Oct 4, 2020, 1:29 pm
JW Marriott The Rosseau Muskoka Resort & Spa - Canada [Master Thread]
Sep 4, 2020, 4:01 pm
#31
Join Date: May 2001
Location: Toronto, Canada
Posts: 568
I almost bought a unit here when it started out as RED LEAVES but sure glad I didn't. It is a beautiful place but the staff is really really below Marriott standards in my opinion. Most of them are students off from school in the summer. Last time were were there was summer 2019 and the place had changed a lot. In the past the bar on the first floor was always fun and they had live entertainment at night...no more the week we were there. Food in their Italian place was really bad ... they brought me the wrong dinner...and also my guest's. We had already started to eat them so didn't return them ... but they would offer us anything off the price...and no thankyou.
Breakfast room service was good as was a room service dinner we had on one of our 5 nights on points. I found the stairs coming back from the beach a struggle for my old legs...thought they had a shuttle car but not any more. At breakfast they still have problems with birds because the students don't clean off the tables.
I'm a lifetime platinum elite and got a nice upgrade to a 1 bdrm suite facing the water .. it was on a floor however that people could walk back and forth in front of your sitting area. 3rd floor if I remember correctly.
The resort fee is a rip off in my opinion. Valet parking is expensive too, but the walk to the parking lot is an uphill walk. Again, shuttles not readily available.
Breakfast room service was good as was a room service dinner we had on one of our 5 nights on points. I found the stairs coming back from the beach a struggle for my old legs...thought they had a shuttle car but not any more. At breakfast they still have problems with birds because the students don't clean off the tables.
I'm a lifetime platinum elite and got a nice upgrade to a 1 bdrm suite facing the water .. it was on a floor however that people could walk back and forth in front of your sitting area. 3rd floor if I remember correctly.
The resort fee is a rip off in my opinion. Valet parking is expensive too, but the walk to the parking lot is an uphill walk. Again, shuttles not readily available.
Oct 6, 2020, 7:54 am
#32
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Toronto
Programs: UA 1K, AC MM E75, Marriott LT Ti, IHG Dia Amb, Hyatt Glob
Posts: 15,521
I am considering a stay at this hotel, but I see they have a spectacular $50 resort fee. I checked both the Marriott and hotel website and there's no description of what you get for $50. I emailed the hotel and they sent me an activities schedule (many of which have a surcharge)! My plan was to go there to do some cycling. 
Dec 5, 2020, 2:58 pm
#33
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Toronto
Programs: UA 1K, AC MM E75, Marriott LT Ti, IHG Dia Amb, Hyatt Glob
Posts: 15,521
I stayed at this hotel for 2 nights at the beginning of Nov and enjoyed some unusually warm weather (20-21C). The resort fee is $49 from May-Oct and $39 from Nov-Apr, so we got a bit of a break there, plus as Titanium, we got an additional $10 discount, so the resort fee ended up being $29.
I contacted the hotel via chat and inquired about an upgrade. I used points (off peak pricing) so had booked a basic room. I was upgraded to a one bedroom suite, no view. Upon arrival, I asked if any suites were available with a view of Lake Rosseau. The FD agent said in a condescending tone that I had already been upgraded from my studio room. We arrived at 1 pm and were told there were no rooms available and they would call us when our suite was ready. After we walked away from the Front Desk, it dawned on my that my status had not been acknowledged, nor was the breakfast benefit mentioned. I went back to the front desk and another agent was very apologetic. He said they would move me to the best available room which was a one bedroom suite with a view of the lake and it was available immediately. The breakfast benefit is a $75/day room credit, which can be used for anything at Cottages Restaurant including tax and tip.
The property is beautiful. Our suite had a huge balcony with a stunning view of Lake Rosseau. Suite had a fireplace in the living room and a kitchen with small fridge and microwave. One annoying thing is the safe wasn't functional. It was just a metal box with no electronics. I mentioned it at the front desk, but it was never repaired during our stay.
The resort fee includes bicycles, so we went out for a ride the first day. Unfortunately, there are no trails to bike on (only roads), so we ended up cycling on the golf cart pathways through the golf course which would never be allowed if the course was open (or if anyone had seen us). The bikes were not in great condition.
There's a great hiking trail about 20 kms away called the Hardy Lake Loop Trail. It was 8 kms long and fairly challenging, but there is gorgeous scenery around the lake.
Dinners were outstanding but also quite expensive as you would expect at a resort like this. We had dinner at Teca, the Italian restaurant the first night, and Lakes, the lobby restaurant the second night. Breakfast at Cottages Restaurant was also great. There is a breakfast buffet listed on the (paper) menu for $29, but it is not available due to Covid. The $75 was enough to cover a full breakfast for two however.
Housekeeping was available upon request.
Overall, a great stay, even though the lack of acknowledgement of Elite status got us off to a rocky start. I don't think that's ever happened to me before which is why it took me a while to realize why the FD agent seemed so offended that I had the audacity to ask for a room with a view! Good to be reminded how the non-status guests are treated I guess. LOL
I contacted the hotel via chat and inquired about an upgrade. I used points (off peak pricing) so had booked a basic room. I was upgraded to a one bedroom suite, no view. Upon arrival, I asked if any suites were available with a view of Lake Rosseau. The FD agent said in a condescending tone that I had already been upgraded from my studio room. We arrived at 1 pm and were told there were no rooms available and they would call us when our suite was ready. After we walked away from the Front Desk, it dawned on my that my status had not been acknowledged, nor was the breakfast benefit mentioned. I went back to the front desk and another agent was very apologetic. He said they would move me to the best available room which was a one bedroom suite with a view of the lake and it was available immediately. The breakfast benefit is a $75/day room credit, which can be used for anything at Cottages Restaurant including tax and tip.
The property is beautiful. Our suite had a huge balcony with a stunning view of Lake Rosseau. Suite had a fireplace in the living room and a kitchen with small fridge and microwave. One annoying thing is the safe wasn't functional. It was just a metal box with no electronics. I mentioned it at the front desk, but it was never repaired during our stay.
The resort fee includes bicycles, so we went out for a ride the first day. Unfortunately, there are no trails to bike on (only roads), so we ended up cycling on the golf cart pathways through the golf course which would never be allowed if the course was open (or if anyone had seen us). The bikes were not in great condition.
There's a great hiking trail about 20 kms away called the Hardy Lake Loop Trail. It was 8 kms long and fairly challenging, but there is gorgeous scenery around the lake.
Dinners were outstanding but also quite expensive as you would expect at a resort like this. We had dinner at Teca, the Italian restaurant the first night, and Lakes, the lobby restaurant the second night. Breakfast at Cottages Restaurant was also great. There is a breakfast buffet listed on the (paper) menu for $29, but it is not available due to Covid. The $75 was enough to cover a full breakfast for two however.
Housekeeping was available upon request.
Overall, a great stay, even though the lack of acknowledgement of Elite status got us off to a rocky start. I don't think that's ever happened to me before which is why it took me a while to realize why the FD agent seemed so offended that I had the audacity to ask for a room with a view! Good to be reminded how the non-status guests are treated I guess. LOL
Dec 5, 2020, 4:47 pm
#34
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: Toronto, ON
Programs: Marriott Lifetime Titanium, AA Plat MM
Posts: 3,582
I stayed at this hotel for 2 nights at the beginning of Nov and enjoyed some unusually warm weather (20-21C). The resort fee is $49 from May-Oct and $39 from Nov-Apr, so we got a bit of a break there, plus as Titanium, we got an additional $10 discount, so the resort fee ended up being $29.
I contacted the hotel via chat and inquired about an upgrade. I used points (off peak pricing) so had booked a basic room. I was upgraded to a one bedroom suite, no view. Upon arrival, I asked if any suites were available with a view of Lake Rosseau. The FD agent said in a condescending tone that I had already been upgraded from my studio room. We arrived at 1 pm and were told there were no rooms available and they would call us when our suite was ready. After we walked away from the Front Desk, it dawned on my that my status had not been acknowledged, nor was the breakfast benefit mentioned. I went back to the front desk and another agent was very apologetic. He said they would move me to the best available room which was a one bedroom suite with a view of the lake and it was available immediately. The breakfast benefit is a $75/day room credit, which can be used for anything at Cottages Restaurant including tax and tip.
The property is beautiful. Our suite had a huge balcony with a stunning view of Lake Rosseau. Suite had a fireplace in the living room and a kitchen with small fridge and microwave. One annoying thing is the safe wasn't functional. It was just a metal box with no electronics. I mentioned it at the front desk, but it was never repaired during our stay.
The resort fee includes bicycles, so we went out for a ride the first day. Unfortunately, there are no trails to bike on (only roads), so we ended up cycling on the golf cart pathways through the golf course which would never be allowed if the course was open (or if anyone had seen us). The bikes were not in great condition.
There's a great hiking trail about 20 kms away called the Hardy Lake Loop Trail. It was 8 kms long and fairly challenging, but there is gorgeous scenery around the lake.
Dinners were outstanding but also quite expensive as you would expect at a resort like this. We had dinner at Teca, the Italian restaurant the first night, and Lakes, the lobby restaurant the second night. Breakfast at Cottages Restaurant was also great. There is a breakfast buffet listed on the (paper) menu for $29, but it is not available due to Covid. The $75 was enough to cover a full breakfast for two however.
Housekeeping was available upon request.
Overall, a great stay, even though the lack of acknowledgement of Elite status got us off to a rocky start. I don't think that's ever happened to me before which is why it took me a while to realize why the FD agent seemed so offended that I had the audacity to ask for a room with a view! Good to be reminded how the non-status guests are treated I guess. LOL
I contacted the hotel via chat and inquired about an upgrade. I used points (off peak pricing) so had booked a basic room. I was upgraded to a one bedroom suite, no view. Upon arrival, I asked if any suites were available with a view of Lake Rosseau. The FD agent said in a condescending tone that I had already been upgraded from my studio room. We arrived at 1 pm and were told there were no rooms available and they would call us when our suite was ready. After we walked away from the Front Desk, it dawned on my that my status had not been acknowledged, nor was the breakfast benefit mentioned. I went back to the front desk and another agent was very apologetic. He said they would move me to the best available room which was a one bedroom suite with a view of the lake and it was available immediately. The breakfast benefit is a $75/day room credit, which can be used for anything at Cottages Restaurant including tax and tip.
The property is beautiful. Our suite had a huge balcony with a stunning view of Lake Rosseau. Suite had a fireplace in the living room and a kitchen with small fridge and microwave. One annoying thing is the safe wasn't functional. It was just a metal box with no electronics. I mentioned it at the front desk, but it was never repaired during our stay.
The resort fee includes bicycles, so we went out for a ride the first day. Unfortunately, there are no trails to bike on (only roads), so we ended up cycling on the golf cart pathways through the golf course which would never be allowed if the course was open (or if anyone had seen us). The bikes were not in great condition.
There's a great hiking trail about 20 kms away called the Hardy Lake Loop Trail. It was 8 kms long and fairly challenging, but there is gorgeous scenery around the lake.
Dinners were outstanding but also quite expensive as you would expect at a resort like this. We had dinner at Teca, the Italian restaurant the first night, and Lakes, the lobby restaurant the second night. Breakfast at Cottages Restaurant was also great. There is a breakfast buffet listed on the (paper) menu for $29, but it is not available due to Covid. The $75 was enough to cover a full breakfast for two however.
Housekeeping was available upon request.
Overall, a great stay, even though the lack of acknowledgement of Elite status got us off to a rocky start. I don't think that's ever happened to me before which is why it took me a while to realize why the FD agent seemed so offended that I had the audacity to ask for a room with a view! Good to be reminded how the non-status guests are treated I guess. LOL
Dec 6, 2020, 10:13 am
#35
Join Date: Sep 2012
Posts: 625
One thing I will throw in is that the nearest town with restaurants is a 30 minute drive and the prices weren't any cheaper than the resort restaurant prices. You can get groceries there, but if you are on a dining out vacation and don't want to drive and lose time from relaxing, I don't know if it's worth the effort to eat off site. And how I hate to admit that!
Jun 26, 2022, 3:51 pm
#37
Join Date: Dec 2014
Posts: 297
hi
We are titanium elite now at JW Muskoka. Check in time is at 4pm but now it‘s 5:50 but we still don’t have a room. They said upgrades aren‘t available even though lots lots of 1 bed room suites or better are available online. We are still waiting for our room… this is TERRIBLE.
We are titanium elite now at JW Muskoka. Check in time is at 4pm but now it‘s 5:50 but we still don’t have a room. They said upgrades aren‘t available even though lots lots of 1 bed room suites or better are available online. We are still waiting for our room… this is TERRIBLE.
Jun 26, 2022, 6:47 pm
#38
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: Toronto, ON
Programs: Marriott Lifetime Titanium, AA Plat MM
Posts: 3,582
hi
We are titanium elite now at JW Muskoka. Check in time is at 4pm but now it‘s 5:50 but we still don’t have a room. They said upgrades aren‘t available even though lots lots of 1 bed room suites or better are available online. We are still waiting for our room… this is TERRIBLE.
We are titanium elite now at JW Muskoka. Check in time is at 4pm but now it‘s 5:50 but we still don’t have a room. They said upgrades aren‘t available even though lots lots of 1 bed room suites or better are available online. We are still waiting for our room… this is TERRIBLE.
Nov 10, 2022, 5:56 am
#39
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: YYZ
Posts: 1,146
Hi All
Was supposed to go to Florida this weekend but unfortunately Hurricane Nicole forced us to cancel.
We are trying to plan a back up and thinking of going to the JW Rousseau for a couple of nights. Me and my wife, our two kids (6/4) and grandparents
We can get a two bedroom junior suite or a two bedroom executive suite. The executive suite has a view, a bit more space and the second room has 2 Queens vs a King and a sofa bed
The price is ~500 dollars more for the two nights.
I am a lowly Gold so don’t know what the chances of an upgrade would be if we book the Junior suite given it seems upgrades are pretty inconsistent here
Anyone have any advice to offer esp if you have stayed there before?
https://www.marriott.com/reservation...FullPrice=true
Was supposed to go to Florida this weekend but unfortunately Hurricane Nicole forced us to cancel.
We are trying to plan a back up and thinking of going to the JW Rousseau for a couple of nights. Me and my wife, our two kids (6/4) and grandparents
We can get a two bedroom junior suite or a two bedroom executive suite. The executive suite has a view, a bit more space and the second room has 2 Queens vs a King and a sofa bed
The price is ~500 dollars more for the two nights.
I am a lowly Gold so don’t know what the chances of an upgrade would be if we book the Junior suite given it seems upgrades are pretty inconsistent here
Anyone have any advice to offer esp if you have stayed there before?
https://www.marriott.com/reservation...FullPrice=true
Nov 10, 2022, 7:16 am
#40
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: Toronto, ON
Programs: Marriott Lifetime Titanium, AA Plat MM
Posts: 3,582
I have stayed there several times since the Marriott acquisition and have never gotten an upgrade for status nor had an SNA clear. I'd still go back.
It's a very nice property and this weekend is probably the last "good" weather for driving there before things become less predictable. I know someone who was there last week and did get upgraded though - only because of a problem with their initial room. They received a 2-bedroom "condo-like" unit with a balcony and were very happy. There were seasonal reductions in F&B options but they enjoyed what they had. (With no status they drove off-site for breakfast to save money.)
It's a very nice property and this weekend is probably the last "good" weather for driving there before things become less predictable. I know someone who was there last week and did get upgraded though - only because of a problem with their initial room. They received a 2-bedroom "condo-like" unit with a balcony and were very happy. There were seasonal reductions in F&B options but they enjoyed what they had. (With no status they drove off-site for breakfast to save money.)
Nov 10, 2022, 7:34 am
#41
Join Date: Sep 2018
Posts: 220
We've stayed here twice and got upgraded to 1 bedroom suite garden view both times as platinum members. Platinum breakfast is also very generous at $75/person/day ($150/day). Although my wife and I always feel the soft product at this property is lacking. The hard product is nice.
Nov 10, 2022, 2:32 pm
#42
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Toronto
Programs: UA 1K, AC MM E75, Marriott LT Ti, IHG Dia Amb, Hyatt Glob
Posts: 15,521
We've stayed here twice and got upgraded to 1 bedroom suite garden view both times as platinum members. Platinum breakfast is also very generous at $75/person/day ($150/day). Although my wife and I always feel the soft product at this property is lacking. The hard product is nice.
Nov 10, 2022, 2:52 pm
#43
Join Date: Sep 2018
Posts: 220
Are you sure about that? It was $75/day for 2 people when I was there 2 yrs ago. The breakfast entrees were $20-25/person but there was a Canadian breakfast that included juice and coffee for about $30 which our server recommended from what I can remember. How could you possibly spend $75/person at breakfast?
Nov 10, 2022, 2:56 pm
#44
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Toronto
Programs: UA 1K, AC MM E75, Marriott LT Ti, IHG Dia Amb, Hyatt Glob
Posts: 15,521
Mar 30, 2023, 12:53 pm
#45
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: YYZ
Posts: 379
will be my first time staying at this property as a platinum. Can the $75/day credit only be used for breakfast or can it be applied to lunch/dinner?