[4][5] Confederate agent and wine merchant P. C. Martin lived there around 1863,[6] and after the American Civil War the family of ex-President Jefferson Davis stayed at the Donegana during their time in Montreal.

[10] In 1837, Lord Durham, the newly appointed Governor General of Canada, took lease of the house having chosen the imposing mansion over the run-down Château de Ramezay for his official residence.

[11] Governors General Lord Sydenham and afterwards Sir Charles Bagot maintained the house as their official residence until 1843, when it was sold by the Binghams who by then had made their permanent home in England at Broome Park, Kent.

[2][14] Every luxury was made available, including hot and cold baths at any hour of the day, and the gas lighting that lit the hotel was said to have given "a marvellous effect to the rich marble decorations" in the lobbies.

The dining room measured 100 by 218 feet and the gallery surrounding the cupola that rose over the building offered a commanding 360 degree view of the city.

[15] A British Army officer who was visiting Montreal described it as "a magnificent establishment," finding the furnishings equal to its "splendid" architecture: "Everything was conducted in this hotel in the first style: the furniture was superb, and the attendance.

Not long after this event, Elgin's aide-de-camp, Lord Mark Kerr, decided to stir up some excitement in the hotel when he had heard there was an abundance of American tourists staying.

[18] Residents when Parliament was in session included Sir Allan Napier MacNab of Dundurn Castle and Chief Justice Joseph-Rémi Vallières de Saint-Réal.