Fresh ideas

What a breath of fresh air to meet the founders of new London operator Cuckooz recently. It shouldn’t be remarkable that a new company in the sector is founded by two young women so I won’t go on about that, but there are plenty of other things about Cuckooz that catch the eye.

Charlie Rosier and Fabienne O’Neill could well be the first people to launch a serviced apartment company thanks to being directly inspired by their experiences of Airbnb, both good and bad. They also strive to capture the essence of the locality for each apartment property they operate. many providers pay lip service to this, but Cuckooz has gone to such lengths as producing neighbourhood guides; forging relationships with local bars, restaurants, gyms and work spaces; and even using local up-and-coming designers for apartment interiors.

We will watch, and report on, Cuckooz’ growth with interest.