Working Remotely from a Lakeside Dock in Muskoka – made possible by Xplore

Located just 10 minutes outside of Gravenhurst, Ontario, right on the lake, The Chalets on Lake Muskoka offers the perfect escape from the hustle and bustle of city life, while still allowing guests to stay connected to what matters most.

With Xplore's internet connection, guests can work remotely right from the dock, soaking up the beauty of their surroundings while being productive. But that wasn’t always the case.

“We were getting complaints constantly from guests about the WiFi because 95% of visitors are from the GTA and need to be able to log into work when they have to,” Natasha O'Farrell, one of the owners of The Chalets on Lake Muskoka said.

She is often on site at the chalet and relies on the Internet to keep up with her own corporate day job.

“I have to be online and have good Internet. Since we got Xplore, I can be in video meetings, I can share big files and I can download while all our guests are also online,” she said.

With their old Internet provider, Natasha and her guests were struggling with dead zones.

“Before we were with Xplore our Internet was very patchy. We had chalets with no Wi-Fi whatsoever. We had more boosters around the place than you could shake a stick at. It was really something we couldn’t say we offered because it was so unreliable, even though we were paying a significant amount of money,” Natasha said.

They had their local Xplore Authorized Dealer DOT Communications come in to do an assessment.

“We had assumed there would be dead spots forever, but Ingo from DOT Communications spent over half a day on the grounds of the resort walking through and assessing what we needed. He also worked with us to be sure we were on the plan that was most cost-effective for us which is very important when you’re running a small business,” Natasha said.

Natasha and her business partners were blown away by the level of customer service they received.

“It was phenomenal. Not only did he assess and drill down what our needs were, but he went around and tidied all the old wires, that had been left over the years by the previous owners trying their hardest to get Wi-Fi. It was quite ugly. It was incredible to have somebody who cared not just about getting us up and running but how to best serve us as a business,” she said.

Natasha, her husband Walter and their business partner Rachel acquired The Chalets about 18 months ago.

They were real estate investors, looking for a resort that was driving distance from Toronto where groups and families could come and create memories and traditions of returning every year.

“People are already booking their stays for next year so our hard work is really paying off,” she said.

She and her team are thrilled to see their guests enjoy what they’ve built.

“You can see people’s shoulders relax when they arrive. Seeing the experience of the guests is one of the best feelings ever. Hearing the laughter of children playing on the water trampolines, teenagers playing on the volleyball court, , adults kayaking and canoing. It’s really rewarding to see guests enjoy what it is we’re offering and coming back to book time and time again,” she said.

With costs rising in the city, her guests aren’t always able to take their full stay at the resort off work.

Now, with Xplore Internet, folks can count on being able to work remotely.

“People can come without taking time off work, families can come and everyone can sign in on their phones and tablets. There’s a smart TV in every unit with perfect streaming. Our biggest cottage can accommodate 16 people and even there, with everyone logging on at the same time, we still have perfect Internet. Overall it’s been night and day for us,” Natasha said.

The Chalets on Lake Muskoka also use their Xplore connection for their business operations while on site.

“The majority of transactions we do are online so it’s really important that we always have powerful enough Internet to respond in real-time with no delay or lags. When we pay bills, everything is instantaneous,” Natasha said.

Since coming across Xplore at this year’s Cottage Life Expo and getting connected just a few months ago, Natasha is so pleased to be done with the stress of unhappy guests.

“Now we can say we have Wi-Fi and come work from the dock, deck and beach and we know with confidence that it’s something we can stand by now.”

Whether you’re a business or a resident, Xplore has a high-speed Internet option for you. Use our check availability tool to see what service is available in your neighbourhood.