The Inn on Negley — Hotel in Pittsburgh

It's not fair to call this place a “hotel”. Forget the impersonal, standardized comfort of the best hotels. Here, you're transported back in time and want to stay forever. It's like the home of a very rich and kind friend. This gem makes you feel like you're in a Jane Austen book, but with all the comforts of today. The Inn on Negley is beautiful! Think Persian rugs, oil paintings, delicate china, solid wood furniture, crystal chandeliers, canopy beds, different decor in each of the eight rooms charmingly named after apples. Look at the photos on the website: they're real. Add new, fresh-smelling bed linen, a pillow menu, soft towels, fluffy bathrobes, slippers and L'Occitane toiletries. Add impeccable maintenance: perfect cleanliness, new paintwork, no peeling, no mold (not even on the shower curtain). What's more, breakfast is freshly made to order (forget that giant buffet full of fattening, bland things): everything is very delicate, decorated with flowers, warm muffins that melt in your mouth; afternoon tea with free cookies for guests, and special afternoon tea (paid separately) for guests and/or anybody who wants to come. All done in an impeccably clean kitchen (yes, I went to check the kitchen). And the icing on the cake: the extremely friendly and helpful staff. It was hard to leave after a perfect week. For us, the location was excellent, because our goal was to visit Carnegie Mellon and Pitt universities, which are very close (you can walk there). The Shadyshide neighborhood is well served by shops and restaurants, all close to the hotel. It's very safe, so you can walk around even at night (important information for our Brazilian fellows). Finally, I need to mention a few details that may bother some people: 1) the rooms don't have a minibar (we didn't feel the need); 2) the internet wasn't very good, at various times I had to dock my cell phone to work on the computer (I think it was a one-off problem that they were solving); 3) the Inn on Negley is in a beautiful late 19th century house, without an elevator. The rooms are on the ground floor, first floor and second floor. Ours was on the second floor (Empire suite). We had to climb two flights of stairs to get there. If you have mobility problems or are traveling with a lot of luggage, ask for a suite on the ground floor. In conclusion: can I give this wonderful place more than five stars? I want to go back!!!! The bar has been raised. I won't stay anywhere else when I go back...

The Inn's location is great, an extremely short drive to university campuses, museums, and other must-see sites, including many restaurants and local shops/cafes that are all within walking distance. We stayed in the Cortland Room (2nd floor). It was spacious and beautiful, but it has some limitations if you're a light sleeper and/or you prefer a quieter room. The Inn is located at a busy intersection, so all the street noise (city buses, service & delivery trucks, regular car traffic) really comes through the room's six large (closed) windows. The traffic dies down at night, but if you're a light sleeper, the occasional loud truck/city bus might wake you up. Another factor to consider is the Cortland is directly below another room, and the noise insulation between the ceiling and the upstairs hardwood floor might impact your stay. Muffled sounds of normal conversation and walking didn't bother us, but we got unlucky with an upstairs guest who walked loudly and non-stop for hours from one end of the room to the other in dress heels on the wood floor. We were amused as we watched the ceiling like a tennis match (and wondering "What in the world is this person doing??"), but when it still continued late into the night, it was no longer ok. The Inn's on-call person asked the guest around 10:40 pm to be a little quieter (maybe take their shoes off?), but the guest continued walking back and forth even harder in her dress heels until well after 11, and then started up again before 7 the next morning. The Inn offered to move us to another room, but because we only had one night left at the Inn, we declined the generous offer. The Inn's staff is very kind and hard-working, and the Inn itself is a beautiful house in a great location; we just got unlucky with an inconsiderate traveler and a room that needs better...

I read the reviews online and after staying here I realized there are parts of the Inn that haven’t been mentioned.|- The service at the bed and breakfast was below average in many ways. First, our initisl encounter was lackluster and as if we were interrupting her.i did notice a plate of food at the check-in desk. Second, no offer to help with luggage or restaurant recommendations. NOTE: The stairs are at a steep incline, there is no elevator nor assistance. I cannot imagine how difficult it is for most people to get their luggage up the stairs. My husband carried our luggage and he’s a strong guy. Third, they mention afternoon snacks. It was not snacks. It was a single cookie for each of us each day that was handed to us once we asked about the snacks. |- We stayed in the Northern Spy suite. The sofa is not as pictured and is a faded, very worn, leather sofa that looked like it belonged in a thrift store. |- The towels were supposed to be white but instead were worn, stained, and grey.|- The breakfast options were the same both days. The main course was average portion size but the fruit was very sparse. .it was difficult to tell if they ran out of fruit and had to distribute what they had or were trying to save money. |- The sheets were stained.|- The bathroom definitely looked worn. Several tiles were broken in the bathroom as well as on the floor. |- There’s a seating area/deck outside to relax.|Overall, the rooms, towels and sheets need to be updated. The personnel could benefit from...