Holiday Inn Express & Suites Pittsburgh North Shor

We needed a last-minute room on a busy weekend with Pitt, the Steelers, and the Penguins all playing at home, and they had one available. The desk agent was great and explained everything thoroughly. The room was clean, but the lighting was very dim and the sloped mattress made for an uncomfortable night. We managed, though. There was parking when we arrived mid-afternoon, but the lot looked nearly full later. I think it’s shared with the Renaissance, and construction materials were blocking some spaces. Decent place for a quick stay.

Our first night was awful. People in the rooms beside us played music and shouted until 3:15. We tried calling the front desk, but the room phones were out of order, so I used my cell to complain. Nothing changed. Around 3, I went down to speak to the night clerk, who was eating and watching a loud movie on his phone in the lobby. He said he’d sent someone up and they hadn’t heard anything. When I suggested they might have hearing trouble, he scolded me for not calling multiple times. Eventually a worker who smelled of weed came to our door, listened, and agreed the music and loud talking were a problem. I finally got to sleep at 3:40 am. We’re here for three nights. The girl who checked us in was extremely rude and unfriendly, didn’t say hello or welcome, and seemed angry. The room is dated, with dirty, worn carpet and stains throughout. Bathroom tiles are cracked and have dirt buildup. Three outlets didn’t work, the replacement mini fridge doesn’t fit its cabinet, and the heating and cooling unit has a huge amount of buildup.

The location is the best thing here, especially for baseball or football games, and you can walk across the bridge into downtown. Breakfast was good, and the staff member there was cheerful. Our clean one-bedroom suite had a few problems. Part of the AC cover had come off, the lights behind the sink mirror wouldn’t turn on, and pulling the shower handle to start it made the tap move out from the wall. The bathroom was tiny and had no fan. I checked in remotely, and when my husband came in to ask about parking, the desk employee shouted, “Do you have ID?” at him.

We’ve stayed here many times, but this visit was horrible, and we’ll look elsewhere for future North Shore sporting events. The lot is under construction, with parking squeezed into a makeshift area between concrete pillars where it was nearly impossible to find a spot, yet they still charge the full $27 a day. We were there for three nights and housekeeping never came in. I complained each day. I know they only clean every other day, but eventually clean towels arrived in a garbage bag, and we had to take out our own trash. Breakfast was cold, and the coffee urn was usually empty. People around us were complaining about breakfast too.