Overview
Located about a 10-minute drive from downtown Pittsburgh along Highway 19, the Holiday Inn Pittsburgh - North Hills is suitable for business and vacation travellers who require a hotel with meeting/banquet space, an on-site restaurant and easy highway access.
This hotel has 146 air-conditioned guest rooms and suites, each offering free Wi-Fi, cable TV, a coffeemaker, a mini-fridge, a microwave, an iron and ironing board and a hair dryer. Standard rooms offer one king or two double beds, while rooms with a seating area and a sofabed are also available.
Hotel amenities include a seasonal outdoor pool, 24-hour fitness facilities, a business centre, meeting/banquet facilities, guest laundry and free parking. The hotel's on-site restaurant, The Hilltop Bar and Grille, is open for breakfast and dinner daily. Wheelchair-accessible rooms are available upon request and pets are not permitted.
North Hills Village Mall is roughly a 5-minute walk from the hotel, while The Rivers Casino can be found 15 minutes away by car. Access to public transit is about a 2-minute walk from the hotel. Starbucks, Boston Market and Odoba Mexican Grill are all located within a 5-minute walk of the property. Heinz Field is 11 minutes south by car.
Carnegie Mellon University is about a 15-minute drive southeastward, and Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT) is a 30-minute drive west. (All distances and travel time estimates: Google Maps)
Verified with a front desk agent: Free Wi-Fi, free parking, pets not permitted, wheelchair accessible. (Call Date: June 5, 2013)
The GoodThe majority of the reviews sourced for this analysis were positive, with praise going to the hotel's staff, rooms and location.
Numerous guests were pleased with the level of customer service they received, and characterized the staff as helpful, accommodating and professional.
The hotel's accommodations were praised by many reviewers, who described them as clean, well equipped, spacious and well maintained, with good Wi-Fi and comfortable beds. It should be noted, however, that a few guests were disappointed with some aspects of their rooms (see below).
Several lodgers were satisfied with the hotel's location. They found it to be close to restaurants, downtown Pittsburgh, shopping, Target, a grocery store, Carnegie Mellon University and Heinz Field.
The Bad
While the majority of reviews consulted for this analysis were positive, there were some common complaints about the rooms, noise transfer and locating the hotel.
While the majority of reviewers were pleased with their clean and comfortable rooms, a few guests had complaints about their accommodations. They reported worn decor and carpeting as well as musty smells and a few cleaning issues.
A few guests reported noisy in-room air conditioning units as well as noise from guests in adjacent rooms.
A few lodgers had difficulty locating the hotel's entrance, describing it as tricky and hard to find. These guests reported the hotel's entrance as being "behind a mall".
Expedia.ca guest reviews rated the hotel 3.6 out of 5 with a 78% recommendation rate from 240 reviews.
Hotels.com guest reviews rated the hotel 3.5 out of 5 from 178 reviews.
TripAdvisor.com guest reviews ranked the hotel #49 out of 67 Pittsburgh hotels with an average rating of 3 out of 5 from 126 reviews.
The author called the hotel on June 5, 2013 to verify some information.
