A GREAT Missenden duo who run their own online hotel booking website called Skoosh.com won't take on a hotel for their lists unless it has been given their personal seal of approval.

Their scouts visit hotels in each destination to make sure they meet highest standards of cleanliness and customer care. What's more, Skoosh customers are encouraged to provide personal feedback to keep the website refreshed.

"This way we can be sure to keep the quality standards high, and meet all of our customers' expectations," says Skoosh Director Sam Cowen.

Hotels are constantly filtered through the vetting process and poor performers are booted off the site. This quality filtering covers a recently expanded range of 14 new destinations.

"On other review sites, anyone can post their opinion, without necessarily having stayed at the hotel, making the rating process a bit of a joke.

"For this reason, we only accept reviews and ratings from people who have booked through us," added Sam.

"When people return from their trips, they find an email waiting for them asking them to supply comments on the property they stayed at."

Sam and her business partner Dorian Harris, who work at Great Hundridge Manor estate, Chesham Road, don't just want glowing reports. They want to know the good, the bad and the downright ugly.

"If people don't like a hotel for any reason, we need to know, so that we can pass this useful information onto our future customers.

"Likewise, if customers liked it, we also need to know, so that the recommendation is passed on," she added.

The Skoosh team is made up of travel industry, marketing and IT professionals.

Dorian Harris spent many years checking out hotels and securing deals for major holiday companies.

Sam also had considerable expertise in the holiday industry with specialist knowledge of alpine resorts.

They joined forces to form Skoosh and say it has gone from strength to strength in their rural location.

She said: "There is a huge number of companies offering hotel rooms out there, but most don't care if they ever see you as their customer more than that initial time. We want people to keep coming back to us.

"We treat our customers with the respect they deserve."

Skoosh management make hidden shopper' visits in hotels and many listed on their website are personal favourites which offer comfort as well as reliability.

Sam said: "Star rating doesn't mean much these days.

"Although we have a variety of hotels on our site we have often found personal satisfaction with small private hotels who give personal care and attention to their customers.

"Although many of our team members work from their own homes as far away as Moscow and Sydney, we have chosen our head-office in a country mansion where cooked breakfasts and barbecues are the order of the day weather permitting. "

Until recently, visitors to Skoosh.com have enjoyed discounted prices at hotels in 20 European destinations.

The business has now added Barcelona, Amsterdam and Istanbul.