Globalstay. Burano Condos in Downtown Toronto

Beautiful views nice area

Booked through Expedia then was sent a message on Whatsapp asking for a $300 deposit via PayPal. Big red flag that this is a scam. Did a Google search and this has happened to others. Shane on Expedia for listing them on their site.

The check in process was lengthy with many email exchanges. It was not a smooth process and difficult to deal with while traveling. The place was clean and the view was amazing. Ive heard there is difficulty in getting damage deposit back. Will update here once I know outcome.

Property is located in an excellent neighborhood in a nice building. Unfortunately, the unit was cheaply furnished with an old mattress that is broken. There were some random shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste underneath the sink. The cabinet was quit dirty as well.

I loved the view of downtown

Was uncomfortable arriving to unlocked suite and key inside suite then when checking out leaving unit not locked and key on table. Only supplied one key for two guests.

A basic tiny apartment with a full kitchen and washer drier. There are no services We were instructed to wash any towels we use and to clean the apartment and remove all our trash. We never saw anyone.

I should have read the reviews more closely. requires a deposit on a different unprotected site, and there are added costs; unresponsive to emails except when they want the deposit; unpleasant lighting, and they charge you a big cleaning fee but require you to do it. Packed with students. Never again.

Front desk person is awful, only two elevators one of which was broke half the stay and had to walk down from the 29th floor and the unit we rented and packed accordingly for had a broken washer and dryer so we were unable to wash any clothes. Good location but don’t expect any help from the front desk and get ready to walk because the elevator situation isn’t the best.

Beautiful stay. Difficult booking and too much back and forth with requirements for booking, long waits for replies.

The condo was clean, did not have a city view as noted in the description. They do require a $200 deposit in order to get your check in info, and they have you send it via paypal, not sure if this is within the expedia guidelines or not, but at that point it was too late to cancel and try to find somewhere else. I had read HORRIBLE reviews about this place and was pretty nervous, but they got my deposit back to me within the 7 days as promised so overall it was a good stay.

The unit was fine. The actual booking of the property is confusing as they required a $200 damage deposit outside of Expedia’s website, even though Expedia says to never make a payment outside of their website. Also have to submit a selfie and government ID.

AVOID at all costs. We reserved a crib (see convo in screenshot) 3 weeks prior to arrival. I emailed the day of to confirm. There was no crib. My baby had to sleep on the floor. The sheets for the pull-out sofa had hair and dirt on them. Dirty sock on couch. Old rotten coffee in coffee pot. NOT a single piece/roll of toilet paper (they delivered 3 rolls 4 hours after we checked in). Wet laundry from previous guests in the washing machine. Not the company's fault but power also went out and with it went the water and A/C for several hours. The company was extremely rude and unhelpful regarding the crib. They denied I ever reserved it. They also made me pay an extra $30 fee to have our 6mo old baby as a 4th guest. No apologies for the conditions, just gaslighting emails/texts back and forth until we just gave up. My 9yo has been traveling since she was a toddler. She's never cried on vacation. She did multiple times on this trip, beginning when she went to the bathroom after a long day of traveling to have ZERO toilet paper to clean herself. I asked for financial compensation. They refused. I asked to please let us cancel our 2nd and 3rd nights. They also refused. I travel a lot, both solo and with family. I've never had such a negative experience and especially for nearly $300/night USD. It's been 9 days since we checked out and I still haven't received my deposit back that they made me pay through PayPal. Extremely rude company.

Seamless check in, convenient and comfortable space.

Expedia has been helpful in the issues following, however Globalstay themselves seem to have issues with communication. We were charged the extra guest fee and the listing was shown to have a pullout couch for our extra 2 guests in our party (party of 8 total). So 2 of our guests had to sleep on the floor as Globalstay had no other accommodations for us that night, not even a roll away bed. Also my wife used her card for the refundable deposit (which is reasonable) but instead of dropping the charge, they charged her card in full $151 USD. not impressed by them at all. Would not recommend

It was not as advertised, the service and customer support was awful!!!

The unit could use some update or repair Like the tub faucet broke, washer and dryer is older very loud, the futon bed not comfortable at all, queen bed mattress way too soft It had most supplies needed, you don’t get access to the gym or pool One night there was a power outage and woke up to no water and no A/C. Contacted Globestay the replied via email relatively quickly, same with security downstairs.

Bathroom smells like mold. Bathtub looked dirty that I didn’t roast to take a shower there. And the unit had an off smell to it

We stayed at their small 1 bedroom, it is okay for a weekend stay.

Nicely located, nice comfy appartement with everything you need

Bed comforts

Refused to accommodate and IDENTITY THEFT concerns. The property requested a selfie of the guest holding ID in hand and a photo of ID over unsecured email communication as a condition for giving you the check-in information (including the room number) immediately after the free refund period ended. This is not mentioned in the check-in policy or earlier communications (when one can get a full refund). The property refused to follow its own check-in policy or fully refund the trip. More creepily, when I was calling Booking customer service, and when Booking agent was calling this property to address policy violation, I received multiple calls from an unknown Hong Kong number that had 12 scam reports online. The reports suggested that this number specifically pretends to be a Booking or Booking hotel agent and requests personal information to commit identity theft fraud. The Guardian also reported a phishing scheme like this, where Booking emails were hacked. When I called the Booking customer service the following day, I received another phishing call during the call! We don't know where the hacking happened between the property and Booking or how much this property was involved in the phishing. But this is certainly the creepiest short-rental experience I'd ever had. We ended up booking another last-minute motel stay--it was most inconvenient and disruptive to the travel plan. I am still in contact with Booking to get the money back (which involves hours of wait on customer service calls...) But at least, we dodged an identity theft scam.

Other than a possible allergy to something in the smallest bedroom, (which has no windows and therefore limited air circulation, the issue could also be related to the fabric softener used on the bedding), the suite was clean and tidy, and fully stocked with cooking essentials. However, there was some overlap when I was discussing early check-in/out with the property, and they seemed a bit disorganized. Nevertheless, the stay went smoothly overall. Great location and beautiful view from our suite.

Location was great, close to Subway, Restaurants and Groceries.

The UNIT WAS ADVERTISED WITH HIGH SPEED INTERNET BUT THERE WAS NO INTERNET CONNECTION! The key reason I chose this property, However, the REALITY was very different - the internet was non functional and even WORSE, it turns out the connection is SHARED FROM ANOTHER UNIT without any repeater or mesh system. This makes the setup extremely CHEAP AND MISLEADING. We stayed for 3 nights 4 days and the internet issues was never resolved during our entire stay. As a result, I was unable to work remotely for three full days, which caused significant disruption and stress. This situation is completely unacceptable. NO RESPONSE AND ACTION FOR THREE DAYS. I expect his matter to be taken seriously and I am requesting appropriate compensation for the false advertising and the significant impact this had on my work.

Clean and quiet

Nice view, decent location, you do have to walk/drive to main attractions. Food nearby. Dedicated parking was nice.

The bathroom needs updated. Smelled like urine even after we cleaned it when we got there. Shower head is in bad shape, leaks everywhere. Emailed the property manager about it as well. Bed isn’t comfortable. Wifi dropped a lot so it was hard to watch tv.

Our stay was good. The view was great and location was good. Was nice having the chance for an early check in and later check out.

PROS: The building is exactly as described. Neat and clean, great views. Water pressure in bathroom was better. Hot water ran, even though some comments here said they had issues with hot water. The amenities that was great were the towels and the room. Also security deposit came back to my CC in 7 days. A tip for the management, buy an under sink rack, it's like $15 and arrange the items in the bathroom sink closet. It looked a mess CONS: My problem was WIFI. It never worked. Before I got there, the team responded well but after I got there, it was a hassle getting someone on the phone. I kept following up on the Wi-Fi issue, they said they will send someone. No one came, On the eve of my my last day there, they said they remotely reset the wifi. No change until I left there. And because it's a high rise, you don't get good network on your phone either, so you are dependent on the wifi that basically does not work. I had to go down 39 floors with the elevator of course, to make calls or send emails. It's a great place absolutely, but forget working from here or making calls. Just enjoy the views.😂

The property itself was nice, but the check-in process was very frustrating. I had booked this condo in advance, but when I arrived, I couldn’t check in right away. I had to call someone, send an email, and wait nearly two hours just to get access. The process felt overly complicated and inconvenient, something I’ve never experienced before.

I was surprised and disappointed to be asked for a selfie while holding my ID after making the booking. This requirement was not communicated in advance, and I consider it an invasion of my privacy. If this is a necessary step, it should be stated clearly before confirming a reservation. Transparency is key, and I would have appreciated being informed upfront.

Unacceptable Conditions – Health Hazard and No Resolution I had a very disappointing experience at this property and feel compelled to warn other travelers. There was visible black mold in the shower, making it completely unusable and posing a serious health risk. This meant we were unable to use the bathroom for the entire duration of our stay — a basic amenity that was clearly advertised and expected. Despite reporting the issue immediately and providing photo evidence, we received: No timeline for repairs or alternative accommodations, No usable bathroom for the stay, And an inadequate response from the host, Globalstay, considering the severity of the issue. This situation significantly impacted our comfort and hygiene. We were left without a safe or sanitary space, and the lack of urgency or accountability was unacceptable.

I really like the view from the property. The amenities in the property is really nice.

Compact but everything you need for a central stay in Toronto Clean, good bed including sofa bed, all kitchen utensils and appliances work well Even some storage/ sandwiches boxes and a reusable ice block in freezer Entrances staff really helpful and the system for access works

Some info about where nearest grocery stores and good places to eat would have saves a bit of time on google Second key if there are more than one guest would be helpful

Apt was nice, views were great.

Before getting there was told parking wasn't available but after unloading our vehicle and getting into apt then talking to front desk person who help us to patk

Beautiful place to stay the beds were comfortable the view was spectacular, perfect home away from home. Definitely booking here again.

Location

View could have been nicer.

Great location for us. Clean and comfortable.

A little confusing with getting into the property and the parking but that was probably on us.

The location was excellent, the flat was nice too.

We didn't get hot water often and the staff didn't help as they promised someone will come to look into the issue but no one came. I am still considering complaining to Booking.com about it as the lack of hot water messed up our sightseeing plans. As it is we were three people sharing the bathroom and hot water would disappear every time we planned to shower. To top it all the staff also didn't respond to many of my messages, I wrote to them about various things especially as there were no instructions on how to use the top loader washing machine (I am only used to front loading one) and it was tricky to use it. We were in a hurry to leave but the host wanted us to put the towels in and start the machine, without providing any instruction manual.

Location

Hair dryer bad. Loud washer and dryer.

We were looking for a reasonably priced place that was close to downtown, and this satisfied: We were within two blocks of College Station, with a grocery store, two drugstores, and a variety of restaurants also within two blocks. If you like daily turndown service or morning continental breakfasts, this isn't the place for you, but we liked having the condo entirely to ourselves for the entire six-night stay. Our teen slept on the pullout couch, and though he's a picky sleeper, he said it was comfortable. The main bed was also fine. My only real complaint: I was initially told there would be parking available, but closer to the date, they said there wasn't any. However, through SpotHero, I found an inexpensive spot two blocks away, and since the plan was to use public transit the entire time, that worked out fine.

The location was very central and close to restaurants and liquor store. Outlook of city was amazing

We booked through cash back program to get money back from our stay. The company declined the cash back and said we did not stay when we did. The staff were robotic and very rude. There was no flexibility in check in times, we were not even able to check in at 4pm as advertised because the unit had not been cleaned and then when asking for parking facilities 7 days out they said check closer to time, when we did they declined as we did not ask in advance. Asked for advice where we could park our rental car and got told to research it on internet. The unit was cluttered with furniture which made it cramped. Absolute disgrace of a place to deal with and strongly advise of not to stay in this accommodation if you want to enjoy your holiday.

This is terrible! We checked in the room without power! It’s supper hot! We went out to have dinner to hope that we will have power when we come back but It actually there were nothing happen! After 4 hours we got power back then we did not have water!!! It’s a nightmare for us with 4 adults and 3 children.

Nice view, clean, new condo. Nando's on ground floor. Location is good to get to University, Bloor Street shopping, transit. Pillows need a refresh. You'll need to know that they only supply one roll of toilet paper. One, single, not full roll. Not great when there is more than one person and if your stay is more than a few days. Not a hard thing to fix but makes it seem budget.

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Very nice condo and amazing view

Did not like to pay through PayPal. They could also mention GUEST could park there for free if you speak to front desk . When I asked they said no parking just one spot.

Location and views were great, BUT our stay was ruined by Global Stay being unresponsive to serious health and sanitation issues. see below.

BED BUGS! I discovered bugs beside the bed on the first night (June 7 2025). After discovering ANOTHER bug IN the bed on our second night, we contacted Global Stay and sent pictures of the bugs. Global Stay was slow to respond. When they did, they only offered to come spray the room for bedbugs, not move us to another apartment. The room is too small to close the bedroom door, so spaying bug poison will be smelled all over the apartment. GlobalStay said they did not have a key to the apartment. They only provide guests ONE key to a 3-bedroom apartment. For them to inspect or spray, meant leaving the apartment unlocked, or someone staying in the apartment waiting on them. Nina and Nicco from Global Stay came 3 days after our initial outreach to Global Stay with a can of Bedbug Raid. This response was too little too late. I just read two other reviews from May and June that mentioned bed bugs in a 3-bedroom apartment in the Burano managed by GlobalStay. Guests have been making them aware of the bedbug infestation for over a month and obviously have not done enough to remedy it. BEWARE!

The view was amazing but there was no hot water in the room, including the shower. Since they couldn’t find where the problem came from, they concluded there was no issue. Thankfully we were there only for three nights.

Location downtown Toronto and the view from the window. Close to bus stop and subway station.

The room was not clean. We found old make up on the floor and laundry in the dryer. Laundry was left in the dryer from previous oocupants. Contact with the agency was terrible. They asked me to pay a deposit (200 dollars) in advance in case of renting issues (damage to apartment). They took the the money before our arrival and we are still waiting to be reimbursed. We would not recommend this place.

The check in process was extremely inefficient, and not user friendly. We were asked for so many things with only a few hours to check in. Parked downtown Toronto waiting for emails from GlobalStay on what else is needed. Close to $500 a night and no parking available, and the air conditioning did not work. We had very little sleep for the 2 nights we stayed here, 27 degrees is hard to sleep in with 3 kids. We are told that due to the issue being a building maintenance issue that there is nothing they can do to compensate and told me to open windows that do not exist. We were told that the air conditioning was being fixed by the building, the day we were leaving. This has been one of the most inconvenient over priced places we have stayed, and we will not be booking with GlobalStay in the future. This was genuinely a terrible experience and caused so much unneeded stress for our family holiday.

The stay was good overall. The apartment was clean with ample towels, blankets, pillows. Location was solid, very walkable and convenient access to train and local shops. I wasnt a fan of the barn slide doors in the bed room, they were ineffective to block noise, sunlight and would wake partner up when sliding the door open. Beautiful views and easy access!

Clean, with good washing machine.

Love this place 💚🫰

Great Location

Poor Communication - My calls and emails were ignored for 2 days. AC was no working and the afternoon temp was 80 F while the night time temp was 77 F. Management said that 77 F was an acceptable temperature. But not for me. I made several calls and they said they were working on it. No maintenance person ever showed up. Property Owner was lying to me saying they were working on it. Not true as no one ever came to the unit in question. Was not able to sleep in the high temperatures. A partial or full refund was denied.

The views are amazing! You can even see the CN tower. The apartment is very clean and the location very next to Toronto University and there are so many food options nearby. They also let me do later checkout.

Maye would be nice to provide luggage storage service

Great place!

I used Global Stay twice in April/May 2025. On the second occasion, i was accused of damage I did not cause, and my deposit was withheld. I was travelling as a solo female traveller for work and stayed only two nights. One picture of damage looks like its by the sofa which I didn't even sit on. Looking back through these reviews, it seems that more than one other guest has experienced the same problem and the reply on this site from the company has simply been to continue to make false claims about damage and retain funds. Do not use this property, there is a risk they will keep the security deposit and there is no means to prevent this from happening and no recourse on false claims they might make to keep the funds.

Location

Only cold water, noisy, cleaning fee and you still need to clean yourself, weird paypal payments

Great location and well maintained unit. Enjoyed that parking was available for a reasonable fee.

The room has a beautiful city view from the window, as well as a romantic balcony so you can see the whole of downtown Toronto from here. The location is extremely convenient to visit famous places in downtown.

The host can let you know if there is no parking in the building. You will find a nearby parking lot (777 the Bay - Indigo) for about $18 per night with only 5 minutes walk.

Easy experience and very nice little condo

The passcode I received was incorrect so I cannot go in . The staff picked up the call did not call me back . For four nights there was no hot water. I emailed the property manager about no hot water but they just asked me kitchen or bathroom . I was there for business and no shower is definitely not acceptable. I need my money back

The view was great, bed and side table were poly repaired…hence the main bed on the Left side was not to comfy, was a big bed though.

I booked this property partially because it had onsite parking which I repeatedly mentioned during the correspondence but the night before check in I was advised that parking was no longer available for me anymore 😱…Also only got part of my security deposit back… they apparently are still looking into this with there accounts department .

The view is breathing, very nice position i the city. Not too big, but for a couple ideal, 3 people ok. Nice style, well-equipped. Great base for exploring Toronto.

Great property close to U of T teaching hospitals and the Provincial Government complex. Subway is 1 block away. A 3 bedroom, 2 bath apartment that is far cheaper than hotels in the area. I would definitely stay there again.

The view and location were fantastic. The Appartment is well equipped and comfortable.

The check in process was quite cumbersome. We had some trouble getting in the building but got quick assistance from the team.

The location and the view are both very good..

I wasn't aware I needed to make a special request for the car park, and I didn't do it. In the end, there was no car park available and I was in a mess upon arrival finding a car park. They had a car park for the rest of my stay, but the host didn't suggest it. I had to make the request myself proactively. The host is not very helpful in that sense. Also, the washing machine and the coffee maker are dirty. Gonna clean them before using them.

Location

A Disappointing Experience I had two separate bookings with Globalstay: the first for two nights, followed by another stay of nine nights. Unfortunately, my experience was marred by several frustrating service issues. Check-in Problems: During my first check-in, the provided buzzer code did not work. It was late at night (around 10 PM), raining, and I had to contact Globalstay for assistance. Their response was unhelpful—they insisted the code was correct but had no alternative solutions. Eventually, after someone opened the main door, I was able to enter the building and access the apartment. I assumed this was an isolated incident, but when checking in for my second booking, I faced the same issue—the buzzer code failed once again! Parking Issues: When making my reservation, I had requested a one-night garage space for each of my stays. However, upon receiving the check-in details for my second booking, I inquired about the garage again, only to be told that no parking space was available due to an internal error. Disruptive Alarm Incident: During my second stay, an alarm started beeping three times per minute at a disruptive 60 dB volume. I contacted Globalstay and hoped they would resolve it while I was out. Their initial response was vague, suggesting I check a button near the entrance. Upon returning, I found no connection between the alarm and their suggested fix. Despite informing them that the issue persisted, I was told their team was working on a solution. That night turned into a nightmare—trying to sleep with an incessant beeping every minute was nearly impossible. The following day, Globalstay finally sent their team, who simply removed the smoke detector and replaced it the day after. Last-Minute Late Checkout Cancellation: As a final frustration, I had requested and received confirmation for a late checkout at 2 PM instead of noon. However, at 8:40 AM on the day of departure, I received an email stating that my late checkout had been revoked!!

view

rooms very small. sofa bed could not be fully opened with coffee table size. unresponsive, the staff argued for every request, did not provide a functioning crib while we paid extra for one

location

could not understand tv controls

This is a corporation. Advance arrival procedures and security deposit required outside of Expedia. No one answered buzzer on check in mid day on a Friday so we had to track down staff who couldn’t resolve over the phone. We were left standing at entrance, while we repeatedly dialled the buzzer. The unit is left unlocked upon arrival and upon departure which is very strange. We were charged for a battery for a FOB that worked fine when we left..but unit was unlocked for hours after. First picture as evidence was not our unit or FOB.type. But corporation does not respond to follow up emails. With sofa bed out, you could not move from bedroom to bathroom. We stayed during sunny days in March and the unit became a sauna…windows hardly opened, so we had AC on…summer would be stifling. I would not recommend and even strongly suggest you stay elsewhere, even though we liked location. Amenities on the low side including TP and bedding/pillows for sofabed. I am used to starting dishwasher and laundry when we leave…though we had to find towels in the dryer. We have stayed at many VRBO and AirBnB units and this experience was the worst we have ever had.

The property said we damaged something and took $125 which we only slept in the beds

linens not clean. Even though i had pictures from checkin, was still charged.

Excellent stay

the location and area was great.

Fantastic location! Walking distance to the College subway station, restaurants, grocery store, as well as the Mattamy Athletic Centre to watch our son play in his weekend tournament. Our condo was spatious and had all that we needed!

Great spot, very clean, nice view.

Had to send my entire party's government IDs and a 200 CAD deposit outside of booking.com, which made me feel very vulnerable and scared. Still waiting to get my deposit back.

Excellent location, easy check-in and check-out process. They have almost anything to cook in. The washing and dryer machine worked well.

They left a dirty and wet mop in the apartment and the place started to stink. The kitchen exhaust fan was grubby and didn't work. The TV didn't work well. Impossible to take a bath during "rush" hour, you just get cold water. A broken chair means they didn't even check the apartment before the next guest. The electric kettle had a "trick" to make it work. The hair dryer didn't blow hot air! The dishwasher didn't have the accessory for cutlery. And the mattress was not of good quality. Also, they scheduled a visit to the suite for an external company when I was there! They had to reschedule because I didn't allow it, but who scheduled a visit for an occupied suite?

Location

Shower not strong

Serviceable accommodations.

Next time I'm in Toronto, I will stay here again. Impressed!

Amazing view and location, great room with full furnishings.

I think the shower-head pressure is a little weak and the wait time at the elevators can be a bit long.

Overall, this was a very comfortable, clean, and well located condo.

A few suggestions for improvement: - supply some tissues - supply baking trays for the oven - supply tea, coffee, sugar (there appeared to be odds and ends from previous tenants). - Check in process was a bit strange. Requiring guests to send photos with their passport ahead of time and arriving at an unlocked apartment with keys on the table. - No access to fitness centre, even though there was one in the building? - Comfortable mattress and bedding. However, some proper block out blinds would have been good (being in a high rise city apartment opposite a vacant building where lights turned on at around 10pm every night).

I was completely satisfied with my stay. The place was clean, well-organized, and exactly as described in the instructions. The location in downtown Toronto was ideal, and the room was perfect. At first, communication with the interns was a bit challenging, but by communicating, I received even better service than expected. Despite some discouraging reviews, my experience was excellent. The staff was welcoming, and I highly recommend this company 100%.

What I didn’t like was that, at the beginning, they asked me to take a photo of myself while holding my ID card or that if you’re under 25, you can’t enter the apartment. That seemed a bit strange to me, but everyone has their own rules—you just have to respect them as long as it’s not a scam. Also, some comments mentioned that if you’re under 25, they won’t let you in, but that’s false—I was allowed in even though I’m under 25. As for the deposit, I received my full refund. I believe everything comes down to communication.