Before St. Regis agreed to come on board, their company officials made five different site visits, making sure the site would work as a five star tower location. Bathija, the CEO of the Houston-based real estate firm Sataya, only got ahold of this site at 102 Asbury Street, between Memorial Drive and the Buffalo Bayou, through fortunate timing and longtime connections. He happened to be in the office of someone his firm regularly does business with when the man mentioned the site and his desire to see a condo tower built on it.

That is all the opening Bathija needed.

“Obviously the location was the prime attraction,” he says. “Living in River Oaks, overlooking the River Oaks Country Club. Having views of downtown. Having views of Galleria and Memorial. Definitely that was the biggest incentive for us.

“We have a lot of greenery. We have a lot of bayous going by. And of course, you’ve got the access to the parks.”

The idea of using such a prime site for a ho-hum high-rise went against every sensibility Bathija has. He knew it needed to be special, something that could elevate more than one building. Pickard Chilton would be brought on to design a striking curved glass tower that almost looks like a triangle towards its top.

The St. Regis Residences, a Land of Details

Even with 38 stories of space, it is the details that may matter most. Those are what this new $2.5-million-plus sales center will show off. The flooring and the cabinets that will be in The St. Regis Residences are here. So are the exact shower heads. Would-be homebuyers can step into a full bedroom and master bathroom. They can pick the exact fixtures they want in their own condo. Right down to the kitchen sink.

The most striking feature of the sales center is its Immersion Theater, a full wall of screens designed to bring the future tower to life before it even starts rising from the ground. Wondering what the difference in views is of being on the 23rd floor versus the 33rd floor? You can see and compare both those views in this Immersion Theater.

The plan is to use this high-tech sales gallery for two years before moving it into one of the units. This is anything but your typical afterthought sales trailer where more imagination than’s shown in a Dr. Seuss story is required to really picture anything.

“All these are a first for Houston,” Bathija says. “I’m very excited. There’s a lot of learning. I’ve learned a lot working with Marriott (St. Regis’ parents company). Everything I do has to be approved by Marriott. I learned a lot from what they have to tell me and why they do certain things.”

This developer hopes this learning translates into raising the floor for high-end condo towers in Houston. That more starts becoming expected in high-rises, demanded.

“Everyone’s building condos in Houston,” Bathija tells PaperCity. “I want to do something different.”

This different tower is on schedule to break ground late this year with a 2027 to 2028 opening expected. Welcome to the future?

The St. Regis Residences, Houston is located at 102 Asbury Street. Douglas Elliman sales director Misty Meredith and broker associate Justin Dugat, sales@srresidenceshouston.com or  (832) 979-2773, are handling sales. For more information, go here.