Recap: Leo Moran and Anto Thistlewaite in Concert

We were honored to have hosted a special concert by Leo Moran and Anthony ("Anto") Thistlewaite, former members of the famed Irish bands the Saw Doctors (Leo and Anto) and Waterboys (Anto).  They played a fabulous show, and we were delighted to have them.  Also, more than giving a fabulous performance of song and storytelling, they were incredibly gracious with their time after the show.  They are true pros and true gentlemen, and I look forward to hosting them again here in Pittsburgh.

For a link to Leo & Anto's website, click here.

For an interesting interview with Leo, click here.

For a Saw Doctors performance featuring Leo, click here.

For a performance of the Waterboy's hit "The Whole of the Moon," click here.

Burgh Bits and Bites Tours Comes to Deutschtown

Burgh Bits and Bites Tours is a neat concept dreamed up by Pittsburgher Sylvia McCoy.  Sylvia's been running these culinary walking tours in the Strip District and Bloomfield for years, and now has brought her tour to our bit of the North Side, Deutschtown.   The tour stops in a variety of destinations, including our own Priory Hotel (for hot pretzels) and Priory Fine Pastries (for some sweet treats).  The Deutschtown tour, as with BB & B's other jaunts, includes a tour guide who offers a plethora of obscure and not-so-obscure facts about the neighborhood (for Deutschtown, for instance, our guide discussed the founding of Avery College nearby, the first institution of higher education for African Americans in the City of Pittsburgh).
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Pictured in our hotel courtyard are the attendees of the inaugural tour, which include Sylvia (second from the left) and, fifth from the left, our tourguide, Richard Domencic, who also happened to be my 11th grade Social Studies teacher (the year:  1980-81).

For an article from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette regarding Sylvia's tours, click here. 

For a Living Pittsburgh interview with Sylvia, click here.  

Wilmer S. Lapp Keystone Award

I was honored to win the statewide Pennsylvania Restaurant and Lodging Association Wilmer S. Lapp Keystone Award for service to the hospitality industry.  It's very humbling to be recognized by my peers for my efforts over the years to create a strong and healthy hospitality industry in Western Pennsylvania and across the Commonwealth.  I'm grateful for the recognition.

Pictured below are me, my wife Suzanne, my father Ed, and Rick Sell, Chairman of the Board of the Pennsylvania Restaurant and Lodging Association.

Even Philly Agrees . . .

Here's a Philly.com reprint of a Chicago Tribune article about Pittsburgh's many charms -- "Beautiful Pittsburgh Has Plenty to Brag About . . . But Doesn't Feel the Need."  It's a nice summary of the many things to do and see here in the Steel City.

Read the article, by Josh Noel, here.

How Pittsburgh Avoided the Fate of Detroit

Here's an interesting article from Politico on how Pittsburgh's tech development sector, centered at Carnegie Mellon University, spearheaded Pittsburgh's renaissance and helped it avoid the doughnut-like fate of Detroit and other "Rust Belt" manufacturing cities.

The article, by Glenn Thrush, is here.

Stash Bash Coverage in the North Side Chronicle

The North Side Chronicle provided some nice coverage of our Stash Bash party, celebrating our affiliation with Stash Hotel Rewards, a nationwide network of independent hotels.  Stash offers a reward program much like HHonors or Marriott Rewards where guests can build up points toward future stays at independent hotels around the country, including stellar properties such as the Lenox Hotel in Boston and the Strand Hotel in New York City.  I've stayed at both and they are stellar properties.

Sorry for the self referential photo - it's from the article, but that is me addressing our attendees at the event, which took place in our Grand Hall.  We were pleased to have representatives of Stash in the audience, one of whom came from Chicago for the event.

You can find a link to the story here.

U.S. Air Force Heritage of America Band Performance - Thursday, June 5

Please join us for an upcoming performance by the United States Air Force Heritage Brass Band Quintet on Thursday, June 5, 2014 at our Grand Hall.

Come enjoy a night of music from these gifted Airman-musicians. From classical to jazz and popular music, from Bach to the Beatles, the group brings its brilliant brass sound to all music genres, providing a variety of music that's both educational and exciting.

Admission is FREE. Donations will be accepted to support The Veterans' Education Projectand the SFC Raymond Richard Buchan Memorial Scholarship Award. We hope to see you here!

View the event flyer below for more details. Click here to learn more about the band.

R Wine Cellars Wine Tasting - Wednesday, May 21

Please join us for our next courtyard wine tasting - featuring wines from "R Wine Cellars" - on Wednesday, May 21, 2014 at 6:30 p.m.

R Wine Cellars is the exciting new family owned and operated  winemaker located on Smallman Street in the heart of the Strip District, producing some fabulous wines from grapes sourced from California, South America and elsewhere!

Join owners/winemakers Kathy and Steve Russell as they tell the story of the creation of this “urban winery.”  This is the perfect time to sample Kathy and Steve’s wines, and you’ll be very pleased with the excellent wines produced by this startup winery. 

Guests will enjoy LIVE entertainment by Wayne Renner, four fantastic wines, and a special menu of heavy hors d'oeuvres to complement the wines, prepared by Chefs Mike Henney and Pete Phillipy.

Make your reservation now, as space is limited! Tickets are $60. To purchase, email Gene Lucente or call 412.224.6302.

"Sip Away and Stay" Overnight at The Priory
Keep the night going and purchase one of our elegant Wine Tastings Overnight Package; includes two tickets to the Wine Tasting and a stay in one of our fabulous guest rooms! All yours for just $209 per night* (Queen) or $229 per night* (King).

Priory & Brandmill Win Public Relations Society Award

I'm exceptionally proud of our marketing partner Brandmill, LLC -- principal Steve Wayhart and associates Nina Midgley and Amber Walker -- and us at the Priory Hospitality Group for winning a prestigious Public Relations Society of America (Pittsburgh Chapter) Renaissance Award for "Creative Tactics" for our 25th Anniversary celebration campaign.  Steve and his team crafted an eye catching press kit consisting of Priory branded Viewmasters with two discs of before and after 3D shots of the Priory Hotel and Grand Hall at the Priory.  The kits were a great hit with the media and were sent out in conjunction with our 25th Anniversary Bash in late 2012.  In doing so, Brandmill and Priory Hospitality outpaced media and corporate powerhouses Burson Marstellar and United States Steel.

Click here for a list of award winners.

Above are pictures from the Pittsburgh Business Times coverage of the event.

Stash Bash Launch Party Recap

We had so much fun at the Stash Bash Launch Party on Wednesday, May 7 where we celebrated our partnership with Stash Hotel Rewards! Thanks to everyone that attended!

We took our "mustache" themed Stash Bash to the extreme - with mustache props, a photo booth, mustache trivia games, mustache decorated desserts, and more! Check out the photos of the event below!

For those who didn't attend, or haven't heard, Stash is a network of independent hotels where you can earn points for free nights at unique properties around the country. Now you can enroll and earn points when you stay with us and other independent hotels in places like New York, San Francisco, Boston, New Orleans and more!

At the Priory, you'll earn 5 points for every dollar spent in the hotel (for room nights, the Monks' Bar, and any incidentals you may purchase). Your points will add up quickly, and some hotels require just 9,000 or 10,000 points for a complimentary overnight!

Click here to view the entire Stash network of hotels.
Click here to join the Stash network.