Are they hotels or luxury residences? Actually, they’re both. Introducing: “aparthotels.”

Aimed at business and vacation travelers, aparthotels combine a mix of the amenities from a boutique hotel and an upscale apartment building to provide luxuries such as concierge services that travelers seek from a hotel and the privacy and comfort of a private residence.

And, a new Austin-based startup called Locale is preparing to check guests in at units in and around Dallas and Fort Worth.

“Locale is addressing the evolving needs and desires of today’s business and leisure traveler, who seeks intentionality in their travel experience,” founder Nitesh Gandhi said in a statement earlier this year. “From an elevated in-room design to high quality product partners, we’re curating a unique experience that will elevate the Locale brand and bring much needed differentiation to this category of accommodations.”

Local Victory Park [Photo: Courtesy Locale]

The growing startup recently signed leases with five luxury residential buildings in North Texas as part of more than 50 newly signed leases in Texas. Locale said the Dallas and Fort Worth locations will be available in early September.

The startup, which launched in 2016, said it will operate more than 250 units across 13 buildings in Texas, with units available in Austin and Houston, too. Outside Texas, Locale has short-term and extended-stay locations in San Francisco and Nashville, with plans to expand to Denver, Charlotte, Minneapolis, and San Diego by early next year.

Locale Uptown in Dallas [Photo: Courtesy Locale]

Depending on the day, location, what’s happening in the area, and various other factors, rates for the Dallas-Fort Worth units range from $120 to $249 a night.

Ghandhi told the Dallas Business Journal he and his team are excited to be in Dallas, and they’re currently focused on investing in the units, the product, and the experience.

To obtain the type of units it’s looking for, Locale enters into long-term leases with apartment buildings and then furnishes the apartments with upscale amenities. Locale rents the apartments to business travelers and vacationers who typically stay a week or more, making Dallas the ideal location, Gandhi told the DBJ. The units come equipped with a full kitchen, larger living spaces, and washers and dryers.

Gandhi also told the DBJ it’s launching a three-person team in Dallas to scale as more listings come in.

Locale West 7th in Fort Worth [Photo: Courtesy Locale]

Earlier this year, Locale said it had raised a seed funding round of $2.5 million that will be used, in part, to expand in Texas. The units it manages are in some of Dallas and Fort Worth’s prime neighborhoods:

In Dallas, Locale Victory Park will offer one-bedroom apartments aimed at both leisure and business travelers at 2588 N. Houston St.
Locale Uptown—located in Magnolia Station in Dallas’ West Victory Park—has studio, one-bedroom, and two-bedroom apartments. It’s at 1607 Lyle St.
Locale Design District will have one-bedroom apartments in a prime Dallas location at the Amli Design District tower at 1400 Hi Line Drive.
Locale West 7th at Elan Crockett Row is in the popular Fort Worth entertainment district. It will have studio, one-bedroom, and two-bedroom apartments at 3001 Crockett St.
Fort Worth’s Locale Magnolia, at Mag & May in Magnolia Village, has luxury amenities such as a fitness studio complete with yoga lounge, cycle studio, and a 15-foot rock climbing wall. Locale Magnolia is at 315 W. Magnolia Avenue.

Locale said it differs from most Airbnb operations because it has on-site personnel and services like high-speed Wi-Fi, a virtual concierge, fully-stocked kitchens, and discounted parking.

But Locale isn’t the only startup in the aparthotels business. WhyHotel recently rented a block of 100 units in a new Houston rental community for its hotel guests, the Morning News reported.