I've stayed at CSR twice, the first time many years ago for a conference, and more recently last month for a week at the Disney Institute (amazing, by the way). I've never been a fan of the resort because of the size, but when it's paid for by your employer I'm not going to complain!
First, we LOVED the new rooms - the floors, the shower, the over sized TV, the Keurig, the USB ports everywhere... pretty much loved everything!
I'm a klutz and spill things everywhere. I loved being able to wipe up the floor quick and not wonder what other coffee, hair goop, etc. was smudged into the carpets. I also got a little chocolate on the bed the first day, which left a nice brown smear (can't image what mousekeeping thought!) and the next day I had crisp white bedding again!
DH loved the shower so much he wants to recreate it at home. Weren't sure about the mounted shampoo/conditioner/bath wash - but it looked very clean and we noticed they refilled throughout the week. The other amenities were nice - lotion and aloe gel in individual bottles. I even noticed the last day in the shower cap box was a small white pony tail holder (wish I found that earlier in the week!)
Oh the beds... the most comfortable night sleep in a hotel ever! Yes, I banged my shin a few times on the platform (my only complaint).
Location - we were in Casitas 4 - which felt far at the end of some long days, but was very close to Bus stop 2, a pool, the workout room and laundry. It was about a 5 minute walk to El Centro. If I had my choice, I'd probably chose Casitas 3 to be a little closer to El Centro.
Construction - was there the 1st week of Oct, and I heard the construction of the restaurant on the lake and the high rise as early as 7am (as I was walking to my sessions). But couldn't hear anything in the room. Was disappointed with the selections in the gift shop (as others mentioned - is under refurbishment), but that didn't stop me from spending a fortune.
Pepper Market - very disappointing. As others mentioned, it looks more like a shopping mall food court than a southwestern experience, but it was clean. I actually found the food choices more disappointing than anything. I had to special request some basic vegetables - they only had corn/pepper mix and some kind of squash. I'm more of a fresh, green veggies eater. Upon request I was able to get steamed broccoli, but it would take 15 minutes or longer each time.
Overall our experience with the refurbished room was enough for us to want to consider staying at CBR for a non-business trip in the future.