Are diamonds a hotel guest's best friend? I don't know. I care far more about how much the hotel costs than how much bling it can hang around its neck. But nonetheless, we will pause to recognize the new AAA four-diamond ratings won by Maryland hotels and announced today at the Maryland Tourism and Travel Summit in Ocean City.

New on the list: the Hilton Baltimore - the city's convention center hotel gets high marks just a little more than a year after its grand opening. Still on the list: Hyatt Regency Baltimore - 29 years and counting. Intercontinental Harbor Court - 23 years and counting. Renaissance Baltimore Harborplace - 22 years and counting.

But what I'm really counting is the overnight rate or discount on the rack rate. Stars and diamonds are nice, but not if you can't pay the price.