Crowne Plaza Pittsburgh South

Housekeeping cleaned our room only once during a five-day stay, so we kept having to call for fresh towels and someone to clean. The hotel needs more housekeeping and front desk staff. There was no lunch at the restaurant, and the rooms had barking dogs and a strong curry smell from people cooking that lingered.

Crowne Plaza South is still one of our best venue partners in the South Hills. Patty, Ellen & the team are quick to respond, attentive to details, and lovely to work with. Our couples are consistently happy with the service, accommodations, and their experience. I'd highly recommend them for weddings and all kinds of events!

I spent about an hour at my first paper comic book show, held in the hotel's sectioned-off ballroom. It was a very niche event, with around 50 paying customers when I got there and local vendors filling the room. The vendor space felt cramped. There were no costumed characters, and I couldn't find any DC comic SGT Rock or Marvel Comic SGT Fury and His Commandoes periodicals. I did pay $20 for an artist's signature on a mini paper poster of one of his enlarged, full-color #1 GI Joe cover drawings. I also listened to an aspiring science fiction author talk about his comic book publications and wondered why there weren't online digital copies. Marijuana smells drifted around the break area outside and the end of the vendor area inside. Admission was $10 each, and we got orange wrist bands and two paper tickets. One high-end vendor was trying to sell vintage comics valued at over $950, with no local police security in sight. The visit was worthwhile, but I don't need to go again. No Hazmat Ninja-Zombie fugurienes were available either. It made me think of all the old comics I studied as a kid and teenager. My older brother had them, or has them, or stole them, or I lost them. And now the first issue of the original Superman comic book recently sold for over $9 million. Wow.

The bathroom could use some work. The sink drained slowly, and the shower pressure felt like somebody was spitting on you. I wouldn't call that refreshing, but it was manageable for a night. The room itself was clean, and the beds were comfortable. We also had to close the curtain behind the drapes to block the light pollution, though that wasn't a big deal. It's a decent place for a night near Pittsburgh if you don't mind a 20-minute drive.