Breaking into the Big Apple

When we established Like Living There to offer apartment bookings in European cities, we wondered if there might be opportunities the other way around. After all, Europeans are accustomed to the self-catering style of travel and at that time the strong euro made visiting America a bargain. But we've been busy with our Barcelona and Paris apartment business and have put off pursuing the other direction.

Until recently ... when one of the Paris owners we deal with sent an e-mail asking if we could help a friend find an apartment in New York. So I contacted a New York agency I'd bookmarked and asked about a partnership. They were agreeable and within a few days we were in a position to offer their inventory on a shared commission basis - meaning clients pay no more to book through us than to do so directly.

It turns out the agency was started by a French woman who was on work assignment in New York and saw the opportunity to offer vacation apartments to visiting Europeans. That was many years ago and now there is available an inventory of more than 1,000 apartments in all sizes, locations and prices. So, just as in Barcelona or Paris, we can offer spacious, comfortable accommodations for the same price as a decent hotel room - or even less.

So whether you in Berlin or Bakersfield and planning a visit to New York, we hope you'll give us a chance to recommend an apartment that will make your stay more comfortable and memorable.