My husband and I decided at the last minute to attend Gasparilla in Tampa, and we wanted to stay nearer to Ybor City. After checking rates downtown (YIKES!) and in Westshore (too far) we decided to give the RRI a try. This was based on reviews on tripadvisor. I'm serious: WOW. It was further from the Bay (about 15 minutes) than we were hoping after standing all day on a parade route, but it was LESS than 7 minutes from Ybor City.
PROS: THE ROOM WAS IMMACULATE. THE ROOM WAS BRAND NEW. THE WIFI WAS SCREAMING. DONNA AT THE FRONT DESK WAS A SWEETHEART!! A WING HOUSE WAS RIGHT IN THE PARKING LOT. PARKING WAS FREE. BED WAS COMFY. NICE AMENITIES. NICE SHOWER! SPACIOUS ROOM!!
CONS: NOT close to the Bayfront area. Towels (TINY!).
I've seen a few reviews here where people grimaced at the location (caliber of people around). Well, it was Gasparilla, so everyone we saw looked like they had partied to hard. But the area felt safe to me; we didnt spend much time strolling around.
Its possible in a year or two this hotel will look beat up, but for now...oh my goodness, it was LUXURY considering what we paid for it.