Canada Suites Yorkville

I last was in Toronto four years ago, having stayed in a nice condo apartment through a company called Bellamond Yorkville, which is also apparently Canada Suites and/or Teristo (the company seems to have many aliases). I made a reservation in 2019 for the following year, since I loved the location in Yorkville on the corner Avenue Road and Yorkville Ave. Unfortunately, due to the pandemic, I did not return to Toronto until this year (2023) and had to defer my reservation. Canada Suites does not offer refunds, so I had to keep deferring or be out almost $1500US. My assumption when I contacted Andrew (the GM) to confirm my reservation this year, was that I was to be staying at the Yorkville condo building. I provided him with a copy of my passport as well as a copy of my credit card. I also had to provide a $1000CA security deposit, refundable upon check-out (if there was no damage to the property). Imagine my surprise when I was sent the rental agreement that I would be staying at the Aura condos on Yonge street (about 1.5 miles away), with no explanation why I was no longer at Yorkville – my assumption is that they did not have a vacancy. I received this information about 24 hours before my flight, so I was stuck and felt this was a bait and switch. I was promised that the suite would be great and they provided me with check-in details and their main housekeeper would greet me upon arrival to give me the keys. I texted them when I was on my way. The check-in process was smooth and the housekeeper gave a quick tour of the apartment, showing me how the dishwasher and washer/dryer worked as well as where the kitchen supplies were. I forgot to ask her about the wifi password, so I texted Andrew and he replied right away. I was kind of surprised that there was no guest binder in the apartment with this info. The housekeeper had left some Polish candies and an envelope for a gratuity. The apartment at the Aura was nicely outfitted, clean and also to my surprise, on the 68th floor with a Southeast view of Lake Ontario. The bedroom had floor to ceiling windows along with a remote control for the window shade. The queen bed was comfortable but a bit tight in the room, there was about 2 feet of space between the bed and the electric fireplace and a flat screen TV above it. The room also had a small walk in closet with built in shelving and plenty of hangers. It was a great place to store my luggage. I was surprised there was no mirror in the closet. The only mirror in the apartment was the large mirror in the bathroom. The bathroom was spa-style with a large soaking tub/rain shower combo that could be hand held. I found the lighting to be a bit dim in the bathroom and dark in the shower. Since the tub is a soaking tub, I needed to be careful getting in and out as I’m only 5’4. There was some storage next to the sink and a hook to dry bath towels and one towel rack. There was a tiny garbage can in the bathroom which needed to be emptied almost every day. I did appreciate that the bathroom was right across from the bedroom (in the Yorkville apartment, I had to walk through the living space to get to the bathroom). The kitchen was well equipped with a microwave, full electric stovetop and stove, a dishwasher and plenty of counterspace, including an island with a wine fridge. There was also a coffeemaker, an electric kettle and a toaster. I was able to make quick breakfasts or heat up some prepared meals I bought at Eataly (which was 2 subway stops away on Bloor St). They also provided a couple of bottles of water in the fridge. I would have preferred a larger garbage can in the kitchen, so I wound up using paper bags from Eataly to collect the trash. The trash room was close to the apartment so it was easy to remove trash. Overall, the apartment was comfortable to stay in during my week in Toronto and I felt it was a good value. However, I also didn’t love being on the 68th floor. While the views were nice, going up and down in the high-speed elevators made my ears hurt. I also turned off the A/C at night because it got cool and the system was a bit noisy. The A/C and heat controls were in the main living space hidden by a floor lamp so I had to move the floor lamp to access. The location of the Aura is easily accessible to the College Street subway across the street at 444 Yonge. There is a Metro supermarket in that building open until 10PM. It was always busy and well stocked although lacking in organic options. The area is full of college students and a few blocks north of Dundas Square and the Eaton Centre mall. While centrally located, I still prefer the more upscale and quieter setting of Yorkville and I missed it during my stay, especially the nearby Whole Foods. Upon checkout, I was required to provide a picture of the keys left on the counter. I was also refunded my security deposit a few days later. While Canada suites provided me with a nice place to stay, I did not appreciate the lack of transparency regarding the location and the last-minute nature of getting my check-in instructions. Due to this, I would not recommend them and will be looking at other alternatives the next time I’m in Toronto.

We rented a 2 bedroom "Presidential Suite". Very small but very well equipped and had nice toiletries. No room in the bedroom to open my suit case. Easy access to shops etc. Only complaint was the hair on the bathroom floor on arrival.

I booked 5 night stay many months in advance on bookings.com and was charged 50% of the price-Canadian $. The booking said I would pay in the spot (that's why I made the booking in a 1st place not being 100% sure about the dates and to have the ability modify later). When I saw the charge I cancelled right away and requested my money credited back. Of course to take your money it takes no more than 1sec but to get it back up to 10days. So the credited amount was $5.75USD less. Dukes have nothing to do with it, credit card too but I was the one in between. Very unpleasant. Why would I loose money on something like that? I am sure anyone would feel the same way.