In Las Vegas the best is not necessarily the best for you.

We all know that the mammoth Las Vegas hotels are all clambering for their star ratings. In a city where it is the norm to spend several BILLION dollars on the construction of a new hotel, the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow for the hotel and it’s investors is the coveted Mobil, AAA and Michelin rankings.

How is important is this ranking to a hotels bottom line?

More than you think. In the case of the Venetian they were willing to spend $100 million to finally get their 5 star rating, which they were awarded earlier this year. What does this mean? In the case of The Venetian, owner Las Vegas Sands Corp. was able to raise the average daily room rate in the first three quarters of 2007 by $22 from a year earlier—to $259.

For the 4,000-room hotel, which opened in 1999, that means millions of dollars more to the bottom line, said senior vice president Paul Pusateri, who spearheaded the drive to improve its four-star rating.

So what does this mean to the Las Vegas traveler? Well for it is worth here is my 2 cents.

I wouldn’t stay in a 5 star hotel. It’s very simple I don’t think the extra rating applies for most travelers.

For instance when The Bellagio lost it’s coveted 5 star rating in 1998 it was for very trivial events that most travelers would not notice and probably not care it they did.

"It was an unfortunate exchange at the front desk with the anonymous shopper," said Wynn of the property now owned by MGM Mirage Inc. "And room service trays, after people had eaten breakfast, were left outside the door in the hallway."

Does this sound like stuff you can live with? If it does than why not save the extra $20-$50 per night?

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