More about Sheraton Station Square Hotel Pittsburgh
Station Square on the Monogahela River
by starship
Station Square is a great mix of restaurants (over 20!!), shops, activities and attractions located on a 50+ acre site along the Monongahela River just opposite the Golden Triangle area of Pittsburgh and next to the Smithfield Street Bridge. It's the brainchild of the Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation which wanted to put to use the area which was formerly an important terminus for the Pennsylvania & Lake Erie Railroad.
With the passenger railroad industry largely in demise by the 1970's, the Foundation saw the immediate potential of the remaining railroad buildings and their marvelous position on the riverfront. Today the former train shed building houses the "Freight House Shops" and the architecturally magnificent train station houses the "Grand Concourse Restaurant" whose stained-glass windows are beautiful beyond words.
An open area behind several of the restaurants is the fun place called "Bessemer Court" which is dedicated to the city's steel industry heritage, but is also dedicated to the enjoyment of visitors. This is where the "Waltzing Waters Liquid Fireworks Fountain" is located along with some of Bessemer's inventions. The fountains provide not only a stunning visual display but some great music sets as well--something for nearly everyone. (See separate tip.)
In Station Square, you can barely walk 5 feet without running into a restaurant! There is the Hard Rock Cafe, Buca di Beppo, Red Star Tavern, the Melting Pot, Three Rivers Candy & Fudgery, and Pittsburgh Rare to name but a very few. We enjoyed an inexpensive but nice lunch at the outdoor tables of the Island Cafe.
There are a couple particularly nice shops in the Freight House Shops---one clothing shop that I adored and an independent book shop which I also liked very much.
If evening entertainment is on your mind, there are comedy clubs, and a few pubs to belly up to, but I would prefer one of the special evening cruises on one the Gateway Clipper ships plying the local river!! And you can stay at the Sheraton Station Square Hotel so you don't have far to go when the evening is over! If not parking is $6 after 11 am.
Good Variety & Inexpensive
by starship about Island Cafe at Station Square
The walk around Station Square really gave us an appetite and since there were so many restaurants, it was difficult to decide where to eat. An employee of the Sheraton Station Square suggested the "Island Cafe" and said it was pretty good and inexpensive too! I'm glad we took his suggestion because it turned out to be a nice find.
Facing Station Square Drive itself, the "Island Cafe" is a small place with some tables inside and several tables outside as well. The cafe is setup similar to a cafeteria, however, you order your choices AND pay at the cashier, then pick up your food or they will deliver it to your table outside. Since it was such a beautiful day, we chose to sit outside even though tables were hard to come by!
The Island Cafe has a good variety of choices and the prices are great: paninis ($6.50), hot dogs, burgers and sandwiches ($2.35 to $5.50), wraps ($6.00), wings, platters ($5.00 to $6.75) , soups ($3 & $4) & salads( $5.50 to $6.75) and side dishes ($2.50 to $3.50). The dessert choice was limited to Baklava ($1.75).
The service was friendly and as fast as it could be considering how busy they were. The portions were large and tasty. Drink refills are free if dining inside. The inside of the cafe was non-discript, but not unpleasant. All in all it was a good experience! I chose the Fried Shrimp platter which came with what seemed like a double order of shrimp, coleslaw and french fries and was so good. My hubby had grilled mushroom burger which he really enjoyed. If I didn't like shrimp so much I would have chosen the Greek Salad, Steak Panini, or smoked turkey wrap. Oh, and the baklava definitely!
Possibly the best hotel in Pittsburgh
by A TripAdvisor Member
I recently returned from a two-night stay at the Sheraton Station Square Hotel for a Homecoming weekend at Duquesne Universtiy. This was my second stay at this Sheraton with my first visit coming in 2002. Both times I have been extremely satisfied with the location, amenities, and cleanliness of the property.
The City of Pittsburgh doesn't have a hotel in the 5 star category. The Sheraton falls in the 3.5 to 4 star class. The staff is slightly rude and a bit indifferent but it had no impact on the quality of our visit. Having previously stayed at the Hilton and the Marriott, I would definitely recommned the Sheraton over both of them. And while the Omni William Penn and the Renaissance Hotels are more upscale, they are older buildings without the benefit of a pool or a great location.
The Sheraton, on the other hand, has an abundance of bars, shops, and restaurants just outside your doorstep. Station Square is really a nice place. Less than a 1/4 mile from the hotel is public transportation.For approximately $1.75 you can take the "T" ( trolley car) over the river and you are in downtown in less than five minutes.
Our room was clean and spacious with a comfortable bed. The atrium has a great bar and a panoramic view of the downtown skyline. It's really great and worth a few pictures. Across the street you can take the incline up to Mt. Washington. If given the chance to return for a third time I would gladly accept and go again.
Great Location
by TripAdvisor Member rmarrs
The Sheraton Station Square is in a perfect location in Station Square. Within walking distance to shops, restaurants, and a free shuttle to the GOLDEN TRIANGLE, the Sheraton is a perfect stop for someone in town for business who might have vacationeers tagging along.
We stayed on the 12th floor in a SPG room (Starwood Room) overlooking the river. While the views were amazing at night, our room was directly above the parallel train tracks running beside the hotel. Unfortunately, if you are a light sleeper, the trains WILL KEEP YOU UP at night. Fortunately, I'm not a light sleeper, so once I was asleep, I wasn't bothered until in the morning. However, the frequency of the trains can be bothersome. I would recommend when booking a room to either ask for a high floor if you desire a river room, or ask for a room near the center of the building.
The amenities of the hotel include Pittsburgh Rare, the inhouse restaurant ($$$$$) as well as a large pool, hot tub, and workout room. Also, as mentioned before, the hotel offers a free shuttle to nearby attractions, well worth the gratuity of the driver.
Nearby are also Heinz Field and PNC Park (both visible from our room) as well as the Gateway Clipper Fleet, which docks directly beside the hotel.
Our room was a very large room compared to others, but could certainly use some renovation (corners of the wallpaper were coming detached, bathtub was old, split molding). However, the location and amenities were worth the visit.
I wouldn't pay more than $160 for the room, in my opinion, unless a special event is in town or that is where you want to stay. However, if you are looking for a location in Station Square within walking distance to great eateries and clubs, and close to downtown Pittsburgh, you might be willing to pay more than the 160.00.
Nice and good location
by TripAdvisor Member coflyer
Stayed here twice on business the past couple of weeks. It's a nice hotel in a unique location with lots of restaurants, bars, some shops, and ferry boats - although nothing I would consider to be upscale.
The rooms are nice, great beds, spacious enough to work in, and most overlook the river and downtown. There are trains on both sides of the hotels, but they don't really make that much noise.
The train station theme in the large lobby is charming and retro...a great place to gather for drinks.
The staff is average, and the business center is poor - cramped, hot, aging computer, and no amenities.
If my client wasn't footing the bill, I wouldn't pay their rate of $170+ during the week - it's not that great, but not that bad either.
Go to the Doubletree, The Renaissance, or Omni William Penn instead!
by A TripAdvisor Member
My husband and I (in our 40's, professionals) live not far from Pittsburgh and booked a room overlooking the beautiful Point for our anniversary. We were leaving for a flight the next morning. We travel quite a bit both in the US and overseas.
We arrived at the Station Square Sheraton and were greeted by a nasty young lady who informed us they had "given" our room away and we were getting another. I was upset as we were on time! Why give away our "anniversary room" to someone? What good were reservations? I asked to see another person to rectify the matter, and she made loud, rude comments to a coworker about us. We were given another room and taken upstairs. This room did not face the Point, but over looked an air conditioning unit on a roof and if you craned your neck, you might see a bit of the three rivers. Not only that, the room was furnished poorly, was dirty and stuffy, and smelled like sour milk! We sat on the bed for a few minutes and then decided that this was not how we wanted to spend a special night. We left and got our money back!
Since, we have stayed at The Omni William Penn ( lovely, elegant, old charm), the Doubletree (new, clean, top-flight service), and The Renaissance (phenomenal, elegant, expensive and worth it). I recommend any of these over and above the horrible Sheraton at Station Square. They need to clean, update and renovate, and give all their employees some lessons in customer service!
What a great location
by TripAdvisor Member rwjab
This is a great place to stay if you want to go to a pittsburgh ballgame. Our family rode the gateway clipper from the hotel to the pirates game. There is also shopping in walking distance and many restaurants. The view of the city was great from our hotel window.
The hotel is very nice. It has a nice indoor pool with outdoor lounging as well. This area can be a little noisy because of trains, but we didn't notice the noise inside.
Be prepared to pay for parking in a private hotel lot. We paid $16.00 for about 24 hours of parking.
We have stayed here in the past and will continue to because of the view and location.
august 11, 2006
won't go back again
by TripAdvisor Member KathleenE
This was our second stay at the hotel and turned out it will be our last. We had to wait nearly an hour past check-in time for our room to be ready. The front desk staff were apologetic and comped drinks at the lobby bar but what we really wanted was to get into our room with our 3 children. The location is a lot of fun if you're heading to PNC Park for a ball game but keep in mind that that also means a fair amount of late night talking in hallways. For some reason, no matter how carefully you try to close a door it won't shut without a bang. We were awakened after midnight both nights by loud talking and TV's in the rooms next to us. The final straw was encountering a very rude cashier in the gift shop. Some staff were very friendly while others wouldn't give you the time of day.
