If you are looking for something different to the run of the mill chain hotels without paying over the odds, Darn Good Digs aims to build up a database of hotels, inns and B&Bs costing under $150 a night during the high season. The ethos of the site to highlight great accommodation and support local communities when you travel so that your travel spending has a positive impact on the area which you visit.

The site welcomes nominations of unique, usually independently owned accommodation from travellers which are then vetted through desk research before they are displayed on the site. If there's not enough information on the internet and in guide books to reach a consensus that the nominated establishment does qualify as "darn good digs" then the accommodation is posted on a bulletin board so that site visitors can confirm that the establishment deserves inclusion.

There is a problem with having one global price band as $150 is going to buy a lot more in some Asian countries than say the US or UK. Perhaps it would be a good idea to have a variable but broadly comparable top price in each country/region calculated according to the cost of living in that country. I am a bit concerned that the owners of establishments and their family and friends may try to manipulate the system but I think it's almost impossible to completely eradicate this type of abuse.

If you've stayed at some darn good digs in your travels, why not nominate them. It can be hard to find out about small privately run hotels as they may not have a website or even if they do they may not be good at search engine optimisation. I think that there is a niche in the travel market for a reliable source of unique yet reasonably priced accommodation.