jiph

Renovation at the Gateway was hoped to finish by summer but is apparently behind, as evidenced by the fact that they are not honoring some upper-floor reservations. Exec lounge has been moved to inside the Milestones restaurant on the mezzanine while the construction is ongoing.

We could hear the work going on above us, from about 8am. It was considerably louder in the hallway, particularly on the north side of the floor, but it was still enough to keep us from lingering in the room to watch the falls on a cold morning.

We chose the Gateway specifically so that we could get a 2-bedroom suite, each with views of the falls. Had I known that these weren't available and additionally that there were noisy renovations going on, I would have booked the Fallsview.

EmeraldLady

I was just about to make a booking when I noticed a comment on the reservation form that there are 2 Marriotts and you are currently booking .....

Indeed the Gateway would appear to have been renamed, for the choices are:

Niagara Falls Marriott Fallsview Hotel & Spa or Niagara Falls Marriott on the Falls

SkiAdcock

Thanks for the heads up. I changed the name on the exec lounge sticky. Maybe PM the mod to get him to change the thread title?

What's annoying for both properties is that unless you click on the presidential suite (or similar high end suite) you wouldn't know there is an exec lounge. Other rooms don't list it; just the high end suites. I think ohmark was the first one to give the heads up on that a few years ago, so I added exec lounge weekend info to the threads for the two properties, although we could use an update.

Cheers.

SkyTeam777

On the Falls must still be charging a resort fee...is it required if you don't have a car?

ohmark

Gateway name is no more. Gateway changed to "on the Falls"

unclepants

Any recent stays at the Marriott on the Falls? I'm curious about the concierge lounge offerings and if anyone has stayed in the renovated rooms recently.

hockeyinsider

I stayed at the Niagara Falls Marriott Fallsview Hotel & Spa in July 2016. I booked a suite and received a renovated room, although it was different than what was pictured on the website. They didn't have a desk nor chair, despite these being pictured. No luggage rack, which Marriott initially eliminated when it started renovating properties around 2014 but, supposedly, brought back after widespread complaints.

It had a great view, but I thought the hotel was overcrowded. The restaurant was basically a cafeteria that was worse than a Denny's or Big Boy buffet.

Elite desk was unstaffed both at check-in and check-out. Hotel didn't even provide a complimentary bottle of water in a suite that cost $497.46. No robe or slippers, either.

I complained to the general manager, who threw 9,000 points at me to make me go away.

I just checked out TripAdvisor's recent photos and it would seem that some rooms are still not renovated.

If I was visiting Niagara Falls again, I would stay in Niagara-on-the-Lake, which is a much better experience than Niagara Falls, Ontario. Also, there are some very nice boutique hotels in and by Niagara-on-the-Lake.

There is also a Four Points by Sheraton property in Niagara Falls, New York. I see rooms for under $100, which is a much better value than the Marriott properties in Niagara Falls, Ontario. Other Marriott/SPG properties on the U.S. side are the Sheraton and a Courtyard. I also heard good things from a friend about The Giacomo, which is part of the Choice Ascend Collection.

JB123

tvtd

hockeyinsider

Having been to Niagara Falls four or five times, I don't understand why anyone would spend the night in Niagara Falls, Ontario. I can't speak to Niagara Falls, New York.

The whole area in and around strip by the hotels is a cheap, down-market tourist trap that has seen much, much better days. Nearby Niagara-on-the-Lake is much, much better and you can still visit to see the falls. The only thing you get staying there is the ability to wake up and, maybe just maybe, see the falls from your hotel room.

Lovethecabin

As mentioned, the Fallsview is right at the falls and the views are pretty spectacular. I have stayed there twice and couldn't ever find a points room. I was either told or read somewhere that the hotel does a big business in large tour groups. Last stay, the hotel was as complete zoo

I agree with hockeyinsider's post #142 .

hockeyinsider

Tour groups and conventions. Lots of associations and what not from Ontario meet in Niagara Falls for quarterly or yearly meetings.

KRSW

I (somewhat) disagree with this. I've been to Niagara Falls, ON 3 times over the past 3 years and chose the Fallsview each time. I'd agree with earlier comments -- it's often overpriced, no robe, no slippers. We've always had a desk in our room every visit, but not every room had the fake electric fireplace. The fireplaces are cheapish electric units, so if you want a little romance, buy a few candles and set them along the windowsill, turn the lights out, and watch the Falls, which is what we did. We've had good experiences with the staff there, to the point that we've befriended some of them. The Fallsview hotel has a direct walkway to the incline railway which takes you straight to the Falls.

Niagara Falls NY is a dump. The Clifton Hill area (north part of the strip near Rainbow Bridge) sucks and is a very trashy tourist trap. We didn't even enjoy driving through the area. BUT, the southern part of the strip, where the Fallsview Casino (not Casino Niagara) is located is much more serene and pleasant. Likewise, the Fallsview Casino is surprisingly nice. NO smoking allowed anywhere in the building, including the gaming floors. The clientele of this casino are several notches above the dregs of the trailer park that I'm used to seeing in US casinos. The gaming floor itself is quite large and also rather sedate, rather than the obnoxiously-loud and over-the-top feel I've seen in other casinos. I'm not a gambler, but I really enjoyed this place.

I do highly recommend visiting, if not staying, at Niagara on the Lake. Magical little town. Great restaurants & wineries to visit.

TIP: Fallsview's now charging 40 CAD/day for valet parking. (I thought it was a rip at 25CAD!) The casino garage is directly next door and has variable pricing, but can be as little as 5 CAD/day.

Tough to beat this view:



View from the bed:

Jon Maiman

Normally we go on fairly active vacations (hiking, self-guided walking tours through cities, boating, etc.). The year my daughter was born we splurged on a room with a great view and stayed at The Fallsview instead. She was only a couple of months old and tiny due to being born a month premature. We had a spectacular view of The Falls from our room, like KRSW did in post 148. It was great way to still have some nice vacation time when we needed to be extra protective with my daughter. We gazed at The Falls for hours from our room and had a nice room service breakfast. We also went to Niagara on the Lake, which is indeed a nice town with good restaurants and Summer Stock Theater. It was just less suitable for a young infant.

My point in mentioning all of the above is different people have different needs/goals for their vacation. Yes the Canadian Niagara Falls town is very touristy with lots of tourist traps. Yes Niagara on the Lake has much nicer restaurants and a classier feel to it. What people want/need varies. Each to their own.... Fast forward to today which is 10+ years later and I'd love to go back and stay at Niagara on the Lake and take in some of the theater as a family. It would also be fun to see my daughter’s reaction to The Falls now.


--Jon

joeags

We have been visiting the Marriott by the Falls for the past 4 years during the Christmas holidays. The first two years we had suites which had a separate bedroom with a narrow room by the window with one of the fireplaces mentioned above, but then they have been updating the rooms to the larger open floor plan style. I thought the room was nice, although while traveling with a 10 year old, it was nice to have those separate rooms. Visiting during the fireworks is fun, and I honestly sit for hours just watching the lights on the falls. Then again, it's only an hour drive for us to get here, and is a quick getaway versus an actual vacation.

The lounge was definitely a low-light for us. Breakfast in the morning was ok, maybe a slight step up from a Fairfield Inn breakfast, maybe not. It was the first location we had visited that charged for a 3rd guest, since matched by a few other locations. Evening appetizers were lame, other than the bags of chips provided. Yes, the highlight of the lounge in the evening were chips. I'm a notorious cheapskate who will have a large lunch out followed by a light meal in a lounge for dinner, but for this one, I rushed my family to a restaurant.

Service was fine - we have been given an upgraded room each visit (once as gold, 3 times as plat), although I have had to ask one of the platinum years.

As for whether or not to visit Niagara Falls - my son has half of his class who hasn't gone further than Toronto (from the Hamilton area), so going to see the power of the water going over the falls is pretty impressive. I worked in Yosemite for 3 years, have now travelled to some nice foreign locations, and am still in awe of Niagara Falls. We pair the visit with a trip to a museum or zoo in Buffalo, and really enjoy the visits. Each to their own, but I can't just dismiss Niagara Falls itself, especially if during the winter you want to pair it with a water park for the kids.

Oh, the destination fee recently added (last year or so) really ticks me off, and we won't be staying again this year due to that.

Here's a view from our room at night, sorry a bit blurry.