Travelers trying to pick a hotel these days face a veritable galaxy of ratings. Savvy vacationers should know where stars, diamonds, and other designations originate—and how to best use them to their advantage when booking their next stay.

The rebranding of Stratosphere comes as Golden seeks to create buzz around the resort’s new amenities and drive more traffic.

Can Reno hotels hold onto last year’s gains in room rates? In 2013, the average daily room rate rose 9.6 percent to $83.66, the largest jump since 2007, according to the Reno-Sparks Convention and Visitors Authority. Occupancy jumped, too, from 63.7 percent in 2012 to 66.6 percent last year.

Las Vegas has more hotel rooms than any other U.S. city, but unlike many other tourist destinations, it generally isn’t known for trendy boutique hotels.

Downtown Las Vegas is trying to shake the city's reputation as a place that likes to blow up old buildings.

Mexican passengers stare out the tiny airplane window, watching as an expanse of desert appears beneath them. Shrouded in baby blue skies dotted with soft, white clouds, the 747 draws closer, passing over master-planned neighborhoods, all part of the city's larger grid pattern.

A big green hooray for you! You've dutifully hung your towels on the rack instead of leaving them on the bathroom floor. You've chosen hotels with low-flow showers and compact fluorecent light bulbs. You've opted for shampoo from a dispenser instead of those tiny bottles. And a big green hooray for the hotels offering these amenities (and saving on operating costs in the process).