AC Hotel Pittsburgh Downtown

This location is always a go-to because of location to family and downtown. Pittsburgh is an extremely walkable city (in the city center region) so ideal locale for most of the Strip District and even PPG Paints arena. Addicted to coffee from shop on ground floor. Prefer modern styling for appearance of cleanliness; no carpeting on bedroom flooring (a plus for me) and reasonably comfortable beds.

No parking. Luckily that $5 dollar parking was right across the street. Not fun to do with little kids but oh well. Hotel wasn’t horrible but I advise you not to book with Expedia as the room location was crap. The second we got into our room and opened up the curtains we just seen a brick wall with a fire route. If that wasn’t unpleasant enough, we just looked down and there was a man peeing because this room faced an alley. Gross! Absolutely ruined my stay just by the room view. First time in Pittsburgh and will need to dig deeper for a nicer place to stay if I ever come back!

What can I tell you about our stay? It was many little annoyances that eventually added up to a not very comfortable visit. First, this hotel has no parking . We had to use a public lot across the street, not easy to navigate with luggage. The Lobby was not at street level as you would expect, but on the 7th floor right next to the bar, which was very crowded (it was 5 pm). Our rooms were next door to each other, a positive if you have young kids or elderly parents like me. The rooms were clean; there was a fridge and coffee maker, enough pillows, etc. This hotel boasts the fact that everything is very modern and eco-conscious. To me, it felt more cold than anything. There was one picture on the wall; it was a photo of a gray, concrete wall. Yes, there were a lot of wood accents, but it still felt cold and impersonal. The shower in the bath was roomy, and easy to step in. The shower tap was very confusing, it took everyone at least 2 showers before they figured out how to control the water temperature. The toilet, too, was very modern, a water saver. It was the toilet seat that was the issue. It was lower than most, difficult for the elderly or infirm to stand up, and the seat was square, very uncomfortable to sit on for long. And unlike a lot of hotels, breakfast was not included with the room, but $15 per person per day. The food was geared toward a more Euro style, not always appreciated by Americans, who prefer pancakes or waffles over scones, toast and cheese.

This isn't my first time staying. It's my go-to to visit family and friends. Centrally located, everything in downtown is accessible by foot. Wish the parking garage re-opened (rather than having to pay for a surface lot that may or may not be available when you need to park--and no in-out privileges).