I met Jayne last year at an industry conference in New York and was instantly impressed with her offering, her approach to business and her obvious passion for Muskoka. Jayne started Jayne’s Cottages in 2013 as one of the very first cottage rental companies in Muskoka, to share her passion for the area with visitors from all over the world. Jayne helped pioneer bringing a five-star hotel experience to cottage rentals and create a new luxury vacation alternative in Canada. Read on to discover more.
You fell in love with Muskoka many years ago whilst on a family holiday – what was the draw for you?
Beautiful environment, landscapes of rocks, lakes, sunrises, sunsets, wildlife, nature, even beautiful roads that line the lakes. Boating is the biggest draw, I love being in a boat, kayak, SUP on the water. Love seeing the sunset at the end of the day. Love spending the day by the water with family/friends enjoying conversation while the lake waves constantly and consistently hit the shore. The sounds and beauty of boats going by, kids waterskiing surfing or tubing and enjoying the beautiful lakes.
How did you identify, develop and nurture the business opportunity for Jayne’s Luxury Rentals?
Muskoka has forever had a reputation of being exclusive, expensive and where the wealthiest families had their private cottages. Most people have never been to Muskoka, because you need to be on the ‘water’ to really be in Muskoka. But to get ‘on the water’ you need to be at a cottage and be boating. Some people had friends that had cottages and it was always a rarified experience if you were ‘invited’ to a friend’s cottage for the weekend.
When I started my business there were only a handful of cottages that rented. There was no luxury online marketplace, all rental cottages were on large rental websites that had small thumbnail photos. There was no categorization of the cottages, there would be cottages in Algonquin Park that had no electricity and outdoor ‘out-houses’ for bathrooms and the next listing would be beside a luxury cottage that had eight bedrooms on Lake Muskoka.
With the reputation of Muskoka, I was pretty sure that there could be a decent rental market for cottages. I knew my guests would want to experience the Muskoka reputation that they had heard, so they needed to be able to afford a more expensive vacation. I also knew that they would want to have boats, and water toys, and other key elements of a cottage experience, such as grocery shopping service and great food and drink. Maybe even a private chef? Smores for campfires and flowers for a beautiful dining table.
What are the key qualities of Jayne’s Luxury Rentals and how do these play out in the guest experience?
We want to be known as authentic and professional. We do not want to oversell. We execute very well. Our goal is to take the stress out of your holiday, to be there to take care of the details.
Your approach to promoting the area and Jayne’s offering is discreet and dignified. (I think you once asked a celebrity guest not to publish content on their social channels to protect the area from a ‘social media boom’) Please tell us more about your guests and your positioning.
Celebrities have been part of this area long before I started my business. It was just polite and expected that they would be treated the same as anyone else. Celebrities would be roaming around the towns, be at a bar or restaurants and no one would bother them, we all knew to leave them alone and allow them to enjoy their privacy. They were to be always treated like anyone else. There would not be any bodyguard or paparazzi. It is important to maintain this feeling of being safe and being respected for your privacy and allow all people to enjoy their time in Muskoka, whether you are a celebrity or enjoying the area on a day trip from Toronto. Everyone’s time should be respected and Muskoka seem to have the vibe that we really play that out.
Another example of your individual and innovative approach is the brand partnerships you have established and continue to develop. Please tell us more about these and the value they present – to both you as a business and to your guests.
Yes, we have brand partnerships with The Ritz Carlton. We work together to promote Toronto and Muskoka as urban and rural ultra luxury destinations. Many times our guests are flying into Toronto and we encourage a few days in the city and then a few days at one of our properties in rural Ontario, as all our properties are within 2.5 hrs of the city. With the downtown city airport, this works well as we can charter seaplanes direct from downtown Toronto to luxury lakefront cottages in Muskoka.
What is your top tip for a first-time visitor to Muskoka?
Definitely to get out on the water. To spend a few hours boating on one of the three lakes to see the natural beauty, enjoy the ride and the breeze. Swimming, waterskiing, kayaking or stand up paddle boarding is so peaceful, great exercise and refreshing.
Are you feeling the impact of the current US/Canadian political situation in terms of bookings?
Up until April 2025 we were tracking 15% ahead of year ago, due to the surge in US bookings. While US bookings normally were 17-20% of our revenue, as of April they represented 40% of our bookings for this year. However, over the last few weeks, we have seen a noticeable drop in US bookings due to the tariffs situation and general uncertainty. In Canada we are starting to see a general economic slowdown with some auto manufacturers sadly closing. We are unclear yet if this will effect summer rentals from everywhere in the world, but we are very much open for business in Muskoka and ready to welcome guests globally.
Muskoka in five years+ tell us what you envisage?
I envision it maintaining its beautiful natural region where the towns maintain strong environmental measures to control building and lakefront development, dark skies, noise decibel controls for watercraft and other sustainable practices.
And the luxury travel market in general – how do you think it will evolve over the next five to ten years?
I think as the world gets more stressful there will be more interest in more private homes and villas where people can have all the needed amenities and services easily accessible and they can go off-grid with just their family and friends to totally ‘get-away-from-it-all’
Luxury is highly subjective – what does it mean to you personally?
It means spending time with my loved ones with no preconceived agenda or to-do list.
What is your life motto?
Listen and ask questions, don’t hold back on trying new things, pick up the phone you never know who is on the other end.
Contact Details
Website: jaynescottages.com
