Couple transform Shadyside mansion into luxurious hotel

Avery Abrams and Patricia Romeo were as surprised as anyone to find themselves in possession of a Shadyside mansion -- and in the position of fledgling hoteliers.

"Patty was in visiting from Scranton for the weekend," Abrams says of that fateful day in 1994, when they dropped in on the Fifth Avenue house auction. "We were in a long-distance relationship at the time, and I said, 'Let's go check out this old house.' When we got here, there was really nobody here bidding at all. Nobody was the least bit interested."

Abrams and Romeo picked up the property for $250,000 -- and added a much larger investment in renovations.

"The steal of the century," he says. "To this day, developers say, 'I don't know how you got that.' Everyone thought it was such a mess that it wasn't worth doing."

After a year-and-a half of renovations, the European-style Sunnyledge Boutique Hotel and Tea Room was launched, and it has since come to include 25 full-time employees. Its grandeur continues to attract diners and overnight guests with its Victorian charm, elegant atmosphere and tempting menu.

Built by Dr. James H. McClelland -- the founder of Shadyside Hospital -- in 1886 as his home and office, his family continued to live in the house until the mid-1980s. The original architectural touches hearken to an "Age of Innocence" style and romance.

Improvements include a second staircase to the third floor. Brightened with a skylight, the addition conforms easily to the interior's original architecture. Hardwired sensors were installed, as well as a sprinkler system. Oversized dressing rooms were split between rooms to create large, modern bathrooms.

(The big bathrooms even garnered a bit of television fame. Those who watch ESPN probably have seen the recent NHL Productions commercial, in which a man comes out of his shower to find Pittsburgh Penguin Sidney Crosby shaving at his mirror -- the spot was filmed in a third-floor bath at Sunnyledge.)

Neither Abrams, an attorney who works in telecommunications, nor Romeo, a retail buyer in interior design, had experience in the hotel and restaurant business.

"We just winged it," says Abrams, who lives with Romeo (they're now married) and their baby daughter a few blocks away. "We both spent tremendous amount of time traveling. And if you travel, you know a nice place, from the consumer side. ... There were mistakes along the way, and there will still be mistakes. It's a small, independent hotel. It's not the Four Seasons."

No mistakes were made in decorating the eight rooms and suites. Each room captivates the visitor with individual allure in the choice of wallpaper, antique furnishings, rich bedding and accessories.

Dressing the rooms was Romeo's project. With a year-and-half of work being done, the couple traveled all around in search of beautiful pieces, acquired bit by bit, to grace their rooms.

Room 27, for example, exhibits a more handsome, masculine look, with green striped wallpaper and an inviting four-poster bed. Dark brocade curtains are edged with pom-poms. The design elements carry into the bath. Hotel and casino billionaire Steve Wynn stayed in Room 27 when he was in town.

Another room boasts a solid mahogany four-poster bed from Jamaica. Blue and white ceramic tiles cover the front of the fireplace. The wallpaper here picks up those colors in swirls. In contrast are the dark green couch and green and white striped draperies.

Traces of the McClelland family remain. A painting by daughter Rachel McClelland Sutton in the dining room shows an interior window looking out onto Fifth Avenue. It was carefully placed on the wall next to that same window. Shelves offer gadgets and bottles from the doctor's practice. And family portraits keep a watchful eye on guests and employees alike. Upstairs, the huge hallways became carefully appointed sitting areas where guests can congregate. The spaces have proven especially convenient when whole families take over the hotel for an in-house wedding or rehearsal dinner.

Abrams and Romeo have firsthand knowledge of Sunnyledge's romantic ambiance.

They were married there.

Weekdays, overnight guests are mainly corporate travelers visiting local universities and hospitals. Weekends tend to be local folks on mini-breaks.

Marcy Mackin and her husband, Jerry Schwertz, frequently make weekend escapes from their Mt. Lebanon home. They've enjoyed stays at Sunnyledge on two occasions. In search of rejuvenating weekends, they seek out local inns and hotels for pampering and relaxation.

"With the hassles of travel, it's so exhausting getting to and from a place," Marcy Mackin says of flying to other cities for a weekend jaunt.

"It is so tiring. By the time you get home, you need a vacation!" she says, laughing.

The short commute to Sunnyledge is a big selling point.

"When you're just staying a night or two," Mackin says, "I don't want to waste time getting there. I want to relax -- now."

She and her husband also appreciate having all the amenities under one roof, from high tea, to specialty martinis in the lounge, to dinner and Sunday brunch.

The neighborhood offers its own delights.

"I've been to Shadyside a million times and have done Walnut Street so many times," Mackin says, "but I'd never done the neighborhood. We meandered through the streets and found little cul de sacs and beautiful houses. And after indulging in all those meals, we really needed the walk."

Diane and Joel Aranson have the distinction of being the first guests to stay at Sunnyledge.

In 1995, the couple were preparing for a move to Boca Raton, Fla. They had sold their Oakland condo but still were in the process of selling their Pittsburgh business properties.

"We needed a place to live," says Diane Aranson, "and I said, 'What about this Sunnyledge?' I went up and knocked on the door and asked if they were open yet and told them we wanted to stay four months.

"They just looked at me," she says, laughing.

The "look" could be attributed to the fact that Sunnyledge was not yet open for guests. The kitchen was in the middle of renovations and under construction.

"We were tinkering around forever and said, 'We're going to open next month'; 'We're going to open next month,' " Abrams says. "It's like decorating a house. It's never done, and you can just drag it out forever and forever.

"So we hemmed and hawed and we said, 'Four months rental on the room; that's a nice way to start out the business.' And it turned out they're wonderful people. ... They come back a couple times a year."

It was, as they say, the beginning of a beautiful friendship. So much so that when Abrams and Romeo last visited Boca Raton, they stayed with the Aransons.

"Sunnyledge is our home away from home," says Aranson, who often returns to Pittsburgh with her husband to visit friends. "For us, it's very homey, very warm. We wouldn't stay anywhere else. We never do."

"Their" room is the second-floor suite overlooking Fifth Avenue. Room 28, also known as the Aranson Suite, was the first -- and only -- room they've stayed in.

The bright, sunny room features wallpaper with curlicues of tangerine and peach. A Monet print hangs over the mantel. Striped club chairs are part of the cozy sitting area near the windows. A four-poster bed covered in a colorful flowered print is draped overhead with rich fabric. A kidney-shaped, skirted vanity offers a feminine touch.

It's a pretty room from every angle.

"My husband and I have traveled the world and stayed in hotels like the Ritz in Paris," Aranson says. "We've never stayed any place like Sunnyledge. It has an Old World charm that beats any inn or the finer hotels."

Looking back at the past 12 years of Sunnyledge's history, Abrams retains his sense of humor.

"We didn't know what we were doing at the time. I'm not sure we still do," he says, laughing. "These bags are under my eyes for a reason.

"But once in a while you sit down and look around and say, 'This is sweet. This is very nice.' "

Additional Information:

Sunnyledge Hotel & Tea Room

What: An eight-room boutique hotel and restaurant in a historic mansion.

Room rates: $189 for standard rooms, $199 for deluxe rooms, $275 for suites. Through Feb. 14, rooms and suites are specially priced from $109-$149. All suites and rooms are non-smoking. Discounted corporate and extended-stay rates are available. Amenities include valet parking, business center, 24-hour concierge service, fitness center, complimentary shoeshine, mini-bar, personal safe, two-line speakerphone, bathrobes, hairdryers, Jacuzzis and king-sized beds under Egyptian linens. Breakfast is served to hotel guests only.

Brunch: 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Sundays. $24. Diners choose an entree from the menu, which ranges from dishes such as Lobster Salad, Cinnamon French Toast, Omelet of choice and Grilled Tenderloin Croissant. Then, it's a visit to the buffet in the library for grazing on more than 30 breakfast, lunch and dessert items -- Pate de Maison, Roasted Turkey With Mustard Sauce, Quiche and Stuffed Grape Leaves, to name a few. Coffee, tea and orange juice are included.

Lunch: 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays. $8-$16. Begin with Roasted Red Pepper Bisque or Mini Crab Cakes With Red Pepper Aioli. Salads can be enhanced with duck sausage, grilled salmon or shrimp. Sandwiches and wraps -- the Lobster Club on challah toast and the Grilled Duck Sausage Wrap on baguette are fab -- arrive with your choice of Belgium Fries or Beet Chips. Hearty large plates include Braised Beef Ribs and Grilled Scallops Mariniere.

Formal tea: 3-5 p.m. Tuesdays-Sundays. $16. Afternoon tea includes assorted tea sandwiches, fresh scones with Devonshire cream and a sampling of dessert tartlettes. The selection of teas ranges from herbal varieties, such as rose hips and peppermint, to jasmine scented tea, Chinese and Darjeeling teas and more traditional blends.

Dinner: 6-9:30 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays. $24-$28 for entrees. Sample starters such as the Wild Mushroom Tart, Roasted Beet and Tomato Salad With Goat Cheese or Chipotle Glazed Shrimp and Salmon Skewer With Jicama Salad. Entrees include Long Island Raspberry Duck in a raspberry balsamic demi, Maker's Mark Loin of Pork with apple and cherry compote and Filet of Beef en Crut with orange-grapefruit au jus.

Lounge: Noon-11 p.m. Tuesdays-Thursdays, noon-midnight Fridays and Saturdays. Complimentary martini hour buffet from 5-7 p.m. Fridays.

Address: 5124 Fifth Ave., Shadyside.

Details: 412-683-5014 or www.sunnyledge.com .