MARRIOTT FALLSVIEW HOTEL & SPA. Niagara Falls, CANADA

Niagara Falls Marriott Fallsview Hotel & Spa (Marriott Fallsview as popularly called) is located at 6740 Fallsview Blvd, Niagara Falls, Ontario L2G 3W6 Canada. Surrounded by all the magic of Niagara Falls, this hotel boasts being the closest to the falls.

The below review is put together based on my recent stay at the hotel. After my 3-days stay in Toronto, Canada, I continued this trip with another 3-days stay in Niagara Falls. Driving from Toronto to the Falls was a 75-minutes smooth ride, thanks to a great rental from National Car Rental. By the way, you can read more about all my excellent rental experience with National Car Rental here.

Location: Toronto City Sign / City Hall Toronto


2020 Chevrolet Camaro SS. Rented from National Rent-A-Car at YYZ airport

I usually take advantage of early check-in whenever I’m checking into a hotel. Thanks to my Marriott Titanium Elite status. But on this trip, early check-in was not utilized since I was hopping from one hotel to the other and had 4pm Late-Checkout at almost all the hotels.

There was only one person ahead of me at the Marriott Elites check-in line, and that line was slower than the non-elites line which has about ten people on the line.

Check-in was quite interesting and interactive. I was checked in by a vibrant associate by the name Shubham. Such an amazing guy I must say.

Ten days before arrival, I had booked a Riverview 1 King Guest Room at CA$152 (US$115). At check-in, I was told there was no upgrade available. The only upgrade available (which doesn’t feel like an upgrade to me) was Fallsview 2 Queen Guest Room. Since I wanted a Fallsview room, I didn’t mind having 2 queen beds to myself.

The check-in associate was nice enough to have waived the CA$15.95 (US$12) Mandatory Destination (Resort) Fee for me since I really didn’t get an upgrade per se. 

Niagara Falls Marriott Fallsview & Spa. Front exterior


The chandelier at the lobby


Check-in counters

A little introduction about the hotel:
The Niagara Falls Marriott Fallsview Hotel & Spa is a Category 6 hotel. Located just 100 yards from Niagara Falls, this AAA 4 Diamond 4-star hotel not only boasts the scenic view of Niagara Falls, but also over 400 newly renovated guest rooms with 36 suites overlooking Niagara Falls. This #1 Fallsview Hotel on TripAdvisor is no doubt the first choice for travelers to Niagara Falls. The major reason why majority chooses this hotel is the view. 

You can book this hotel with ± 50,000 Marriott Bonvoy points per night. But in my own opinion, I feel you get more value for your money if you book by cash. 

The Room:
My Fallsview 2 Queen Guest Room was a standard Marriott Hotel room with 2 queen beds, 2 single chairs joined together to form a love-seat, a TV which IMO is not big enough (compared to other Marriott Hotel rooms), a built-in work desk and ergonomic chair, small fridge, tea/coffee maker, 2 complimentary water bottles, an ottoman, etc.

Room 2020. Located on the 20th floor


Love seat overlooking the Falls






The view from my room window

The Bathroom:
The bathroom also is a typical Marriott Hotel bathroom. It’s the same type of bathroom you’ll find at any standard room. The bathroom has a bathtub and Shower combination, a single sink, standard bathroom amenities, etc.

Location & Parking:
While the Niagara Falls International Airport (about 20-miles away) is the closest to the hotel, the Buffalo Niagara International Airport (about 45-miles away) is easily accessible. This kind of makes sense since visitors have better flying options when flying into Buffalo Niagara International Airport than Niagara Falls International Airport. 

You can as well fly into Toronto Pearson International Airport which is about 75-miles away from the airport. As mentioned earlier, I picked up my rental car in Toronto airport and it only took me 75-minutes to get to the hotel.

There are 2 parking options (Off-site parking and Valet parking) at this hotel which both cost CA$45 (US$35) daily. I did the valet parking since I needed the in/out privileges. And besides, driving a nice car like that 2020 Chevrolet Camaro SS convertible deserves a valet treat.

The embassy suites next door charges a whopping CA$75 (US$57) for parking. There are plenty other parking options around the hotel if you don’t need the in/out privileges. You can even find a parking for as low as $10 daily.

To request your car from the valet, you can easily use the valet kiosk as pictured below, or you can text or do it even on the valet website.

You can request your car from the valet using this kiosk

Resort Fee:
The hotel charges a CA$15.95 (US$12) daily destination fee which gives you free WiFi, wine or beer tasting, 2 WEGO transit passes and more.

Please note that if the resort fee was waived for you (like in my own case), you will not receive any of the benefits associated with the resort fee.

Nearby Attractions & Getting Around:
There are numerous activities around the falls. The popular Maid of the Mist boat tour, Hornblower Niagara cruises, Fallsview Casino, Skylon Tower, Niagara SkyWheel, Journey behind the falls, IMAX Theatre, etc. You can’t run out of the things to do in and around the Falls.

If you don’t have a car, the easiest way to get around is via the WeGo transit buses. You get 2 WeGo passes with the resort fee you paid, and each one is valid for 48-hours after the first use.

You can take the ride to the Skylon Tower. There’s a Revolving Restaurant up there


You can also use the incline railway to get to the falls. Each ride cost $2.50 one way


You can do the Maid of the Mist or Hornblower tour


Get personally close to the falls

Dining:
The Fallsview breakfast is served from 7am – 11am at Terrapin Grille Fallsview Restaurant located on the Mezzanine Level. Marriott Bonvoy elites (Platinum and higher) gets complimentary breakfast for themselves and a companion at this restaurant. While the hotel has a concierge lounge which serves hors d’oeuvres from 5:30pm – 7:30pm, and dessert from 7:30pm to 10pm. In most cases, breakfast at the hotel restaurant is always better than that at the lounge. Such was the case at this hotel.

The Terrapin Café breakfast buffet had so much option, and it was one of the best Marriott Hotel breakfast selections I’ve ever seen. There’s also an a-la-carte menu that you can choose from. There’s also an omelet station where you can design your eggs your own way.

With a spectacular view of Niagara Falls from the floor-to-ceiling windows, you still get great value for your bucks even if you’re paying the $28 for breakfast. 

The buffet section at the Terrapin Cafe


So much options to choose from




Fresh fruits, cheese platter, etc.




Breakfast with a view

There’s also Morton’s Grille which opens from 4pm daily. Although I did not check out this restaurant, but from what I know the restaurant is a high-end restaurant rated as one of the best in Niagara Falls.
There is a Starbucks onsite which serves hot and cold beverages, as well as baked food. You can as well relax over a drink at the lobby bar.

There are also plenty of other restaurants around the hotel. Like the revolving restaurant at the Skylon Tower, the Italian Casa Mia Ristorante, the seafood Tide and Vine Oyster House, etc.

Hotel Amenities:
This property features an indoor pool, and a hot tub. The hotel also has additional 2 Whirlpools, Steam Room, as well as Sauna. There is also an outdoor sundeck by the pool where you can relax for some peace and tranquility.

The hotel’s fitness center has some treadmills, free-weights, elliptical machines, etc. One downside of the fitness center is the fact that there are no cool towels available.

After a long day of activities in and around Niagara Falls, you can immerse yourself in the world of tranquility at Serenity Spa. The hotel spa offers a rejuvenating treatment, facials, spa packages, etc.

Indoor pool. The hot tub can take maximum of 12 people


The pool shower




Fitness Center

Internet:
I found the internet speed at this hotel to be relatively poor. Again, as an IT Specialist, one of the few amenities some of us look forward to in a hotel is a fast broadband internet. Based on the fact that it is not a free WiFi, the 10.73Mbps download speed and 8.60Mbps upload speed is not fast enough. Since WiFi is included in the mandatory Destination Amenity Fee, the hotel should be able to provide enhanced internet. Not just a basic WiFi.

Okay enough of all this my IT jargons, anyways, the WiFi is actually fast enough for most guests.

WiFi speed

My take on the hotel:
The Niagara Falls Marriott Fallsview Hotel & Spa is located in a perfect location. It’s no doubt this hotel offers a scenic view of Niagara Falls (both Canadian and the American side). And I did enjoy my stay here despite the fact that the so-called upgrade felt like a downgrade to me. But I love the Fallsview room, and the idea of setting the couch in the room facing the Falls.

It’s good to be able to earn some Marriott Bonvoy points and Elite status while staying at this hotel. If you’re not a Marriott member, be sure to sign up before your booking. Registration is free, and it only take a minute. You don’t want to leave any point on the table.
You can visit www.marriott.com for more details on how to sign up.

I found the staff at the valet parking, check in counter, the concierge lounge, the restaurant, all of them to be very friendly and professional. 

The buffet breakfast at Terrapin Café was on point, and so is the hors d’oeuvres at the lounge. Though, while the room offers extraordinary comfort and convenience to the guests, the shower & bathtub combo in the bathroom does not.

On the negative side, the internet speed is not fast enough, while the CA$45 daily parking fee is a bit on the high side. And not providing a robe in such room is a no-no.

But I like the fact that the hotel caters for business travelers, and also family friendly. I won’t hesitate to stay here again in the future.

Featured image credit: Marriott