Vegas just got Embarrassed on a Global Stage - And the numbers prove it.
- Britt Whalen
- Feb 16, 2025
- 4 min read
Article written by Britt Whalen, February 2025.
For years, Las Vegas has branded itself as the gold standard of hospitality. Best service. Best hotels. Best entertainment. Unmatched value.
But according to the 2025 Forbes Travel Guide Ratings, that reputation is slipping. And not subtly.
Forbes is not the only authority raising concerns.
The Michelin Guide has been silent on Las Vegas for more than a decade.
That silence speaks volumes.
This raises serious questions about the state of Vegas hospitality.
🔹 Are we actually losing our global reputation for world-class service?
🔹 Or are we just not meeting the standards we once set for ourselves?
What the Data Actually Shows
Las Vegas earned only 10 rated hotels and 4 recommended properties in 2025. That’s a loss of two 4-star hotels and one recommendation from the prior year.
Meanwhile:
Macau earned 24 Five-Star hotels
London earned 20
Dubai, Bali, and Beijing outperformed us
Even Boston ranked more Five-Star hotels than Las Vegas
Yes. Boston.
Restaurants and Spas Tell the Same Story
Vegas received 12 rated restaurants and 4 recommendations, losing one 4-star rating and three recommendations year over year.
Other cities surged ahead:
Macau: 28 restaurant ratings
Hong Kong: 19
New York: 13
Spa rankings followed the same downward trend. Las Vegas earned 8 rated spas, losing two from the previous year, with one downgraded from Five-Star to Four.
Los Angeles, Dubai, Hong Kong, Macau, Tokyo, Riviera Maya, and New York all outperformed Vegas.
📊🏆 Have We Fallen Behind?
Vegas has built its brand on world-class hospitality. But when you look at the 2025 Forbes Travel Guide Ratings, other cities are earning more top-tier recognition.
What does that tell us?
By the Numbers, Vegas Should Be Leading
Las Vegas has:
Over 152,000 hotel rooms, the largest concentration of mega-resorts in the world
$79 billion in annual hospitality and tourism revenue
40.8 million visitors in 2023
By every logical metric, Vegas should be dominating global Five-Star rankings.
It isn’t.
The Real Issue: Guest Perception
This is not just a rankings problem. It’s a perception problem.
Guests no longer feel valued. They feel transactional. Prices have increased, but service has not kept pace.
Long check-in lines.
Eliminated perks.
Rising resort and parking fees.
Luxury experiences that no longer feel luxurious.
Hospitality is never about square footage or price points. It’s about how people are treated.
Service Now Matters More Than Price
According to the Achieving Customer Amazement Study by Shep Hyken, 51% of U.S. consumers say service is more important than price, up from 48% the year before.
That shift matters.
If service quality declines while prices rise, frustration compounds. Guests don’t mind paying more when the experience justifies it. Right now, too often, it doesn’t.
Inconsistent Standards Are the Root Problem
Forbes Travel Guide scores are 70% service-based. Not amenities. Not marketing. Service.
Las Vegas still has some of the most talented hospitality professionals in the world. But talent alone is not enough. Consistency, training, and accountability determine outcomes.
Five-star service cannot be occasional. It has to be repeatable.
Why Independent Evaluation Matters
The decline in rankings reflects a larger truth. Many businesses assume they know what guests experience. Very few have verified it objectively.
Without independent evaluation, blind spots persist. Standards erode quietly. Guest trust fades faster than most businesses realize.
That is why honest, third-party CX audits matter. They replace assumptions with facts and provide clarity that internal reviews never will.
Reclaiming the Standard
Las Vegas can reclaim its position as a hospitality leader. But only with real change.
✔ Invest in Your People – The best properties in the world don’t cut corners on staffing & training.
✔ Have Business Accountability – If you’re charging five-star prices, deliver five-star service. Far too often, businesses focus on short-term profits over long-term guest loyalty. But customer experience is THE most powerful business strategy. Yet, only 15% of business leaders consistently incorporate customer input into their decisions. Think about that. 85% of leaders are making decisions WITHOUT truly listening to their customers. Is it any surprise that Forbes Travel Guide rankings are reflecting a drop in Vegas hospitality standards? The best businesses don’t just “ask for feedback”, they actually implement it. If Las Vegas wants to reclaim its place as the gold standard of hospitality, businesses need to stop assuming they know what customers want and start listening.
✔ Elevate the Hospitality Culture – We shouldn’t just be competing with other cities, we should be LEADING them. Our mindset as a city needs to shift and that starts at the Top.
✔ Go back to the BASICS - Stop prioritizing the dollars and start prioritizing GUESTS. What they need. What they want. The customer IS first!
And last…
✔ Audit Yourself – If you’re not utilizing secret shoppers/independent evaluators to truly understand what your guests are experiencing, you’re setting yourself up to fail.
💡 This is why I created La Critique’s CX Auditing - to give all Vegas businesses the opportunity for a REAL, unfiltered look at what guests are actually experiencing. No fluff. No sugarcoating. Just the unbiased insights needed to raise the bar, backed by proven hospitality standards.
✔ And most importantly, being willing to look honestly at performance.
What Happens Next
If Las Vegas wants to lead again, it has to measure itself honestly.
That means listening to guests.
Auditing execution.
And committing to standards, not slogans.
If you own or operate a business in Las Vegas and want an unfiltered look at what your guests actually experience, that work starts with accountability.
💬 Do you think Vegas hospitality is slipping? Or is Forbes missing something? Drop a comment and let’s talk!
The 2025 Forbes Travel Guide Winners can be found here: https://www.forbestravelguide.com/award-winners
Sincerely,
Britt Whalen, MHRM
CEO | Founder
La CRITIQUE
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