Grand Hotel (Mackinac Island)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Grand Hotel is a well-known and historic lodging facility located on Mackinac Island, Michigan, a small island located in the Straits of Mackinac.
Contents |
[edit] History
In 1886, the New York Central Railroad, Grand Rapids and Indiana Railroad, and Detroit and Cleveland Steamship Navigation Company formed the Mackinac Island Hotel Company and purchased the land on which the hotel was built and construction began. When it opened the following year, the hotel was advertised to Chicago, Erie, Montreal and Detroit residents as a summer retreat for vacationers who arrived by lake steamer and by rail from across the continent. At its opening in 1887, nightly rates at the hotel ranged from US$3 to US$5 a night.
The hotel also hosted the first public demonstration of Thomas Edison's phonograph and regular demonstrations of the new invention were conducted on the porch. Mark Twain made this a regular location on his speaking tours in the midwest.
[edit] Hotel features
The hotel has some 383 rooms, with no two designed alike, and includes six suites named for and designed by six former First Ladies of the United States, including the Jacqueline Kennedy Suite (with carpet that includes the gold presidential eagle on a navy blue background and walls painted gold), Lady Bird Johnson Suite (yellow damask-covered walls with blue and gold wildflowers), Betty Ford Suite (green with cream and a dash of red), Rosalynn Carter Suite (with a sample of china designed for the Carter White House and wall coverings in Georgia peach), Nancy Reagan Suite (with signature red walls and Mrs. Reagan's personal touches) and Barbara Bush Suite (designed with pale blue and pearl and with both Maine and Texas influences).
Five U.S. Presidents have visited: Harry Truman, John Kennedy, Gerald Ford (a Michigan native), George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton. The hotel is unique in its late 19th century decor as well as its lack of air-conditioning in guest rooms. Some air conditioning is in place in public rooms, such as the lobby, parlor and main dining room, but due to the nature of the building it would be almost impossble to put full central air into a 120 year old building (fans are provided to hotel guests). More recently, the hotel has drawn some criticism for its charging of a US$12 fee (as of June 2006) for non-guests to enter the building and enjoy the view from the famous porch.
The Island itself does not allow motor vehicles (except for emergency vehicles) and transport to and from the dock to the hotel is via horse-drawn carriage. (It is said by tour guides on the island that the only motor vehicles allowed in recent history (other than for emergency) were cars brought over for the filming of Somewhere in Time.) During the winter months, when ice prevents ferry transport from the mainland, the hotel is closed. The hotel is not inexpensive; the smallest rooms start at US$345 per night, including a full breakfast and five course dinner. At dinner, coat and tie are required for gentlemen, and dress or pantsuit wear for ladies. Dinner is available to non-guests too, but may be considered costly by some.
The Grand Hotel's front porch was and still is longest in the world at some 660 feet in length.
[edit] On film
The hotel was also the setting for the motion pictures:
- This Time For Keeps starring Jimmy Durante and Esther Williams and
- The cult Somewhere in Time starring Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour.
[edit] Designations
In 1957 the Grand Hotel was designated a State Historical Building and, in 1989, the hotel was designated a National Historic Landmark.
