My spouse and I stayed at the
Doubletree Pittsburgh in mid-September 2012 for one night on the evening of a
college football game. We have stayed in several other hotels in downtown
Pittsburgh over the years, and this hotel is another viable option for us. This
property was previously a Ramada but now features typical Hilton Doubletree
amenities such as a warm chocolate chip cookie on arrival, and other perks for
certain levels of Hilton Hhonors membership such as free breakfast and free
Wi-Fi. The hotel has a fitness center and indoor pool, although we did not see
or use them.
Two parking options are available: valet for $22 per day (with an additional $11 charged if you want to check out late, for example, if you are attending an afternoon sporting event), or a public garage adjacent/beneath the hotel for $7 per night (price applies to weekend stays only). Because this was our first stay at the Doubletree, we used the valet option, but next time, we will save ourselves $15 and self-park. The valet worked fine, the attendants were friendly, and service was relatively quick. The parking garage entrance is on floor 2 of the hotel (although on the street/ground level), so you must take the elevator down to the lobby on the first floor to check in.
The first floor features a business center (with several computers and a printer; you can also print remotely from your room), floral shop, small gift shop, 7-11 convenience store, and the hotel restaurant called the Bigelow Grill. The Bigelow Grill offers breakfast, lunch, and dinner, with both indoor and seasonal outdoor seating, although the outdoor seating is adjacent to the smoking area and may be bothersome to some guests. As Diamond Hhonors members, we received coupons to the breakfast buffet; however, there are regular a la carte choices also available (although not for complimentary for Hhonors members). The buffet was acceptable, with hot and cold options and an omelet station. Room service is also available. The hotel has meeting and conference room space, and there was a wedding reception occurring on the night we stayed there.
The location of this hotel is good. It is located downtown near the Marriott Chatham Center, the Omni William Penn, and the Steel Plaza T-stop (subway stop), the later of which provides complimentary transportation every 20 to 40 minutes to several different downtown areas, including the North Shore (for access to the baseball and football stadiums, Carnegie Science Center, and Rivers Casino), and Station Square (for dining, shopping, and entertainment, although those amenities exist right in the downtown area itself). The T also runs to areas outside of downtown, although there is a charge, depending on the zone to which you travel. It is also possible to walk the 1.5 miles to the North Shore, or alternatively, you can take a water taxi to cross the river. The Strip District is an easy 10-minute walk. The hotel provides a shuttle bus to nearby downtown locations, although on game days, the van cannot take guests too close to the stadium. Super Shuttle is available to the Pittsburgh Airport, which is approximately 25 minutes away.
No club/executive floor exists in this hotel. We reserved a king room but were upgraded to a 1-bedroom king suite (the hotel also has 2- and 3-bedroom suites, some with additional bathrooms), with a king bed, separate TV, and easy chair in the bedroom, and a pull-out sofa bed, chair, TV, desk and chair, microwave, small refrigerator, and coffee maker in the large living room. The bathroom was a bit small, and fits only a pedestal sink. Outside the bathroom is a vanity counter area, which provided additional needed space; if the sink had been located in this area, it would make the room more functional, in our opinion. No safe is present in the room, nor are there robes and slippers; however, our room had an empty mini-refrigerator, which always makes us happy. In the state of Pennsylvania, it is generally not possible to purchase alcoholic beverages in a convenience store or grocery store (there are a few exceptions, although none of them exist in the downtown area), so we are surprised that more Pittsburgh hotels do not feature fully-stocked mini-bars. If you want to imbibe in your hotel room, your only options are to call room service or try to purchase a 6-pack from a nearby bar (the closest one we know of is the Crystal Restaurant). Overall, the room was a great size, and we always appreciate the extra space that a suite affords us. The room furnishings were not the newest or most chic, but they were well maintained.
We would stay here again the next time we visit downtown Pittsburgh.
Two parking options are available: valet for $22 per day (with an additional $11 charged if you want to check out late, for example, if you are attending an afternoon sporting event), or a public garage adjacent/beneath the hotel for $7 per night (price applies to weekend stays only). Because this was our first stay at the Doubletree, we used the valet option, but next time, we will save ourselves $15 and self-park. The valet worked fine, the attendants were friendly, and service was relatively quick. The parking garage entrance is on floor 2 of the hotel (although on the street/ground level), so you must take the elevator down to the lobby on the first floor to check in.
The first floor features a business center (with several computers and a printer; you can also print remotely from your room), floral shop, small gift shop, 7-11 convenience store, and the hotel restaurant called the Bigelow Grill. The Bigelow Grill offers breakfast, lunch, and dinner, with both indoor and seasonal outdoor seating, although the outdoor seating is adjacent to the smoking area and may be bothersome to some guests. As Diamond Hhonors members, we received coupons to the breakfast buffet; however, there are regular a la carte choices also available (although not for complimentary for Hhonors members). The buffet was acceptable, with hot and cold options and an omelet station. Room service is also available. The hotel has meeting and conference room space, and there was a wedding reception occurring on the night we stayed there.
The location of this hotel is good. It is located downtown near the Marriott Chatham Center, the Omni William Penn, and the Steel Plaza T-stop (subway stop), the later of which provides complimentary transportation every 20 to 40 minutes to several different downtown areas, including the North Shore (for access to the baseball and football stadiums, Carnegie Science Center, and Rivers Casino), and Station Square (for dining, shopping, and entertainment, although those amenities exist right in the downtown area itself). The T also runs to areas outside of downtown, although there is a charge, depending on the zone to which you travel. It is also possible to walk the 1.5 miles to the North Shore, or alternatively, you can take a water taxi to cross the river. The Strip District is an easy 10-minute walk. The hotel provides a shuttle bus to nearby downtown locations, although on game days, the van cannot take guests too close to the stadium. Super Shuttle is available to the Pittsburgh Airport, which is approximately 25 minutes away.
No club/executive floor exists in this hotel. We reserved a king room but were upgraded to a 1-bedroom king suite (the hotel also has 2- and 3-bedroom suites, some with additional bathrooms), with a king bed, separate TV, and easy chair in the bedroom, and a pull-out sofa bed, chair, TV, desk and chair, microwave, small refrigerator, and coffee maker in the large living room. The bathroom was a bit small, and fits only a pedestal sink. Outside the bathroom is a vanity counter area, which provided additional needed space; if the sink had been located in this area, it would make the room more functional, in our opinion. No safe is present in the room, nor are there robes and slippers; however, our room had an empty mini-refrigerator, which always makes us happy. In the state of Pennsylvania, it is generally not possible to purchase alcoholic beverages in a convenience store or grocery store (there are a few exceptions, although none of them exist in the downtown area), so we are surprised that more Pittsburgh hotels do not feature fully-stocked mini-bars. If you want to imbibe in your hotel room, your only options are to call room service or try to purchase a 6-pack from a nearby bar (the closest one we know of is the Crystal Restaurant). Overall, the room was a great size, and we always appreciate the extra space that a suite affords us. The room furnishings were not the newest or most chic, but they were well maintained.
We would stay here again the next time we visit downtown Pittsburgh.
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