The Westin Nova Scotian

I have very mixed feelings about the Westin after hosting my wedding dinner there and using them for all of our guest’s lodging in early August 2015. We didn’t actually have our nuptials here. We got married in the next door Halifax VIA railway, which is just a hallway away. Since the VIA rail doesn’t have a kitchen or a hotel, we decided to book the Westin for lodging (about 80 guests) and our wedding dinner.
The lodging aspect was great! I stayed in a suite with my bridesmaids and then groom and it was spacious, connected to a HUGE outdoor patio, and had a full bathroom and a half bath which was really exceptional. Since there were more than the typical 2 guests in the room, we did require extra bath towels, etc which guest services provided without hesitation. Interestingly, there was a pull out couch in the room with no blankets and when we called guest services the first night to request a blanket they told us the hotel did not have extra. Two of my bridesmaids thus spent the night freezing, sleeping with the hotel robes and multiple layers of clothes. The next night we tried guest services again and they brought a comforter right up. Why?
We also had issues with the parking. Part of our group rate was supposed to include complementary parking for all wedding guests. They doled this advantage out very intermittently and many of our guests ended up paying for parking even though we were promised that they would not.
I have nothing negative to say about the front desk staff or the bell boys. They were all lovely to interact with and helped us more than was required.
Finally, the wedding dinner portion. We got paired with the wedding coordinator for the Westin named Jackie Collins. Her service/​planning/​etc was very mediocre. We had multiple miscommunications with her that could have easily been avoided, except she was very disorganized. We even had more than one instance where we had written «proof» of something she had earlier told us, but then she changed her mind and did not uphold her end of the bargain despite the fact that we had her previous promise in writing (via email). And she never apologizes.
To her credit, she runs a busy service (there were 3 weddings the night of ours). However, seeing as this is her only job and she does it frequently, she really should be better at it. She even complained to my hubby and I when she came to check on us in the middle of our appetizers that she was stressed out and busy because of all the weddings. Call me bridezilla, but I didn’t really care about her busyness.
The food was very mediocre. My husband’s uncle found a plastic bottle cap in his seafood chowder and the desserts were served cold which was not very tasty. Additionally, we were promised a tasting as part of our contract with the Westin, but she later told us she could not accommodate this. The service of the food was very nicely done and the servers were all excellent.
The set up staff was also very good and we ended up getting extra time to set up the room the night before due to their efficiency. This was a very nice surprise and made a big difference in our stress level on the day of.

Lovely room, comfortable bed, but small bathroom. We were mostly happy with our stay. My only complaints are that you pay for everything, from your breakfast to parking to $ 6.00 bottles of water. There was a nicely stocked mini fridge in our room, but because it was so stocked, it left little space for our own food.

Nice lobby hotel! My room happened to be dated and old. Nonfunctional bathroom shower and slow drain tub. Front desk staff declined to change the room. Sent the maintenance guy instead. He was as useless as the front desk guy. I will take my business to Hilton and Sheraton next time.

There was recently chewed gun on a chair in our room which got on my girlfriend’s purse. The hotel staff declined to clean the bag or pay for cleaning, even after acknowledging they were at fault. I live in NYC and am unlikely to go to the trouble to get $ 12 reimbursed but do expect the hotel to offer.
Pretty weird for a nice hotel.

Staff were incredibly friendly and helpful. Seriously, I’ve never had so many conversations with nice staff members at a higher end hotel like this before. Check in was smooth and you can either have valet park your car, or pay to park in the back. Parking was a bit pricey, around $ 22 for valet and a little less to park in the back lot.
There were only two elevators working at the time and they did seem to get a bit congested, so there was a few instances where I had to wait longer than I expected.
Our floor was very quiet and I’m not sure if there was anyone else on it. Somehow we managed to get the preferred guest floor! Not sure how that happened! I liked the fact that all the hallway lighting was motion activated.
The room was on the smaller side, which was to be expected at an 85-​year-​old hotel. However, nothing inside the hotel or the room showed its age. The room was very modern and spotlessly clean. There was free wifi for two devices and it worked well.
It is well located, with a short walk to everything. Pier 21 was just minutes away. The boardwalk was right out back and there were plenty of bars and restaurants within a few minutes walk of the hotel. It would be super convenient if you are arriving or departing by train, as the Via Rail station is attached to the hotel.

I’ve stayed here several times in the past six months. The staff is great. The hotel itself — it depends which side you are on. The newer tower is much better than the older. The breakfast buffet is convenient but way over priced. Eggs are consistently undercooked. The nightly music is a nice idea but is awkwardly delivered, with a stage playing to no one in particular.

Ate in the lounge several times the restaurants schedule is a little inconsistent… however one time had the steak special with a salad and veggies… really good. The salmon tacos and a chopped salad with chicken another time highly recommended. The mussles also a really good appetizer.

My second review of something other than a restaurant. Whoooo! I honestly couldn’t wait to write a review about my stay at the Westin.
My friend & I decided to treat ourselves to valentine’s day themed event offered here and we couldn’t have been more happy with our experience. I came here years ago for my grade 12 prom so my memories were a little fuzzy. Very elegant, clean, modern (yet classic if that makes sense) and welcoming. Having said that, having paid $ 300 for one night… you want all of that. Westin, you definitely delivered!
Everyone might read this and think: HECKNO. AIN’T PAYING THAT. Hear me out!
First, it was a themed package. Complete with a bottle of sparkling wine, chocolate-​covered strawberries (not a little sampler of lindor chocolates), buffet supper, chocolate buffet, tickets to yukyuks and a 1 night stay.
The chocolate buffet… omg… they had EVERYTHING. Cakes, mousse, chocolate cups with chocolate mousse and itty bitty fruits, chocolate fountain, chocolate brittle and apparently the tree center-​piece was actually dipped in chocolate with chocolate «leaves». Sooooo amazing.
The comedians were hilarious except one of the guests was getting roudy, loud and obnoxious and there was no Westin Staff to escort him out. The comedians handled him well though.
The room was great, we were on the 8^th floor and there just happened to be a snow storm going on so we had an awesome view!
Would definitely come back, it was great =)

Heavenly bed translates to old and sagging. Most uncomfortable bed we’ve slept on. The old building means old systems. The A/​C is not controllable and we couldn’t get it cool at all. 27 degrees Celsius all night long. We will never stay here again. They say high end hotel so they can charge high end prices. They should put some money back in and invest in better A/​C and newer beds. We had a drink in the bar and the glasses were very dirty.

Clean. Typical Westin, in that it feels a bit nicer than most hotels. I requested a water view, but being place on the 3^rd floor didn’t give us much of a view, so I was disappointed to have paid more and then not get a very nice view at all.
My biggest complaint was that the hotel had no reservation under my name, despite the fact that I had numerous confirmation emails from them. It was a little annoying to have to show them their own confirmations. It concerns me that such a big chain had no record of us, even though I’d received so many emails from them.
Otherwise, the stay was comfortable. The bed was nice. And the front desk staff were helpful when we had questions.

We had a lovely stay at this hotel.
After driving 12 hours through the night they let us check in early to get some shut eye before all of the wedding festivities we had traveled so far to attend.
We realized our room smelled a little bit like cat urine (they allow dogs and cats at this hotel), and we are animal lovers so we picked up on it once there was some damp weather on day 2 of our stay… We called the front desk and they promptly took care of it.
I found it a little strange that they did not refill our mouthwash/​shampoo/​etc. each day but am not sure if this is a hotel policy or just Canada’s eco-​friendliness.
Even though the rooms show a bit of age, and it was a little loud (numerous weddings), the people were the friendliest.

Location, service, cleanliness, and comfort are outstanding. Price is reasonable (try hotwire or wait for deals if cost is a problem). Self parking is 18 $/​day (22 $ for valet). Nice restaurant on main floor. Indoor pool and fitness centre. For about $ 6 you can also rent workout clothes and shoes!

I stayed here for a week as part of a conference. The public areas are nicely upgraded with marble and reception staff friendly and helpful. The bar is small and awkwardly located as almost an alcove directly off the main corridor. But for $ 200 a night the rooms are very poor value. Old small, peeling paint/​wallpaper, musty smell, old worn out bathrooms. Very substandard housekeeping. I found a sock in my drawer, an empty wine bottle in the mini bar and the sheets hadn’t been changed. They did respond quickly to my complaint though and maybe this was a one off. But there are a lot better value places to stay in Halifax

Once upon a time in a previous life I spent New Year’s here with three lovely ladies. We made jello shots the night before, and couldn’t wait to put them in our minibar fridge. We arrived at the crack of check in with our treats, colourful high heels, teeny tiny black dresses and curling irons. We were 21 and ready to play.
The fine folks at the Westin were just as friendly to us as we checked in as they would have been had we been older, more mature and not balancing trays of jello shots precariously on our backpacks.
The rooms were plush, bright and equipped with all the things you’d expect from a fancy hotel. We pulled a Rihanna before Rihanna was Riri and ran that hotel that night, and we had a blast.
The next morning was less fun.
Four tiny ladies awoke with headaches, the realization that Halifax was probably out of alcohol and desperately needed breakfast. At the time we were more Aunt Jemima than local and organic, and we phoned down to ask if they had real maple syrup. Unfortunately, they did. So we checked out and got McDonald’s instead.
I’ve since stayed there once and the beds remain pillow-​topped heavens and I have learned to appreciate their real maple syrup.
You stay classy, Halifax.

I was recently put up in a room at The Westin by work, so that I could manage to get to the office for my next shift which was occurring after the recent blizzard.
First off, when I checked in, the service was great. Since I was coming off a night shift in the early morning, work had assumed that I’d need two nights to cover the weird time period of 7am-​7pm that I’d be sleeping there. Westin staff thought otherwise, and I only got billed for the one ‘night’. In the end my company pays for it, but it was nice of them nonetheless.
The rooms themselves are fairly modern looking, with only a couple remnants from previous ages being the dated doors and the tile in the shower. The TV was a good quality LG, and the shower had great water pressure, so what else do you need for a 12 hour stay?
My limited time here was good, slept quite well in the cozy bed, which I often don’t in a strange bed.
The free wifi was easy to connect to, and while not the fastest in the world at 1mbps, it did the trick for the basics of emails, news and Facebook.
I know their larger rooms and suites are even nicer, and I wouldn’t hesitate in staying here again.

We had the Christmas Day buffet at the Westin Nova Scotian hotel today and it was amazing.
My husband & I took my sister and father in-​law as their Christmas present, They enjoyed it so much that they requested the same thing for Christmas next year.
Sautéed shrimp & scallops, sushi to order, carved roast beef & turkey, all the trimmings and then some, seafood display, salads, seafood chowder & soup, omelets to order, waffles, all your breakfast items, not to mention the wide variety of desserts, including a chocolate fountain.
It was simply delicious perfection — all for only $ 60 a person which included tax, gratuity and parking.
You can’t go wrong! No cooking all day, no mess to clean up. Book early as the sell out every year. No wonder!

This hotel has one of the friendliest staffs I’ve ever encountered. Literally everyone I’ve interacted with has made me feel welcome, has been just the perfect level of engaging, and thoroughly professional. The hotel itself is a great mix of old charm and modern convenience. The views of the harbor are breathtaking. I love this place.

Unacceptable. I checked in 20 minutes ago and was given a room directly atop a wedding reception that is loud enough to hear the songs and make the floor shake. When I called the front desk, I was told it will go until 1am. After travelling since 8am to get here, that sounds very unappealing. Hoping to be offered another room, they only offered an empty apology and said they’d ask the wedding to turn down the music.
What? Why would the wedding guests not all be assigned the rooms most exposed to their music? Failing that, anyone who doesn’t want to be subjected to second-​hand rap at midnight should be offered an alternative!
Granted, on this stay I booked a cheap rate through Hotwire. However, I travel for business regularly and pay full freight; this really knocks down the Westin brand for me.

I have spent a lot of time at the Westin. I work in the non-​profit sector, and therefore end up there for events and conference quite often.
The food there is good, the staff is always helpful and approachable, and their conference and event rooms are lovely since the recent makeover. It’s a comfortable place to be. The bar is good (best bar nut mix ever actually), although the last time I was there our server didn’t seem very interested in helping us.
The one downside of the Westin is the parking lot. It’s in terrible shape, the spots are very tight and often there are issues with the automatic ticket payment/​acceptance. Very frustrating to have to wait at the desk to pay, although staff have been quick and efficient. Overall I’ve been very happy with my time spent there.

The company I work for had its annual sales conference in Halifax from Monday to today … 65 of us arrived from across the country.
We all stayed at the Westin plus our two days of meetings were here along with meals (two breakfasts, two lunches and a supper). Granted the food was produced on a mass basis and was so-​so.
The hotel is old and historic … I like that. My room had two double beds in it. Very comfy. I was able to open a window or adjust the a/​c (I tend to like it a bit chilly).
Internet is $ 10/​day.
It’s off the beaten path a bit, though, from the downtown core.