Amsterdam-based ServicedApartments.nl has joined forces with Swiss company At Home Switzerland to introduce a new brand for temporary housing across Europe.

The new brand YOSAA – Your Serviced Apartment Agency – connects business travellers with a selection of premium serviced apartments in major cities and more rural areas and plans to expand steadily across the continent.

“A lot of our current clients who book into the Netherlands have offices elsewhere in Europe, so this means we can offer them accommodation in other places as well,” says YOSAA’s Marijke van der Neut.

European expansion

“YOSAA is a one-stop shop. We are now in The Netherlands, Switzerland, France, Germany, Belgium and Luxembourg and we’ve asked our current clients what destinations they need. So we are working on Scandinavian countries as well, plus Britain and Ireland, Dublin especially. But we are taking it slowly, to make sure that we continually offer the best possible service.”

The advantage of serviced apartments over hotels, says Marijke, is that people who need to spend upwards of a week in the same place have the convenience of their own living area, kitchen, and even a work station.

Register as a resident

For people who are relocating to the Netherlands, there is an additional advantage in that they can register with their local authority as living at the serviced apartment’s address. This means they can apply for a BSN number, bank account and all the other things which need to be sorted out when you first move to the country and are looking for a more permanent home.

“You can’t do that from a hotel, so this is a big advantage for a lot of our clients,” says Marijke. “Lots of people don’t realise that this is an option.”

Mobility portal with human touch

The service is open to both individual travellers and corporate clients, offering specific portals for each. The Mobility Portal for company clients, for example, allows firms to deal with all their bookings in a single place, and to indicate preferred locations they would like to stay in. It is also extremely easy to book for a group of staff members at one time.

“Technology is important to make it easy to book online but the personal touch remains very important to us,” says YOSAA’s Eva Valkhoff. “Our international bookings team is always there if you need help or have specific questions.”

Going green

The environment and sustainability also have a key role to play, as more companies adopt ESG targets and track every aspect of their operations to make sure they are green, sustainable and show good governance.

“It is definitely something that clients are asking us about,” says Eva.“It is becoming increasingly important.” In terms of YOSAA’s approach, it means the apartments are super energy efficient, for example. “We’re talking about all sorts of measures, from separating waste to solar panels on the roof,” says Marijke.

A place to call your own

Families too are welcome to use the YOSAA service if they are relocating to a new city, and a serviced apartment offers a solid start to children who may be starting a new school. Young professionals looking to live in a vibrant part of town can also be easily catered to.

“Our users are all corporate travellers and all have different requirements from people who are on a leisure trip,” says Marijke. “Our apartments have to be suitable for people who wake up at 7 am and have to go to work at 8 and come home in the evening. We try to make sure our clients are really experiencing home from home.”

To find out more about YOSAA’s temporary housing service, visit www.yosaa.com or contact the bookings team at hello@yosaa.nl.