Ohana Real Estate Investors Opens Seoul Office, Names Cheolhee Hong Managing Director to Lead Asia-Pacific Expansion

AUSTIN, Texas — July 29, 2026 — Ohana Real Estate Investors announced the opening of its first office in Seoul, South Korea, and the appointment of Cheolhee Hong as Managing Director, Business Development, as the firm extends its institutional investor outreach into the Asia-Pacific region.

Hong will lead Ohana Real Estate Investors' business development efforts across the Asia-Pacific market, with a focus on cultivating new relationships and expanding the firm's institutional presence. He will work closely with senior leadership at Ohana's U.S. offices to align regional activity with the firm's broader strategy.

A Strategic Entry into Asia-Pacific

The Seoul office represents Ohana Real Estate Investors' first physical presence outside the United States. The firm, headquartered in Austin, Texas, manages nearly $4 billion in assets on behalf of a global investor base through equity and credit fund strategies focused on hospitality and residential properties in key urban and resort markets across North America.

G. Christopher Smith, Founder and CEO of Ohana Real Estate Investors, said the move reflects the firm's long-term growth ambitions in the region. "The Asia-Pacific region represents a significant and growing center of institutional investment activity, and establishing a presence in Seoul is a natural and exciting step for Ohana," Smith said. "Cheolhee's deep expertise and regional relationships make him ideally suited to represent Ohana in the market, and we look forward to the long-term relationships he will build on behalf of the firm."

Korea's major institutional investors — including pension funds, life insurers, and securities firms — have been active participants in cross-border real asset transactions, frequently deploying capital into specialized global managers. Ohana's focus on hospitality and residential assets aligns with demand from yield-oriented institutional investors seeking dollar-denominated income streams and exposure to sectors with durable fundamentals.

Hong's Background and Role

Hong brings more than 12 years of experience in cross-border real estate investment, asset management, and institutional investor relations across the United States, Europe, and Asia. He joins Ohana Real Estate Investors from Pacific Asset Management in Seoul, where he served as General Manager overseeing the firm's global alternative investment platform.

Prior to that role, Hong served as Senior Manager in the Real Asset Investment Division at NH Investment & Securities, where he led cross-border transactions exceeding $1.5 billion in total value. He holds a B.A. in Economics from Indiana University Bloomington and is a Certified Investment Asset Manager through the Korea Financial Investment Association.

"I am excited to join Ohana and help expand its presence in the Asia-Pacific region," Hong said. "Ohana's differentiated investment platform and focus on best-in-class assets are highly compelling to the sophisticated institutional investors across the region, and I look forward to introducing the firm's investment approach to a broader set of partners."

Market Conditions Supporting the Expansion

The timing of Ohana Real Estate Investors' Asia-Pacific push coincides with a period of stabilization across commercial real estate fundamentals. Multifamily net absorption rose 20% year-over-year to 531,000 units as of mid-2025, while new completions declined 9%, signaling a moderation in supply after a prolonged surge. The hospitality sector has remained stable despite broader economic uncertainty, supported by post-pandemic travel normalization and constrained supply in prime urban and resort markets.

Those sector dynamics — stability in hospitality and improving conditions in multifamily — stand in contrast to continued weakness in office and softening retail demand, making hospitality and residential strategies comparatively attractive to institutional allocators seeking real estate exposure with a more favorable risk profile.

The broader commercial real estate capital environment is also improving. The 2026 outlook for the sector has been characterized as positive, with capital availability described as strong and transaction volume expected to increase as borrowing costs moderate. That backdrop creates an opportune window for managers to expand investor coverage ahead of an anticipated uptick in capital deployment.

About Ohana Real Estate Investors

Ohana Real Estate Investors is a vertically integrated, SEC-registered real estate investment manager founded in 2009. The firm specializes in hospitality and residential assets, investing in premier properties in key urban and resort markets across North America. Ohana manages nearly $4 billion on behalf of a global investor base through dedicated equity and credit fund strategies. Additional information is available at ohanare.com.