Ever heard of Skoosh.com? Nor had I until a couple of weeks ago, when one of its staff sent a rather indignant email.

'I notice in your regular round-up that the same giants of the online hotel world keep reappearing - Hotels.com, Expedia, Opodo and Travelocity - but what have they done to warrant this recurrent publicity?' he writes. 'So please focus on some of the other online accommodation providers, who actually take the time to visit the properties featured, have detailed descriptions, up-to-date photographs, don't hide any taxes or fees, and who also happen to have a range of decent hotels in each category, competitive prices and good availability.'

Fair enough - but how do sites with a smaller advertising budget measure up?

Skoosh.com
Geographical range: European cities.
Pros: Skoosh only accepts a fifth of the places it visits, and customers are sent an email inviting them to rate the hotel. Any comments are published unedited.
Cons: Limited inventory.

Welcomingyou.co.uk
Range: UK hotels and B&Bs.
Pros: Great pictures and write-ups.
Cons: Not all the B&Bs can be booked online.

Alpharooms.com
Range: 15,000 hotels worldwide, mostly in capitals and Mediterranean resorts.
Pros: 20% deposit accepted on rooms booked more than five weeks in advance.
Cons: You can't settle the balance online.

Hotelpronto.com
Range: 10,000 hotels worldwide.
Pros: Very cheap rooms.
Cons: Unwieldy, with broken photographs and indifferent descriptions.

Activereservations.com/hotel/
Range: 9,000 hotels in the UK and Europe.
Pros: Plenty of guest reviews and ratings, and the option of shortlisting hotels.
Cons: Operates under many different names: use this one.

Hotelsrus.com
Range: Europe and the Caribbean.
Pros: No credit card charges; breakfast always included; 'live' questions answered in real time.
Cons: Broken contact page and photos.

Hotelconnect.co.uk
Range: Europe, America and Dubai.
Pros: No surcharge for booking offline; staff recommendations.
Cons: Some technical glitches.

Leisuredirection.co.uk
Range: UK and Europe.
Pros: Customers who cancel up to five days before departure receive a full refund if they booked at least four weeks in advance.
Cons: It's a traditional travel agency, so the best hotel deals come as part of a package.

Laterooms.com
Range: Chiefly UK and Europe.
Pros: Large inventory; no booking fee; you pay the hotel on departure.
Cons: Limited information about each hotel.

· Next week: Self-catering sites you probably won't see advertised.