Let’s gather together to celebrate Grand Hotel’s 136th birthday throughout July, and especially on July 10th (our actual birthday)! Celebrate with family and friends while exploring the best that a Mackinac Island summer has to offer.

From 1887 to 2022

The Michigan Central Railroad, Grand Rapids and Indiana Railroad, and Detroit and Cleveland Steamship Navigation Company form the Mackinac Island Hotel Company to build Grand Hotel. The hotel was built in just 93 days and officially opened on July 10, 1887 as a summer retreat for vacationers who arrive by lake steamer from Chicago, Erie, Montreal, Detroit, and by rail from across the continent. The hotel’s season was two months long during July & August.

136th Birthday Celebration – July 10th

We invite those staying with us to celebrate our 136th birthday with a party on the Front Porch. Enjoy cake, a toast, live music, speeches and more on Monday, July 10th at 10:00 AM.

Grand Hotel Logo History

We are celebrating the 86th anniversary of the Grand Hotel logo!

Who is the lady in the carriage? Grand Hotel’s logo contains a bit of a mystery…

In the late 1930s, Grand Hotel owner W. Stewart Woodfill commissioned graphic designer and famed pin-up artist Alberto Vargas to create a new logo for the hotel. At the time, Vargas was working for Esquire Magazine in Chicago. The design was to include Mr. Woodfill’s favorite carriage, a Victoria, with a formal driver and an elegant couple. He referred to the young lady with the parasol as Esmerelda. Just who was Esmerelda? No one knows – that’s the mystery!