Whether you’re a long-term suburbanite with big city dreams or simply an urban dweller with the desire to adopt more of a globetrotting lifestyle, a pied-à-terre has an undeniable appeal. But as an alternative to buying a city crash pad, more developers are rolling out fractional homes in urban areas.

While fractionals are still the mainstay of beach, golf and mountain locales, there are an increasing number of properties with view of skyscrapers, not ski slopes. Of course, the fractional market is still rocky in many locations with big name project cancellations in Las Vegas among other cities, but new fractionals are still in the works in four urban markets despite the real estate market crunch.

New York

St. Regis rolled out their fractional development in 2006 on several floors of their midtown hotel. There are studios, and one- and two-bedroom units for $300,000 to $750,000 a share with 28 days of use a year. The Manhattan real estate market has, for the most part, bucked the trend of the larger real estate slowdown. The median sales price of a condominium in the city reached $1.1 million at the end of last year. The median price of a two-bedroom condominium? A cool $1.5 million.

Best for: Buyers without a million dollars or more to invest in the Big Apple.
Extra Perk: Not having to deal with financial interrogation from a Manhattan co-op board.
Red Flag: High annual fees of more than $10,000. If you aren’t really planning on using all of your days, booking a hotel room at the St. Regis hotel can start to look downright affordable.

Paris

Two companies are selling fractional Paris residences to American buyers. Fractional Paris has a two-bedroom apartment in an 18th century building available in one-twelfth shares that entitle buyers to four weeks of use each year for €120,000, or about $175,655. Paris Pied-à-Terre offers one-twelfth shares of one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments for $134,669 to $263,491 (or €92,000 to €180,000).

Best for: American buyers who will only get to the City of Lights a few times a year and want to avoid the hassle of maintaining a European crash pad from thousands of miles away.
Extra Perk: Bypassing complicated French inheritance laws, since ownership is held in a U.S.-based company.
Red Flag: Getting the weeks you want. If you don’t want to secure a fixed week at these fractionals, expect that reservations will be rotated among owners by season, so forget about April in Paris every year.

San Francisco

Two new fractional developments from big name hoteliers hit San Francisco this year. The recently opened Ritz-Carlton Club, San Francisco has fractional units starting at $230,000 that get buyers three weeks of guaranteed usage. The Fairmont Ghirardelli Square will open this year as well, and is selling one-tenth slices of two- and three-bedroom condos for $250,000. Buyers get 35 days of use a year.

Best for: Buyers who crave hotel-level services and won’t be visiting San Francisco more than a handful of times a year.
Extra Perk: Location, location, location. Both developments are in the heart of the city, close to the best restaurants and shopping.
Red Flag: Using up those weeks. For those who needs more time, buying two shares is an option. For longer stays in the Bay Area, consider full ownership. Though you might have to triple your outlay, there are several new high rise condominiums going up in San Francisco’s South of Market neighborhood that have a full suite of concierge-type services. Those buyers, of course, can use their condos whenever they please.

Denver

Colorado has no shortage of ski fractionals, but fractional company Alpine Quarters now offers one-fourth shares of a 4,200 square foot penthouse unit in a new development in downtown Denver called the Residences at Civic Center. Shares of the three bedroom go for $485,000.

Who should buy: Owners who need extended time in Denver. Since you’ll only be sharing with three other owners, access to the unit will be greater than at other urban fractional developments.
Extra Perk: Not needing to hire an interior designer. This turn-key apartment, like other fractional developments, is ready to use.
Red Flag: The price tag. At nearly $500,000, this fractional is on the higher end of Denver’s real estate market, where the median condo sales price is still under $200,000.