New Suites, Renovations Greet Guests for Grand Hotel’s 130th Season
Julie Bitely
| 3 min read
At Mackinac Island’s timeless Grand Hotel, recently named Michigan’s best, a flurry of winter activity has led to a number of updates and renovations ready to be unveiled to summer visitors.
“Anyone who has an older home knows how much care goes into keeping it beautiful,” said Grand Hotel President Dan Musser III in a statement. “When you operate a building that is enjoying its 130th anniversary, regular maintenance is imperative to maintain the structural integrity and to assure the level of experience they have come to expect from Grand Hotel.”
Here are a few highlights of what guests can expect:
- The world’s longest porch is sporting a refreshed floor. A two-year renovation took the 660-foot porch down to its 1887 wood foundation and rebuilt it over that frame. A green waterproof coating was added, along with red carpeting that adorns the front steps leading up to the porch.
- Furniture was restored in approximately 100 of the hotel’s rooms. Necessary paint and re-upholstering repairs were made, complete with the hotel’s trademark green trim.
- One of three new suites at the hotel. Three new Cupola suites were added to the hotel’s fourth floor, bringing the total to 393 one-of-a-kind rooms, each designed by the hotel’s longtime interior designer, Carleton Varney of Dorothy Draper & Company in New York.
- Continued renovations to the hotel’s gardens will take place throughout the summer and will include additions to the hill in front of the hotel and the start of a new lilac garden along the stairs that lead from the garden to the hotel. Milkweed plants are being added as a means to attract Monarch butterflies, who traditionally stop on the island as part of their migratory path in the fall.
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan continues its Live Healthy Live Grand partnership with the Grand Hotel, with many new designated menu items available at the hotel’s restaurants. Look for updated planners in every guest room with new ideas for how to have a healthy and active stay on Mackinac Island. Activity cards are available for all young guests to check off the fun things they do around the hotel with a free scoop of Hudsonville Grand Hotel Summer Celebration at Sadie’s Ice Cream Parlor as a reward.
Read more about the renovations at the Grand Hotel on the hotel’s blog.
Are you planning a stay at the Grand Hotel this summer? Share your favorite Mackinac Island memories in the comments.
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Photos courtesy of the Grand Hotel
