JW Marriott The Rosseau Muskoka Resort & Spa — Hotel in District Municipality of Muskoka

Stayed here for a couple of nights with my wife and baby earlier in the month.

Our experience didn’t start brilliantly when we had a call from our booking agent less than a week before we were due to stay, saying the hotel wanted to cancel our booking as they had a large conference on. Given we had booked over 6 months earlier, it was disappointing they were prepared to try and cancel our booking with so little notice. As we were travelling with out 8 month old baby and our stay was part of a wider tour of this part of Canada, the hotel agreed we could stay but noted there would be limited facilities available and we wouldn’t be able to eat in the restaurants but that they’d give us $200 to use on in room dining as an apology for the inconvenience. As there were no other comparable alternatives available, we were left with little choice but to accept this offer.

When we arrived at the hotel we were checked in by the assistant guest reception manager. We went to our room in Paignton House which was lovely, although as this is separate from the main hotel I suspect we were put here to keep us out of the way of the conference guests.

When we looked at the information we’d been given regarding the facilities which were available (effectively just the swimming pool), which said in room dining was not available throughout our stay. Given this was the only on-site option available, and we’d been given credit to specifically use on in room dining, this seemed rather ridiculous. Eventually we were offered a greatly reduced menu. Had we known the limited choice which would be available, we would have brought more food with us to cook ourselves.

Ordering food was problematic as the assistant reception manager who checked us in seemed to be the only person who was able to make anything happen – everyone else we spoke to always had to go and check with someone else and phone us back. The food we did have was reasonable, but one tray was sitting outside our room for almost 24 hours before it was collected. This was not particularly impressive, and especially disappointing given in room dining has a $5 delivery charge (which I don’t think we should have had to pay given we had no choice but to eat in our room) and an 18% gratuity added. These charges, coupled with the already high prices, meant that 2 burgers with no drinks ended up costing around $70.

The indoor/outdoor swimming pool was lovely and had beautiful views over the lakes. One of the other facilities still available was the disc golf, and the information we were provided with said you should contact reception to get the discs to use for this. When we spoke to reception the person we spoke to seemed to have no idea disc golf was even a facility the hotel had, but she went to check with someone, and then reappeared with the seemingly only knowledgeable member of staff – the assistant reception manager. When we did have the discs we went to find the course, which consists of 3 targets all pretty close together and takes about 10 minutes – all rather a waste of time.

When we checked out I was told the amount which would be debited from my card, which I thought seemed about right for what we had spent. When the transaction appeared on my card it was for more than this amount, so I queried it. The hotel had not added breakfast on our final day to the amount they told me at check out, and had also charged us $88 in resort fees. Given almost no facilities were available to us, I’m not sure how the hotel can justify charging this resort fee (I would very much welcome their thoughts on this).

Overall, a rather disappointing experience, and one which I’m sure would have been different had there not been such a large conference taking place at the same time as our stay.

Left a similar review on TripAdvisor and the hotel replied with a generic response saying they assume their management team had been in contact to address our concerns, but they didn't bother, so...

Last time we went we thought we got the worst room at the whole resort, but this trip did not disappoint as we finally got the absolutely worst possible room at the entire place, hands down. I will explain, but as a warning please call the resort directly before your stay and get room codes added to your reservation so you do not end up with the same huge disappointment as us. At over $1200/night it was heartbreakingly bad. We ended up in the sub, sub basement (bottom floor) of Paignton House (a separate building), at the absolute end of the hallway from the elevator. Technically it is the farthest you could possibly get from the main resort requiring - a walk down a long hallway from our room, an elevator up, a walk across a bridge, a walk across a games room, an elevator up, a walk down a hallway to the spa, a walk down another long hallway past empty doors, another elevator up and then you are in the main lobby. After we figured out the weird room numbering system at Paignton House (I guess to disguise the sub basement numbers) and realized where we had been put, I got a sinking feeling in my stomach and instant disappointment and regret that we had come yet again. We were all so excited to go and ready to unwind and as we walked down that long bottom floor, basement hallway I just began to cry. I think they really, really need to let people book SPECIFIC ROOMS so they know EXCATLY what they are buying!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Surprising people with a massive bill and a surprise awful room doesn't go unnoticed. We have been going for many years and it's really a problem because when you book it's just 'mystery location' for your room (even as a repeat Bonvoy Member who comes every year). The first year we were on the 4th floor of the resort, facing the water in possibly the best room in the resort, and each year they have popped us down a notch. If we go next year I think we may find ourselves sleeping in the little activity shed down by the lake with a few towels to lie down on. As usual, we brought food and the kitchen had almost no supplied, 2 cups, 2 plates etc. making it impossible to serve proper family meals. The burners also only get lukewarm so impossible to boil pasta or actually cook meat properly. This, once again, forced us to the restaurants to eat many meals and left us with a lot of food to throw away before we drove home as there was no way to prepare and serve it properly. As a side note: after we hoofed it all the way to the main building to get dinner one night we went over to the front desk to get water bottles. There, a man was checking in and he asked his wife to take his two kids out of earshot because "Daddy needs to do some taking." She walked away with the kids and the man began arguing furiously about the room he been given and how horrible it was. He was visibly irate. I think all in all the entire resort and it's design could have been heaps better. It should have been closer to the water. That's the big draw. The most expensive cottages on the lake are raised up a bit from the lake and offer a short walk to a beach and dock. Anyone who frequents Muskoka or knows the lake, knows that, which makes you wonder who they hired to design the hotel? Why is it so high up, forcing guests to walk up and down hundreds of steps, to the point of exhaustion, to get to the lake? Why does Paignton House have a bend in it, leaving the end units not directly facing the lake, but instead more towards the woods? Why is the place a sea of stairs, hallways and elevators making it feel very disjointed? Again, all questions for the architect but a simple review of even just Cleveland's House, and a few other tried and true resorts on the lake, would have given the hint that near the water is best. A longer, fully attached hotel, along the water front would have been perfect, but I digress. Things to consider for future projects. All in all, our most...

This was our first time staying at The Rosseau, and we wanted to "sample" it with a one-night stay before committing to a longer visit.

Check-in was a bit bumpy. We had requested an early check-in for noon, and while I understand that early check-ins aren't always guaranteed, it would have been helpful if they had provided an estimated time for when the room would be ready. We were eventually able to access our room around 2:30 PM, although the official check-in time is 4:00 PM.

That being said, the staff throughout the property were incredibly courteous and kind, which made a positive impact on our experience.

We booked the hotel a week in advance, but unfortunately, most of the enrichment programs were already fully booked by the time we arrived. The dining reservations on-site were also completely booked, which was a bit disappointing.

I did manage to book a massage at the spa, and it was fantastic. However, I was unable to fully enjoy all the spa amenities due to the high demand. For example, the salt cave has seating for only four people, and the oxygen bar accommodates just two.

There was some confusion when booking the hotel regarding the type of view for the room. This led to several cancellations and rebookings on my part. When I checked in, the front desk staff informed me that I still had multiple reservations, even though they were all canceled on the app. The issue was resolved quickly, and the front desk explained that they often experience "connectivity" issues with corporate reservations. I recommend contacting the hotel directly for any questions, as there are multiple room descriptions on the Bonvoy App that contain discrepancies. For example, some room titles state one view, but the details list a different view. Additionally, the bathroom count is sometimes inaccurate, and the distinction between full and half baths isn't always clear.

We stayed in an executive two-bedroom suite, and the space and layout were lovely. However, some parts of the room showed signs of aging. The threshold between the bedroom and bathroom was worn, and I could feel the carpet nail strip beneath my feet, so we placed a towel over it for comfort. Some of the handles on the vanity were also loose, and the kitchen was "okay," though the freezer could have used a cleaning.

The balcony was closed for the season due to safety concerns, which was understandable.

The pool area was great, though the jacuzzi was closed for part of our stay. One thing to note is that the pool entry closes an hour before the pool itself officially closes, which is a bit inconvenient.

While the majority of the staff were friendly and helpful, I noticed some guests weren't familiar with basic etiquette, which detracted from the experience. For example, some guests would clear out all the water bottles in the gym, cover all the equipment with towels, or even stuff towels into their bags. There were also instances where guests would leave the gym sweaty and then immediately jump into the pool. It would have been helpful if staff were present in these areas to discourage such behavior, as well as to prevent guests from filming other patrons in the common areas. Although we understand the excitement of staying at such a beautiful facility, part of the appeal is the serene atmosphere, which was often overshadowed by pushy and rude behavior from some guests toward both the staff and fellow visitors.

Overall, the location of The Rosseau is stunning, and we did feel that the value of staying during the off-season was acceptable. However, I do hope the facility considers increasing staff presence in the gym and pool areas to help maintain the tranquil atmosphere that many guests are...