Wouldn't it be useful to be able to book cheap city hotels and B&Bs online?

It would indeed. If only Time Out (www.timeout.com/insertnameofcity) allowed visitors to reserve rooms at the hotels they recommend.

But there's no single source for city accommodation?

No - unless you count services like Expedia, which concentrate on expensive hotel chains for businesspeople. Cheapaccommodation.com could have been a successful proposition; it still could be if it expands its range.

It claims to be doing that.

Yes, but adding five new cities every month isn't going to change much - especially since the Middle East, South America and most of Africa have yet to launch. Only Fort Lauderdale and Las Vegas are listed in the US.

How cheap is cheap?

Not terribly. While the site lists some hostel accommodation (at around £16 per room in London, for example), the hotels are generally much more expensive (from £73 for a double room in London; £48 in Athens; £60 in Cape Town). While they are usually of a high standard, the prices are not quite low enough to compete with an all-inclusive package.

Not a winner?

No. Cheap nights (www.cheapnights.co.uk) is a much more effective aggregator of accommodation, pointing users in more interesting directions.