<p>We were thinking of driving out to see our daughter at Pitt. We really like the Holiday Inn Select that's right on campus, but we don't want to pay $200-plus per night. I was wondering if there's a nice suburb nearby, maybe 15-20 miles from Pittsburgh, where we can stay and be a fairly short drive away. I'm hoping such a hotel might be cheaper. Any suggestions?</p>
<p>We have always stayed at a Best Western Greentree or GreenParkway or something like that. As long as you don't leave the hotel on a weekday morning during rush hour it usually is fine. We have probably stayed there close to 10 times without a problem. Be sure to mention PITT. Cost has typically been around $100 or even less sometimes. We are not picky but want a clean room and a half way decent breakfast.</p>
<p>Look for hotels in the Greentree section - There is a cluster of hotels in this area and it has quick access to the Parkway West which leads you into Pittsburgh and then out to Oakland on the Parkway East. Total drive distance is about eight miles.</p>
<p>I agree the Holiday Inn Select isn't worth $200/night. </p>
<p>When I visit Pgh on the cheap, I stay at Extended Stay America, in Carnegie. It's perhaps 5 miles west of the Fort Pitt Tunnel on the way to the airport. As long as you're not going into the city on a weekday morning, you can cruise right in and be downtown in 5 minutes.</p>
<p>It's not fancy but has a kitchen area with sink, stove, fridge, coffee maker..and it's just off the highway (easy on-off). Only about $70 per night, that's the nice part.</p>
<p>When I visited Pitt (Carnegie Mellon, actually, but same area) we stayed at the Wyndham (easy walking distance) for less than $100, but I don't remember how much exactly. I got the rate on Hotwire.</p>
<p>Thanks for the suggestions! By the way, the Wyndham is also almost $200 per night when we want to go!</p>
<p>Whoever suggested hotwire, THANK YOU! I had never used that website before. For our upcoming trip to Pitt, we were going to stay only one nite at the Holiday Inn b/c it's gotten so expensive ($200 per nite). But because of the Hotwire tip, we got a room at the Wyndham for TWO nights, for $59 per nite! You have to be willing to not know the name of the hotel first, but a little detective work on the star ratings led me to beleive it was probably the Wyndham, and it was! I'm so excited! THANKS SO MUCH!!!</p>
<p>There is at least one website (betterbidding.com?) where you can list details (e.g., amenities, neighborhood) and usually find out which hotel you are bidding on. DH used this successfully when we were booking several hotels for a two week road trip this past summer.</p>