Hotel Monaco Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh consistently ranks high on lists of the most livable cities in the US, a fact that’s, at first glance, of only incidental interest to an in-and-out business traveler or New Yorkers dropping in for a friend’s wedding weekend. But it’s actually something of an endorsement for today’s travelers, who tend to combine business and leisure in every trip: apart from the relatively affordable cost of living, what’s so great about the Steel City, anyway? Go for a couple of days and you’ll get it. Poised at the intersection of three rivers, this once-gray city is now about green design and urban biking, the Mattress Factory art museum, Little Italy, craft beer produced in a recycled church. Today’s Pittsburgh is cool, and city developers know it, paving the way for thousands of new hotel rooms in recent years. The Hotel Monaco is one four new hotels opening around downtown’s Golden Triangle alone.

It’s a Kimpton hotel, so you know the drill. Bold design, friendly service, countless complimentary amenities, and a wink — lots of winks, in fact — to the location itself. Note the penguin-shaped lamps in unexpected places: that’s a shout-out, of course, to the city’s beloved ice hockey team. The Hotel Monaco is located inside a stately Beaux-Arts building that was once the headquarters of a law firm. And despite a nod to the architectural history — note the elegant molding and houndstooth drapery — it’s safe to say the atmosphere is a good deal more playful these days.

Guest rooms are vibrantly outfitted with vintage-inspired kelly green headboards, hand-painted black and white bedside tables, birdcage-shaped chandeliers, Italian Frette linens, classic leather armchairs, glass showers, and custom-made Monaco robes. Corner Spa rooms come with deep soaking tubs; lavish Emperor Suites are fit for a rock’n’roll posse. And thoughtful comforts are plentiful for all guests, including Kimpton’s signature in-room yoga mats and complimentary happy hour, plus cruiser bicycles that invite you to join the locals on their city bike baths.

Elsewhere in the hotel, there’s a state-of-the-art fitness center and a sleek restaurant, the Commoner, named after “the Great Commoner,” William Pitt. In fact, the hotel is practically a set-up for a scavenger hunt of Pittsburgh-related lore and legend. Guest rooms feature framed postcards and vintage memorabilia, and conference rooms after Jonas Salk, Rachael Carson, Roberto Clemente and Scott Fahlman. Who’s that last one, you ask? Oh, just a computer scientist from Carnegie Mellon University, best known as the inventor of the smiley face emoticon.