The Best View of Niagara Falls from a Hotel Room

The whole point of going on vacation to Niagara Falls is to take in the view. So, when spending the night at Niagara Falls, the smart traveler wants a hotel with a view of, well, Niagara Falls. And no hotel has a better view from their rooms than does the Marriott Gateway on the Falls . . . except perhaps the awkwardly-named Marriott Niagara Falls Hotel Fallsview & Spa. But we’ll get to that at the moment.

First, three things to know about the Marriott Gateway on the Falls hotel: It’s located on the Canadian side a mere 200 yards/meters from the most thunderous part of Niagara. It rises 32 stories upwards. Its rooms have nearly floor-to-ceiling windows.

Those qualities, taken together, add up to an absolutely superb room view. The falls themselves have a way of changing how they look throughout the day as the sun hits the mist from different angles; at night the falls are often lit up. Really, you could — and we suspect some travelers have — spend an entire day in a room at the Marriott Gateway on the Falls gazing at the scene out the window.

Sadly, the rest of the hotel is best described as “about average.” The rooms are clean and many are quite spacious. But that’s about the extent of the platitudes we can come up with. The room decor is dull. The hotel’s public areas are uninspired. In fact, the whole property has a rather dated feel to it. And then there are all the extra expenses. Parking a car for a night at the hotel costs C$20 (plus 13% tax) — and there’s no other nearby parking you can use instead. In-room internet costs an extra C$10 per day or C$15 for five days^†. The food at the hotel’s restaurants is way overpriced.

Tips for getting the best room views

Even as we have to knowledge the shortcomings of the Marriott Gateway on the Falls, Spot Cool Stuff still recommends to our readers that they stay there when they visit Niagara Falls — the room views are that good.

HOWEVER, to optimize a night at the Marriott Gateway on the Falls there are some key tips to follow:

1) Definitely choose a “fallsview” room. There is no point in staying in a “cityview” room. You may as well stay in another hotel with a view of the falls or forgo the view altogether and choose a higher quality option like the excellent Sterling Inn & Spa.

2) Upgrade to a “junior presidential suite” if possible. A room in this category might only cost around C$50 more than a regular “fallsview” room but you’ll get a lot more space, a fireplace and the whirlpool (to say nothing of a coffee maker and free bottled water — amenities that should be offered in lower category rooms but aren’t).

3) Ask for a room as high up as possible because these, obviously, have the more expansive views of the falls.

4) Avoid the 4th floor. Rooms on this floor have obstructed views.

5) Ask for a room with a number ending in 21, which are the corner rooms with the best views.

Marriott Gateway on the Falls vs Fallsview & Spa

The Marriott Gateway on the Falls is often, and understandably, confused with the Marriott Niagara Falls Hotel Fallsview & Spa. The two Marriott properties are next door to each other (see pic, below) and are very similar in quality and price.

In fact, one could argue that the room views from the Fallsview are slightly better because it is slightly closer and has the slightly better angle of the falls. We prefer the Gateway because it has the floor-to-ceiling windows. But if the “fallsview” room at the Gateway are sold out, Marriott’s Fallsview makes for an excellent backup.

LEARN MORE & BOOK | FIND CANADA GUIDEBOOKS |

^†  Hotels charging for wifi is a major peeve of Spot Cool Stuff. If you stay at the Marriott Gateway on the Falls we suggest you 1) ask to speak to the manager and complain and 2) use the hotel’s free wifi in the lobby.

LEARN MORE & BOOK | JOIN US ON TWITTER / FACEBOOK / PINTREST / GOOGLE+

More from Spot Cool Stuff:

The Unusual Restaurant in the Middle of a Waterfall
Dunn River Falls: Jamaica’s Beautiful, Crowded Waterfalls
The Resort with the Best Views in the Caribbean
The Best Travel Cameras