RoomAtlas is a map-based hotel search site and is the plaything - in their own words - of the recently retired former-banker Roger Middleton and his son.
The site aggregates information for almost 55,000 hotels around the world on a single Google Map and streams in TripAdvisor reviews and information about each property.
All well and good so far.
But there are two other elements that make RoomAtlas more interesting. Firstly is its use of live pricing courtesy of an affiliate deal with Expedia and Hotels.com.
Secondly is that the site was conceptualised over a pint by Middleton and his son (who still has a day job), with no major commercial incentive at the heart of the project just a "frustration" on their part when trying to find hotels around the world.
Middleton says traffic has been good ("in the thousands") since it launched a few weeks ago to friends and family, and since as part of a seeding around Twitter.
He says the deal with Expedia-Hotels.com is commissioned-based and they may look for other partners in the future to fill gaps in hotel inventory around the world, namely Africa and Central America.