Grand Hotel (Mackinac Island) facts for kids
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Grand Hotel
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The Grand Hotel as seen from Lake Huron
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 Location in Michigan
Location in the United States
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| Location | Grand Hotel Ave., Mackinac Island, Michigan, US |
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| Built | 1887 |
| Architect | Mason & Rice Alphonse Howe & Charles Caskey, builders assisted by John O. Plank |
| Architectural style | Queen Anne |
| NRHP reference No. | 72000637 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | May 5, 1972 |
| Designated NHL | June 29, 1989 |
The Grand Hotel is a famous hotel and vacation spot on Mackinac Island, Michigan. This small island is located in Lake Huron, between the two parts of Michigan. Built in the late 1800s, the hotel is known for having the world's longest porch. Many important people have visited the Grand Hotel, including five U.S. presidents, the inventor Thomas Edison, and the writer Mark Twain.
The Grand Hotel is also part of Historic Hotels of America. This is a special program by the National Trust for Historic Preservation that recognizes important historic hotels.
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History of the Grand Hotel
In 1886, three large companies joined together to create the Mackinac Island Hotel Company. These companies were the Michigan Central Railroad, the Grand Rapids and Indiana Railroad, and the Detroit and Cleveland Steamship Navigation Company. They bought the land where the hotel now stands.
Building the hotel began based on designs by architects Mason and Rice from Detroit. The hotel opened on July 10, 1887. It was built very quickly, taking only 93 days to finish! When it first opened, the hotel was advertised as a summer getaway for people from cities like Chicago, Erie, Montreal, and Detroit. Guests would arrive by lake steamer (a type of boat) and by train. Back then, a night at the hotel cost between $3 and $5.
Over the years, the Grand Hotel has been recognized as a very important building. In 1957, it was named a State Historic Building. In 1972, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places. Then, on June 29, 1989, the hotel became a National Historic Landmark. This means it is a place of great national importance.
In September 2019, the Musser family, who had owned the hotel for almost 90 years, announced they were selling it to KSL Capital Partners.
Hotel Features and Design
The Grand Hotel's unique look was designed by Carleton Varney. He was a student of the famous designer Dorothy Draper. The hotel has a late 19th-century style, and you'll see lots of Pelargonium geraniums. Varney made sure that every single room in the hotel is different in some way.
There are different types of rooms, including Category I, Category II, Category III, and special Named Rooms. There are also six two-bedroom suites. Two of these, the Grand Suite and the Carleton Varney Suite, have amazing views of the Mackinac Bridge and the Straits of Mackinac. The special presidential suite is in the middle of the hotel and has a balcony overlooking the main porch. A separate building called the Masco Cottage was added in the early 2000s.
Seven suites are named after and designed by former First Ladies of the United States. These include suites for Jacqueline Kennedy, Lady Bird Johnson, Betty Ford, Rosalynn Carter, Nancy Reagan, Barbara Bush, and Laura Bush. Each suite has special decorations that reflect the style or interests of that First Lady. For example, the Jacqueline Kennedy Suite has a carpet with the presidential eagle.
The Grand Hotel's front porch is the longest in the world, stretching about 660 feet (201 meters). From the porch, you can see a large Tea Garden and the Esther Williams swimming pool. These areas are often used by families on vacation, for big meetings, or for concerts during the hotel's yearly Labor Day Jazz Festival. Sometimes, the hotel charges a small fee for people who are not staying there to come inside and enjoy the view from the famous porch.
Before 2007, only the public areas like the lobby and dining room had air conditioning. It was tricky to add it to the guest rooms because of the building's design. But that year, the whole hotel got air conditioning. They installed special systems in 170 guest rooms that cool the air using the cold water system from the bathrooms.
One unique thing about Mackinac Island is that cars are not allowed. Only emergency vehicles and snowmobiles in winter can use motors. This means that to get to the hotel from the docks, guests ride in horse-drawn carriages. The only other time cars were allowed was for filming the movie Somewhere in Time. The hotel closes during the winter months when the ice stops the ferries from coming from the mainland. The island also has a small airport for private planes, and horse-drawn taxis can take guests from the airport to the hotel.
Famous Visitors and Events
Many important people have visited the Grand Hotel. Five U.S. Presidents have stayed there: Harry Truman, John F. Kennedy, Gerald Ford, George H.W. Bush, and Bill Clinton.
The hotel also hosted the very first public demonstration of Thomas Edison's phonograph (an early record player) right on its porch! Edison also regularly showed off his other new inventions there. The famous writer Mark Twain often included the Grand Hotel on his speaking tours in the Midwest.
Every May, the Grand Hotel becomes the main spot for the Detroit Regional Chamber of Commerce's Mackinac Policy Conference. This event brings together politicians, business leaders, and labor leaders from all over Michigan and the Midwest.
Awards and Recognition
The Grand Hotel has received many awards and honors. Conde Nast Traveler magazine has listed it as one of the "Best Places to Stay in the Whole World." Travel + Leisure magazine also named it among the "Top 100 Hotels in the World."
The Wine Spectator gave the Grand Hotel an "Award of Excellence" for its wine selection. It was also included in Gourmet magazine's list of the "Top 25 Hotels in the World." The American Automobile Association (AAA) rates the hotel as a four-diamond resort. In 2009, AAA named the Grand Hotel one of the top 10 historic hotels in the U.S.
See also
In Spanish: Grand Hotel (Isla Macinac) para niños
