ExpoTrac

Stayed at the Westin last year...very disappointing service. Was there over a holiday weekend, they had closed one of their restaurants for a private party, leaving only the fish restaurant open...with a 1 hour wait. Manager didn't even know it was closed! They probably exist only for the convention business.

Kobi

I'll be in Pitt area soon - any promos for these hotels?

PresRDC

No idea on any promos. I've stayed at both the Sheraton Station Square and the Westin within the past year. Although neither are anything special, I would go with the Westin, if only for the better bed and shower.

chicago2

Looking for an SPG in Pittsburgh...

Would you recommend the Westin or the Sheraton?

Is either one better for being able to go out to dinner near the hotel?

PHL INTL TERMINAL

Stay at the Sheraton. Station Square has a ton of places to eat within walking distance. The Westin just renovated their rooms, but I'm not a big fan. The staff is terrible there and don't really care if you are platinum or anything.

Only thing about the Westin is that all of the MLB players stay there when they are in town for Pirates games. So if you like that kind of thing, the Westin is the place for you.

Food & Drink = Sheraton
Convention Center, MLB Players and close to PNC Park = Westin

Do a search and you'll find much more.

coplatua1k

I'm a fan of the Westin. Granted it used to be a Double Tree so its not the best Westin but its very nice. Good location, near the Strip district and walking distance to most everything else in downtown. The seafood restuarant is pretty good also. Average gym. I dont like the location of the Sheraton (wrong side of the river) and i find in looking a bit shabby these days. My personal favorite is the Hilton but it too is a bit dated.

365RoadWarrior

I just spent two weeks at each property. Not much to recommend/disqualify either. I'm in general agreement with previously noted points.

The Sheraton has some nice view rooms and some upgrades are possible. The gym opened too late for me, so I ended up at the Y (across the river).

The Westin's actually got a better location, if you're working downtown. (It's a nice walk from the Sheraton, though.) The gym's okay. I rather liked the staff who ignored me completely; if you want service, however...

Restaurants? Yes, there are some places near the Sheraton in a touristy complex (think Starbucks, (Hooters?) and Buca di Beppo) and a mall that closes way too early. Beyond that, you're pretty much in the sticks with limited taxi service. From the Westin, you can walk to the small nightlife area (have forgotten the name), but many of the downtown restaurants oriented toward worker bees do close early and all day on Sunday.

If you want a bookstore or something, neither location's good.

PresRDC

I stayed in both last summer, and would not really reccomend either as both struck me as being quite mediocre. At the Station Square, I was not upgraded (due to a wedding party), but did get a room with a view over the river and the city. The room was nothing special and there is a freight train line below the hotel, which led to some noise. At the Westin, I was upgraded to a suite, which was, overall, pretty dismal. The living room was separated by a long and narrow coridor and have a couch that would have looked at home in a frat house. The bed and shower where Heavenly, so I would stay at the Westin again, but cannot really reccomend it.

iflyjetz

My wife and I stayed at the Pittsburgh Westin last Saturday night; we were driving all day and I called SPG for a hotel in Pittsburgh. With my government rate, I booked a room at $85.
When we arrived, we were given a room on the SPG floor (I'm a plat). We went up to our room, but someone's suitcase and personal items were already in the room. I called the front desk from the room and told them that there was already someone in that room. Cody (the desk clerk) was extremely apologetic and offered to send someone up with new room keys. I told him that we'd just go back down to the lobby (I was exhausted and figured that it would be quicker). Cody put us into a suite (odd that, as a plat, I didn't get an automatic suite upgrade). The suite was not on the plat floor, but the room was great.
In the morning, we ordered breakfast in the room. We started eating and noticed that there was no sweetener for the coffee. I called service express and requested that they send up some sweetener for our coffee. In a few minutes, a man who appeared to be a manager (suit and tie at 9AM Sunday) brought not only sweetener but the day's paper to our room.

Nice rooms, cheap price, OUTSTANDING service.
If I ever have a reason to stop in Pittsburgh again, I know where I will stay.

notsosmart

Normally choosing between a Westin and a Sheraton is s no-brainer, but spg.com lists the Sheraton as "river-front" and that sounds appealing...

Any recent experiences in the city, as far as plat treatment, upgrades, amenities, etc.?




TY

CMV

I stayed at the Westin about a year ago and it was nothing to write home about. Lousy customer service (long wait for valet parking & then a long wait for a corkscrew to be brought to our room) & a less than heavenly heavenly bed.

Can't compare to the Sheraton, though, as I've never stayed there.

Starwood Lurker

I stayed at the Sheraton a few years ago just as they were undergoing a remodel. Had a riverview room on the fifth floor, I believe. There are railroad tracks that run between the river and the hotel and trains do come through occasionally, but I really was not disturbed by them. Really nice view of the city of Pittsburgh across the river. Also, the Sunday breakfast buffet was to die for. All manner of excess there.

I guess if there were any complaints, it was that the parking was wierd. Apparently the parking lot adjoining the hotel is a public lot not used just for hotel guests. They were having Italian night at a park nearby and the lot was full, so I had to park across the street. No big deal, really. The cost was the same - $16.

Also, they had a wedding party staying next to me that was up at all hours, but when I called the front desk after 1 AM, I heard nary a peep out of them afterwards.

Sincerely,


William R. Sanders
Customer Service Coordinator
Starwood Preferred Services

[email protected]

365RoadWarrior

If you need to be downtown, the Westin's the better choice, but for anything else, I preferred the Sheraton. There are a few restaurants nearby and a small mall, plus some touristy things to do.

The Westin didn't offer any SPG Plat benefits that I was aware of. It was clean and big and 'nice' and, again, well-located. The Sheraton was closer to having character.

shinbal

As noted above, it's all about location. If the rates are similar, and you want to be downtown, stay at the Westin. You're walking distance from many things. The Sheraton Station Square is across the river. It's likely you'll have a car, so the little bit of distance may not make a difference, and there were some neat shops and restaurants there.

I have experienced less than stellar stays about both properties.....especially at the Westin where the staff was just not trained in how to be part of the Westin philosophy. Nonetheless, it's a decent hotel. It's been over a year since I stayed there, so maybe some things have changed.

In other words....It's a toss up!

365RoadWarrior

One minor thought to ..., from the Sheraton to downtown, it's a short walk across a bridge. It's a nice walk. 15 minutes or so.