Booking partners include Expedia, Hotels.com and Thomas Cook and the site’s own editors will check and - wherever possible, they say - verify travelers’ reports. There’s no doubting the public’s enthusiasm for writing about their holidays, as the proliferation of review sites shows. But can it be monetised? Thousands seem happy to do it for free; plus many travel reviews are bad—the British love complaining—and surely Simonseeks only works with positive reviews that will encourage people to click to find out more?

Nixon sold £126 million worth of shares in Monyesupermarket when it launched its IPO in July 2007, but retained a 54 percent stake and still works there one day a week after stepping down as CEO in February. He has invested £1 million in Simonseeks but admits it will take many more millions to work, FT.com says. He’s put a two-year profitability target on the site, but claims to be “independently wealthy” enough to soak up any losses before then.