The Royal Muskoka Hotel

Every lake district needs hotel accommodation and full-service hotels. Muskoka is no different. One of the early hotels built in Muskoka was one of the largest and grandest.

The Royal Muskoka Hotel was built by the Muskoka Lakes Navigation Company starting in 1901. The goal was to create the finest lodging in Muskoka.  Alexander P. Cockburn, founder of the Muskoka Lakes Navigation Company and primary investor in the hotel, set out to exceed all limits of luxury for the time and to attract thousands of discerning guests from across Canada and the United States.

The hotel was situated on an island, joined to the mainland by a causeway on Lake Rosseau.  The capacity was 350 guests at a rate of $3.50 a day or $20 a week. The clientele was wealthy families who preferred to experience Muskoka from a luxury vantage point.  It was the first hotel in Muskoka to have electricity, and it also had steam heat for the rooms which could be reversed for cooling, and hot and cold running water, which was not common at that time.

The Royal Muskoka offered a range of activities: hunting, fishing, walking trails, a 9-hole golf course, tennis courts, bowling greens, a riding stable, a post office, barber and beauty shops, a bakery, a bar, and a billiard room.

The hotel was such a success that another ship, RMS Sagamo, was built to augment the fleet so that visitors could easily get there from the train and the wharf in Gravenhurst.

The hotel burned May 18, 1952, and today the 130-acre property is subdivided into lots with cottages.