My spouse and I
stayed at the Distrikt Pittsburgh for two nights in early November 2018. (We
previously stayed at this hotel in mid-October 2017; see our review titled “Great
Restaurant, Nice Rooftop Deck, Small Rooms”.) Since our last stay, the Distrikt has joined the Hilton portfolio as
one of their “Curio” properties. (Previously, the Pittsburgh location and an NYC
property were part of Stash Hotels.) We booked our room online using the Hilton
HHonors website, and we checked in online on the day prior to our visit (even
though we did not receive an email telling us that we could do so, as we do
with other Hilton properties).
The Distrikt
Pittsburgh opened in August 2017 in Downtown’s former Salvation Army building
at the intersection of Boulevard of the Allies and Grant Street, near the ramp
for I-376. Although the building dates back to 1924, the overall effect is hip,
modern, and minimalist. Valet parking is pricey at $35; however, there are several
parking garages nearby (such as the Oxford Center Garage) that offer discounted
evening and weekend rates (only $6 per night on weekends). The hotel has a
pull-in porte-cochere driveway area where you can drop your bags, passengers,
and/or vehicles. Public spaces include a spacious two-story lobby with
different seating areas (sofas, chairs, communal tables), including one lounge grouping
that occupies the former stage and showcases a back wall made of green plants.
The lobby has an ATM machine, bicycles for loan, and a large rectangular
communal table for eating, working, or socializing. Outside, the architects
retained the vintage tall pointed-arch doors and the Art Deco bas-relief sign
from the original building. The designers transformed part of the former
mezzanine-level chapel area into the bar (named Evangeline after the former
women’s residence), where we enjoyed some evening drinks after we checked in.
The previous two-story gymnasium now houses the hotel restaurant called Or, The
Whale, where we ate breakfast one day and dinner on another. (We were told that
the weekend we dined was the last one in which Hilton HHonors Diamond members
would be permitted to eat there as one of their hotel perks; moving forward, a
grab-and-go option at Evangeline would be the only complimentary breakfast
available.) One of the best features of this hotel is its 10th floor
outdoor rooftop terrace that provides seating with views across the
Monongahela River toward Mount Washington and the Monongahela Incline. The
hotel also has a fitness center, concierge service, and in-room dining.
The hotel has over
175 rooms and suites spread over 10 floors, in either King or Two Queen
configurations in the categories of Cozy, Comfy, Roomy, Junior Suite, Suite, or
Penthouse with Terrace. King rooms are small, with footprints ranging from 226
to 265 square feet; rooms with two queen beds have a little more square footage
than the kings (approximately 385 square feet) in order to accommodate the
second bed. On our previous visit in October 2017, we stayed in a Roomy King,
which at 265 square feet was barely large enough to fit two people semi-comfortably.
This time, we splurged and booked a Junior Suite (Room 304), which was at least
400+ square feet. Our suite had three main areas: the bedroom, which had a
king-size bed with a small nightstand on either side, a wide console table
beneath the wall-mounted TV (which held the coffee service, ice bucket, safe,
and an extremely cold mini-refrigerator [set so cold that our drinks froze
solid]), a free-standing wardrobe (which contained a luggage stand,
hangers and drawers, iron and ironing board), and a desk with chair. The room
was a bit dark for our taste, with only one window, two bedside lamps, and one
light near the door. Décor is sleek and modern, and we liked the striped wool
blanket that accented the crisp white sheets/comforter (not a feather duvet,
however). Our bathroom was a good size, with a narrow stall shower, toilet, and
single sink and vanity. The hotel provides toiletries by LATHER (shampoo,
conditioner, body lotion, facial soap, body soap). We also had a separate
sitting room, although it was not divided from the main space by a closable
door. The living room area was strangely configured, without a window and with
a huge pillar near the center of the room. A flat-screen TV hung on one wall;
however, the sofa was arranged at a 90-degree angle to the TV, so you could not
sit on the sofa and watch the TB. We repositioned the sofa to the wall opposite
the television, at the same time wondering why the hotel hadn’t arranged it
that way to begin with. A lounge chair and side table were positioned on the
opposite side of the pillar, so someone sitting in that chair really couldn’t
see the people sitting on the sofa (neither in its original nor in its new position)
nor could they really see the television. Although we appreciated the extra space,
the windowless living area really wasn’t somewhere that we wanted to spend
time.
Unless the price for a Suite is right or the weather is nice
enough to use the rooftop terrace, we aren’t likely to stay at the Distrikt
again. We are happy that it is now managed by Hilton, but we are unhappy that
the full-service breakfast at Or, The Whale won’t continue for Diamond members.
The valet parking charge is excessive (although commensurate with most other
downtown hotels except for the Hampton Inn, which has free surface lot
parking), the location of the Distrikt is a bit removed from the busier
downtown areas, and the service in Evangeline (and particularly at the bar at Or,
The Whale) just isn’t friendly or attentive.
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