The Mansion at Maple Heights

Let me address the positives first:
The mansion has great potential since it is a beautiful structure in a secluded location.
Unfortunately, it appears to be very poorly managed. If I were the owner I would hire a consultant who knows how a B & B should be operated and decorated.
Concerns:
The rooms were not nearly as clean as one would expect of a B & B.
The breakfasts were nominal on good days. On bad days (we stayed three nights) the chef was late (15 minutes) and there was no coffee made and no fruit. The breakfasts were served to the table serially, rather than together, with some diners waiting 5 – 10 minutes after the first person was served. The chef/​waiter had to come back to the table multiple times since he forgot the orders. He also appeared to be glum and possibly hung over or very bleary for some reason. His chef’s coat was dirty and he wore baggy shorts that were not appropriate for the setting. I asked for cream with my coffee and he delivered it on an obviously dirty saucer. After observing this behavior, a woman at another table suggested to our table that she should just go back in the kitchen and make the breakfast since things were going so badly.
One has certain expectations of a B & B’s aesthetics and ambiance. They were not met here. The owner has a dog which I was told was a Portuguese Pointer. It may be a fine dog but it barked in a very aggressive manner outside the mansion and in the kitchen area with patrons eating in the dining room. That is not what you want to hear first thing in the morning!
Additionally, I opened an embossed packet in my room which I thought were thin mints. The packet contained a condom and lubricant! Wow! That seemed in particularly poor taste especially since many B & B patrons are older travelers.
Our room had an unprepared hole and a long gash in the wall. There were no pictures hung in the room to improve the appearance.
This crew may mean well but they really don’t have a clue about operating a good B & B. I would never return and would never recommend it to anyone.

We had our wedding reception at the Mansion at Maple Heights in May 2015. Our experience with the Mansions left much to be desired. This place touts themselves as a luxurious experience, but they are truly anything but. The Mansion itself is in disrepair, particularly in the guest rooms. This is something we did not notice in our initial tour, but were really disappointed once we spent some time there overnight on the weekend (we stayed Friday and Saturday nights). For how much money the Mansion charges to have your wedding there (about 10K to rent the place for the weekend), we had expected much more care and attention to be dedicated to our wedding.
The wedding manager Nicole is ok, but nothing special. She appears helpful but she is not what you would expect as the wedding manager of an upscale wedding venue. It is clear that this is not her main priority. She calls you about 2 weeks before your event to lecture you on not stealing anything from the mansions (towels, hangers, etc.) and to NOT use the white bath towels to wash your face with. We are all adults here and paying good money to have our event here– is that really necessary? It seems that those darn black makeup remover towels are where all of their attention is at. Stick the «Mansion Rules» pamphlet in each of the guest rooms and don’t read it out loud on the phone to us.
I have brought all of the above to the attention of the Mansions the after our event, and they did not respond for over two weeks. Eventually, they gave us a half-​hearted apology and said they are sorry our experience was «not as we expected». That’s it. Save your money and have you event somewhere else. I wouldn’t even recommend this place to stay at overnight as a B&B. The morning «B» (breakfast) left much to be desired– picture fruit flies everywhere, lukewarm coffee and overcooked eggs. Yuck!
Furthermore, I spoke with the Mansions chef and other general manager who were present the morning after my wedding and they completely agreed with all of the concerns that I brought to their attention. They told me to email Nicole after the wedding which we did (with no reply for over 2 weeks until a follow-​up e-​mail was sent). They essentially said that we are certainly not the first patrons to bring these things to their attention, but not much can be done since the owner (Chukky Okabi) is a cheapskate and is running his business into the ground. He hires his friends to do any repairwork/​maintenance/​housekeeping and it shows. Apparently, this place used to be great several years ago when the first started doing events, but now it is more of a wedding-​factory type show. Disappointing because we read so many great wedding reception reviews from 2010 – 2013 time frame!
Now on to the «exclusive vendors» of the Mansions. The florist, Posy, is a joke. While Paulette is a sweet lady, she does not know how to run a business and keep track of anything. She completely messed up the centerpieces for our reception and started crying at my wedding when we mentioned they were NOT what we had discussed in our previous meetings. Not professional at all. Also, her husband jammed his phone into my face as my now-​husband and I were taking wedding portraits outside the mansions. I asked him who he was and he grunted «its for posy». Totally rude and unprofessional– we were shocked! Furthermore, Posy threw away all of our flowers (INCLUDING MY BRIDAL BOUQUET!!!) after our wedding. We had told Posy that we wanted to keep our flowers, we have contacted her after the wedding but she will not respond to us. We engaged the Mansions for help with contacting her but they won’t help us with anything now that our event is over and they are paid.
You have to use Big Burrito group as your caterer. Danielle, the catering manager is WONDERFUL. She is extremely helpful and attentive (A++). The food was wonderful, although the «head waiter» at our event was rude to my husband and I– we were mingling with guests as we were making our way into the tent for dinner and he approached me and said in a snarky voice, «Sit down, you are holding up dinner». Also, we had asked for BBG to pour wine during our sit-​down dinner and they did not. Not a huge deal, but annoying since we asked them to do that.

People who are booking weddings here need to know that the owner is in defiance of the law and court orders in holding these events, and you are at serious risk of having your event shut down. The owner will not tell you that when you are booking it, so beware.

Hands gown the best B&B experience I’ve had. Nicole and Shawn were most accomodating to our special needs. Perfect location, comparable price for the amenity they have. The location provides serenity that is hard to find in Shadyside. You won’t be sorry. Will be back.

Just visited the mansion last night for a happy hour networking event. Wow. The property was immaculate, the food was absolutely delicious — big burrito is the exclusive caterer here– (sushi prepared in front of us, appetizers like crabcakes, sliders, and gourmet grilled cheese). Did not stay the night but toured the rooms. Classy and sophisticated meets relaxed and totally Un-​stuffy.

Where to start.
It’s not that this place is inherently terrible — the house is gorgeous and has a cool history. (It used to be a speakeasy!!) However, it was clear that something was a little off when we all arrived for check-​in. I was meeting a friend and her mom in Pittsburgh. They were staying here and they added me to the reservation the day before arrival. Upon our 4:30pm check-​in, it seemed that our reservation existed but there was no paperwork for it, which caused a fairly significant delay. But, they were nice and while they were figuring out their issues, we were given wine and seated in the library.
Eventually they got their act together and we were brought to the double bed room. Upon entrance into the room, the first thing I (and my friend’s mom) noticed were the extremely dirty carpets. I mean, you can’t have light colored carpeting if you aren’t going to maintain them, right? And if the carpets are that dirty, what does that mean for other parts of the room?
When it was bedtime, my friend’s mom pulled back her sheets to find a squished flat crumpled up tissue IN HER BED LINENS. The linens on either bed didn’t look particularly crisp, either. The bed my friend and I were sharing wasn’t particularly comfortable either and it made a lot of noise when either one of us would shift. Unrelated to the bedding, I think we were only given one bath towel in the bedroom. I could understand 2 towels, as most of the rooms are double occupancy, but one towel? COME ON.
Overall, it just felt like they were more tuned into the wedding side of things rather than the B&B side of things as there were these little details that shouldn’t have gone unnoticed but obviously did. It’s a lovely space and it has a lot of potential, but it definitely is nowhere near reaching that potential and needs some help with basic things like, y’know, properly cleaning a room.

Great experience. The location in between shadyside and squirrel hill is hard to beat for the money. Beautiful mansion and grounds, rooms were nice and comfortable. Staff was informal and relaxed but professional, friendly and helpful. Great breakfasts from kind, talented chef. Great choice and great value for a bed and breakfast in this area of pittsburgh.

I enjoyed every moment of my stay at The Mansion. First of all, it’s a truly beautiful building. My room was stunning yet comfortable, and the staff was wonderful. The made to order breakfast was delicious (thanks to Winston), and it’s in a fantastic location. Thank you! And don’t worry, I’ll be back!

I don’t object to anything this location did, per se. My only objection is that when you spend 30% more to stay in a Bed and Breakfast, you expect a little bit extra. This was sorely lacking.
Some background: I arranged this as part of a secret date for my wife and I. When the mansion called to confirm the reservation, I asked what special things could be done for our arrival, and was promised a callback the following day which never came. I never followed up either, and really let it go as a miscommunication.
So we arrived at the hotel, and checked in and were shown to our room, which was on the third floor. First thing I realized is that there’s no bathroom in the room. The reservation states that a «full bathroom» is part of the room (which you’d expect), but come to find out it’s in the hall, which means every time we want to use it we have to dress, and head down the hall in order to get into the bathroom. Thankfully the bathroom is private, but none-​the-​less this is frustrating.
I had also read online that there is a movie theater on site, with an extra large screen, and that it’s available for renting and using. However, when I asked about it, I was told «oh, I don’t have a key but you can use it tomorrow.» Since we were staying one night, this was a major disappointment.
The last straw, though, was a mixup about breakfast times. Since we were returning home with a time schedule, we had to leave fairly early. The guidelines given us at check-​in stated breakfast started at 8 am, but when we went downstairs in the morning there was no one to be found. Come to find out from the chef that breakfast doesn’t start until 9 am on Sundays, a fact nobody bothered to mention! Chef Winston saved the day, however, by serving us right away and getting us on our way home, which is the reason the inn gets as good a review as they’ve gotten.
Finally, about halfway home my phone rings and it’s the Inn. Thinking perhaps I’ve forgotten something I answer, only to find out that they had misplaced the room keys we had given back when we checked out, and they wanted us to double check that we didn’t still in fact have them. The keys were eventually found, at the inn, but the lack of professionalism and organization in something so simple as keeping track of keys really was a turnoff.
In all, if you need a bed to sleep in this place doesn’t hurt, but the price coupled with the lack of amenities would make me look elsewhere.

I consider this place the find of the year for me. I have been traveling to Pittsburgh for business and staying at the larger hotel chains which were just ok. This place was so much nicer and friendlier. It’s a hidden gem for sure. It provides amenities that you would expect of a chain hotel including free wifi and direct TV and free on site parking. However, no hotel has the personal touches such as the friendly staff of Sean, Whitney and Chef Winston (who will make your custom breakfast to order). And this place even has a small movie theater.
At first glance, their web site appears that this mansion is better suited for weddings and the like. While it does appear to be ideal for those types events, it’s a great place to stay for business travel when you are tired of the hotel chains. It was also less expensive than the major chains in the area. This place works for business travelers looking for the comforts of home. It’s a great location within walking distance to Walnut Street and its restaurants, pubs and shops.
There is no hotel bar to hang out in or room service or a fitness center, but I found that the rest of the amenities and comforts of this place make me not care or even need those things. They call this place a «bed and breakfast» but it is the nicest, most impressive bed and breakfast I’ve ever seen. I will be staying here for all my business travels to Pittsburgh. Well done!

I had a lot of fun here. The staff was young and enthusiastic, constantly asking how they could help anytime we bumped into them, while still being fairly casual — despite the potentially pretentious high-​class building. We had one minor problem with the room and it was fixed within minutes. We went when it was mostly empty so we didn’t really interact with others besides the staff. The prices were fairly reasonable (considering the atmosphere, we expected to pay more) and breakfast was great (custom orders and a friendly chef). Interesting amenities include a miniature theatre visitors can rent to watch movies. There are plenty of restaurants and shops just a few blocks down too.
We both got a kick out of the electronic gate to get in and out too!