A city is a work of art, but it’s not a museum. It is not there to be looked at from behind a velvet rope. There are no guards shushing visitors. Flash photography is permitted and touching the art is encouraged.

We visit cities not to observe them, but to partake in them.

Cities invite curiosity. We visit to discover what makes that city unique. We don’t go to wait in lines and eat at dreary chain restaurants. Memories are made off the beaten path. We visit a city to find the local experience. Explore everyone’s favourite market. Enjoy a latte and a good book on the patio of a tucked away café. Stumble across a vibrant neighbourhood bursting with boutiques and breweries. We go somewhere else to live like a local.

“Cities have the capability of providing something for everybody… because they are created by everybody.” -Jane Jacobs

A decade ago, to live like a local took some finesse. But as the world becomes more and more urban, so does the travel experience. Travellers are more interested than ever in the local experience and new travel options make this ever more feasible. Vacation rentals services like Airbnb, Homestay, and Housetrip connect travellers with hosts who live outside the tourist bubble.

Scene from Montreal. Photo by Wikimedia user.

Apartment rentals represent a rising share of vacation accommodations in Montreal. Montreal is a popular destination for travellers from the rest of Canada, the United States, France, and elsewhere. Visitors come to Montreal for leisure and business, attracted by its bilingualism and European character. Travellers cite gastronomy and architecture as attractions. More than half use the metro system. Visitors compliment Montreal’s ambience, safety, and big events, like the Jazz Festival and Just for Laughs.

A growing number of visitors say they want to get off the beaten path. Airbnb reports that 89% of their Montreal guests are looking to live like a local on their trip. This involves exploring the charming neighbourhoods that make Montreal such a unique city. Holiday renters spend most of their time in the neighbourhoods in which they stay. Unlike traditional hotels, which are clustered in the tourist and business districts, holiday rentals are found across the city. This translates to economic benefits for working communities that don’t usually profit from tourism.

Location is the single most important factor when booking a trip. What we want to do determines where we should stay. If cities have something for everyone, they also have someplace for everyone. The challenge is finding that place. Nexmoov is a new platform that matches travellers with a place in a neighbourhood with the right vibe for them that is convenient for what they want to do in the city.

A map of vacation rentals in Montreal shows how much travel has changed in recent years. The majority of hotels in Montreal are located downtown and in the Ville Marie borough; the majority of holiday apartment rentals are found in other neighbourhoods. The borough with the most vacation rentals is the Plateau Mont-Royal, itself one of the top five attractions for visitors and home to some of the city’s most exciting neighbourhoods like Mile End.