We booked this hotel via Expedia for our wedding night, something that the hotel were well informed of. We jumped on the plane right after our ceremony and after 15 hours on a plane, all we wanted was to have a romantic night together, but this was interrupted by the most discusting bathroom that wasn't cleaned after the former guest. Napkins on the floor, hair in the sink and a leaking bathtub. To add - for a 4 star hotel, the price doesn't mean quality. Not even a complimentary bottle of water on the room...The room was also so cold! The windows didn't open either. We didn't complain because at this time, it was already after midnight and the last thing we wanted was to spend our wedding night crying in the lobby.

Only positive thing was the breakfast and the service there.

When checking out of the hotel they said that they could upgrade us to another room, if we were to stay longer, but who wants to stay longer in a hotel that already showed such an ignorance to the most important night of someone's life? They blamed Expedia for not forwarding the information about that it was our wedding night. But I'm sure Expedia will blame the hotel back.

This is a beautiful area surrounded by poverty. We got a bit lost on the way. The hotel is gorgeous and so cool that they have integrated the renaissance feel of handcrafted tiles and hand hewn beams with the contemporary Chihuly glassware. My room overlooking the marina was delightful. The walk to the exercise area serene and the restaurants around were fabulous. I am so glad I wasn't paying for the room. I expect that most folks living in the surrounding area pay less in rent for a month than the nightly fee for the hotel.

Beautiful property in perfect location for relaxing and being in the midst of activities at the same time. Service at the hotel was really great with no request being too small for their immediate attention. Lots of secluded sitting space and reminders of a slower paced lifestyle.

Very few of the previous reviews I have posted relate to large scale hotels. Generally we prefer to stay at smaller more intimate type places, but on a recent visit to St. Petes we decided on the Vinoy for three reasons. One, it was at once one of the most famous hotels in the US; two, the location right on the waterfront in the historic downtown is unbeatable and three, we got a very good rate that included $50 a day credit on other items at the resort. We used these at the spa and dining room.

The hotel, with its signature pink tower is truly majestic in appearance and I suppose could be intimidating to some, but our check-in was smooth, quick and courteous from the valet, the bellman and the reception desk. The room was large with a great king bed and decent sized bathroom. The drawback was that it had no view and also had one of those damn mini-bars that charge you seconds after you touch something. However, the bellman did warn us in advance so there were no unpleasant surprises on the bill. The other irritation was having to pay $14.95 a day for internet service. When will these large hotel chains learn that internet service is a necessity and should be included in the basic room rate? That being said these were all minor matters that did not detract significantly from our enjoyment of our stay at the Vinoy.

This is a hotel that has gone through its own rebirth after declining from its Roaring Twenties heyday to a virtual flophouse in the sixties and then being closed for many years, an embarrassing derelict on the waterfront. After a $90 million restoration it reopened in 1992 and has recently been re-renovated. I learned all this from an interesting display on the history of the hotel tucked away at one end of the massive lobby. This is a hotel that is fun to explore (in fact there is a tour of the hotel you can pay to take, but we met a couple who found it interesting, but far too long.) There are some exceptional pieces of artwork including a massive white Dale Chihuly chandelier in the ballroom.

The Veranda Bar which stretches from a very chic library-like lounge inside to a double-sided bar (one side inside, the other outside on the veranda) is one of the nicest hotel bars I’ve seen and the martinis were excellent. There are numerous dining choices including Marchand’s at which we had a memorable meal. If you are interested in visiting the many fine museums in St. Petes, or the Pier or just strolling along the waterfront they are all only moments from the Vinoy.

The Vinoy seems like the type of place you would run into celebrities and in fact we did – Deion Sanders was standing on the entrance steps waiting for his limo. Apparently he was in town as a coach at a high school football all-star game. I bet we enjoyed our stay as much as he did, even if he had a better room.