The hotel has been called Halifax's "grande dame" and has played host to numerous dignitaries, royalty, and celebrities over 85 years of existence.

[6] Prince Charles and Princess Diana attended a state dinner on 15 June 1983 at the Hotel Nova Scotian hosted by Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau.

The 700 guests enjoyed a dinner of Canadian wines and cuisine and Trudeau told the Royal couple they had begun their visit in "the most friendly part of Canada."

A crowd of thousands grew outside the hotel hoping to catch a glimpse of the couple before they returned to the HMY Britannia for their departure from Halifax.

[1] They closed the hotel in 1993, and the building was used as a temporary dormitory by Saint Mary's University for several years after a student residence underwent emergency repairs due to an unstable wall.

[1] An additional $4 million was put into renovating the hotel and it reopened on 1 December 1996 as The Westin Nova Scotian.

The Crown Suite, on the 11th floor, offers sweeping views of Halifax Harbour and is where Elizabeth II stayed in the past.

The seaport district is now home to the Halifax Farmers' Market, the Canadian Museum of Immigration, and NSCAD University – in addition to the cruise ship terminal.