Innovation in marketing is not everything but you can execute old ideas brilliantly, says Secret Escapes chief executive and co-founder Alex Saint. Saint began his career at Unilever before launching travel website Dealchecker. Secret Escapes uses a flash-sale concept, offering customers up to 70 per cent off distressed hotel inventory. In only a few years, Secret Escapes is now a multimillion-pound business planning to tackle the US following launches in Germany and Sweden.