Pittsburgh: Hilton Garden Inn Pittsburgh University Place (November 2012)

My spouse and I stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn Pittsburgh University Place (Oakland) for one night in late November 2012. We visit the city of Pittsburgh often, but we generally stay in the downtown area; on this trip, we decided to stay on campus so that we could see how things had changed since we last visited campus about 15+ years ago. This hotel was previously owned by Wyndham; we think that when that chain bought the old Hilton in downtown Pittsburgh across from Point State Park, they decided to sell this property (or perhaps Hilton and Wyndham just traded locations, with Wyndham taking the old downtown Hilton spot, and Hilton taking this previous Wyndham location).

The hotel is located on Forbes Avenue at the corner of McKee Place, near Magee Women's Hospital and the UPMC Presbyterian Hospital. A CVS pharmacy (open 24 hours) is adjacent to the hotel, as well as a bank with an ATM machine. Valet parking is $18 per day; there is no self-parking option available, but there is a large, multi-story parking garage on the next block that had a sign offering $5 parking on nights and weekends, so a guest might be able to save some money that way. Across the street, also on Forbes Avenue, is a gas station (although it was not a chain that we recognized) that also has a small convenience store. Forbes Avenue hosts many shops and restaurants, although most cater to student clientele (such as Hemingway's, the Original Hotdog Shop, Primanti Brothers, and Starbucks). Two "adult" restaurants that we found within walking distance were The Porch at Schenley and Legume, and we recommend both.

The main entrance to the hotel is at street level; however, you must either walk down one half-floor or walk up one half-floor to reach an elevator, which might cause trouble if you have a lot of luggage or mobility issues. There is a handicapped lift, but you would need to find someone to work it for you. The lobby is located on the mezzanine level, along with the entrance to the (valet) parking garage, the pantry/store, and the Great American Grill restaurant and bar/lounge. There are 9 floors in this hotel, and because our Hhonors profile says “high floor and near an elevator”, so we think that may be why we were not upgraded, even though we have Diamond status. No pool or outdoor space is available at this hotel. Wi-Fi is free for all guests (not just Gold and Diamond Hhonors members). Instead of the free breakfast (for Diamond members), we chose extra bonus Hhonors points. The hotel offers free shuttle service within a 2-mile radius. There is event space/conference rooms on the property. The hotel has a 24-hour business center, and you can print remotely from the guest rooms.

According to the map in the hotel directory, rooms ending in -22 and -16 are large corner rooms. Rooms ending in -08 are corner rooms but are regular size. Rooms ending in -04 are corner rooms that are slightly larger than normal. Rooms ending in -05 are slightly larger than normal. There are about 25 rooms per floor. Our room number was 913, which was located near the middle of the floor layout and close to the elevator but was one of the normal-size rooms. Hotel rooms are standard-issue Hilton Garden Inn, featuring a microwave and mini-refrigerator, bed, desk, and easy chair.

We would stay here again to visit the University of Pittsburgh, or if we needed a place to stay to visit someone at one of the nearby hospitals.