Historic Inns

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Historic Hotels in Pittsburgh

Five historic stays, from Henry Clay Frick’s 1916 Omni William Penn downtown to an 1888 Benedictine priory and two Fifth Avenue mansions.

5 historic places to stay · verified October 2026 · by Historic Inns editors

The short answer

Downtown, book the Omni William Penn on Mellon Square, Henry Clay Frick’s hotel since 1916, or one of two converted early-1900s office buildings, the Kimpton Monaco and The Industrialist. For a smaller stay with free parking and breakfast, The Priory in Deutschtown, built in 1888 for Benedictine monks, or Mansions on Fifth in Shadyside, two 1906 McCook family mansions on the airport bus line. Downtown parking is paid, so the T, free between Downtown and North Shore stations, is the easier way around.

Our top picks

Best overall

Omni William Penn

Built 1916

Henry Clay Frick's 1916 hotel on Mellon Square, built to rival Europe's grand hotels, with Joseph Urban's Art Deco Urban Room ballroom.

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Compare them side by side

InnAreaBuiltRoomsTypePriceHaunted
The Priory HotelDeutschtown188842Boutique hotel–Rates
The Industrialist HotelDowntown1902124Boutique hotel–Rates
Kimpton Hotel Monaco PittsburghDowntown1903–Boutique hotel–Rates
Mansions on FifthShadyside190622Boutique hotel–Rates
Omni William PennDowntown1916–Grand hotel–YesRates

Price is a typical nightly rate: $ under $200, $$ $200–349, $$$ $350–549, $$$$ $550+. Rates vary by season; check the inn for exact prices.

Where they are

The neighborhoods

Where to stay, by area

Downtown: the Golden Triangle

Downtown ends at Point State Park, where the three rivers meet, and holds Market Square and the Cultural District theaters on Penn and Liberty Avenues. Three historic hotels are here: the Omni William Penn on Mellon Square, the Kimpton Hotel Monaco and The Industrialist.

The North Side: Deutschtown

Across the Allegheny River, in what was the separate city of Allegheny until 1907. Visit Pittsburgh calls it a quick ride on the T or a scenic walk from downtown. The Priory, built in 1888 for Benedictine monks of neighboring St. Mary’s Church, is here.

The East End: Shadyside and Fifth Avenue

A residential neighborhood of tree-lined streets and Victorian mansions next to Oakland’s universities and museums. Mansions on Fifth occupies two McCook family mansions finished around 1906, on the 28X airport bus line.

The inns

The Priory HotelCbaile19 / CC0

Built 1888 · Deutschtown · Boutique hotel

The Priory Hotel

Why stay Built in 1888 for the Benedictine monks of St. Mary's Church, a hotel since 1986 with breakfast and free parking; 17 of 42 rooms are in a 2010 wing.

Good to know Breakfast: included · Parking: on-site free

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Omni William PennDllu / CC BY-SA 4.0

Built 1916 · Beaux-Arts / Classical Revival · Downtown · Grand hotel

Omni William Penn

Why stay Henry Clay Frick's 1916 hotel on Mellon Square, built to rival Europe's grand hotels, with Joseph Urban's Art Deco Urban Room ballroom.

The ghost story Pittsburgh Magazine, describing the Haunted Pittsburgh walking tour, says so many ghost stories attach to the Omni William Penn that the tour can't fit them all; one holds that ghostly panda bleats have been heard in the hotel, where author Ruth Harkness (The Lady and the Panda) died in 1947. Ghost City Tours adds reports of founder Henry Clay Frick still walking its corridors, elevators moving on their own and phantom music from empty ballrooms.

Good to know Elevator

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Before you book

Planning your stay

Getting around

The T light rail links the North Shore, downtown and the South Hills, and rides between First Avenue, Steel Plaza, Wood Street, Gateway, North Shore and Allegheny stations are free. Elsewhere a 3-hour pass is $2.75 and a day pass $7. The 28X Airport Flyer runs every 30 to 40 minutes for $2.75, stopping downtown, in Oakland and in Shadyside. The Monongahela Incline ($2.75) and the Duquesne Incline climb Mount Washington for the skyline view.

Parking

Downtown parking is paid: the Omni William Penn charges $55 a night for valet, or about $20 a day midweek and $8 on weekends in the Mellon Square Garage across the street, and The Industrialist is valet-only. Street meters are enforced Monday to Saturday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. The Priory and Mansions on Fifth include free parking.

When to go

Pittsburgh is a four-season city, with January highs around 39°F and July highs around 85°F, and fall color on the hillsides in October. Light Up Night opens the holiday season (November 21 in 2026). The Pittsburgh Marathon (May 1 to 2, 2027) and Anthrocon (July 1 to 4, 2027) fill downtown hotels, so book early for those dates.

Accessibility

Pittsburgh is hilly, with more than 800 sets of public city steps. Visit Pittsburgh says all transit stations, buses, T cars and the Monongahela Incline are accessible. The Priory has two accessible king rooms in its new wing, and Mansions on Fifth one with a roll-in shower.

Before you book

At the Omni William Penn you must be 21 to rent a room, and pets up to 25 pounds carry a $125 fee. The Priory and Mansions on Fifth include grab-and-go breakfast and free parking.

Things to do

Tours of historic Pittsburgh

Tours from GetYourGuide

Tours are sold by GetYourGuide and run by local operators. If you book one through these links, we may earn a commission at no cost to you. Ratings and prices are GetYourGuide’s.

Questions travelers ask

What is the oldest hotel in Pittsburgh?

No official source names one. Of the historic stays we verified, the Omni William Penn has run as a hotel the longest, since it opened in March 1916. The oldest building is The Priory, built in 1888 for Benedictine monks and a hotel since 1986.

Is the Omni William Penn haunted?

It’s the hotel in Pittsburgh’s ghost lore. Pittsburgh Magazine reports that the Haunted Pittsburgh tour has more Omni William Penn stories than it can fit, including ghostly panda sounds linked to author Ruth Harkness, who died at the hotel in 1947. We report these as stories, not fact.

Is it better to stay downtown in Pittsburgh?

For a first visit, usually yes: three of the five historic hotels are downtown, near Market Square, Point State Park and the Cultural District, with free T rides to the North Shore. The trade-off is paid parking. The Priory and Mansions on Fifth include parking and breakfast.

Where do you park at a historic hotel in Pittsburgh?

Downtown, plan on paying: $55 a night for valet at the Omni William Penn, or about $20 a day midweek in the Mellon Square Garage across the street. The Priory and Mansions on Fifth include free parking.

Does Pittsburgh have historic B&Bs?

None of the five verified stays is a B&B, but two are small and include breakfast: Mansions on Fifth, 22 rooms in two 1906 mansions in Shadyside, and The Priory, 42 rooms in an 1888 priory in Deutschtown.

Keep exploring

Gettysburg →Philadelphia →All of Pennsylvania →

How we chose these inns

Every place on this page is at least 50 years old, holds a credential we can check (National Register listing, a listed historic district, landmark status, or Historic Hotels of America membership), and takes bookings today. We verify each one against primary sources before it goes on the list, and last checked this list in October 2026. Read our criteria.

Planning details on this page (parking, transport, seasons and events) come from: phmc.state.pa.us, britannica.com, visitpittsburgh.com, rideprt.org, duquesneincline.org, pittsburghparking.com, pittsburghpa.gov, anthrocon.org, p3r.org, picklesburgh.com, traf.trustarts.org, pittsburghmagazine.com, ghostcitytours.com, historichotels.org, pre-omnihotels.com, npgallery.nps.gov, monaco-pittsburgh.com, lodgingmagazine.com, thepriory.com, mansionsonfifth.com.

Sources (14)

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