Learn the history of a Timeless American Treasure™. Take a walk through the timeline of the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island.
1886
Mackinac Island becomes a summer getaway, but accommodations are limited. The Michigan Central Railroad, Grand Rapids and Indiana Railroad, and Detroit and Cleveland Steamship Navigation Company form the Mackinac Island Hotel Company. The land upon which Grand Hotel will stand is purchased, and hotel construction begins.
1887
Grand Hotel opens, billed as a summer retreat for vacationers who arrive by lake steamer from Chicago, Erie, Montreal, Detroit, and by rail from across the continent. Rates are $3.00 to $5.00 a night.
1890s
Grand Hotel’s Front Porch — the longest in the world — becomes the principal meeting place for all of Mackinac Island, as well as a promenade for the elderly and a “Flirtation Walk” for island romantics. Grand Hotel Manager James “The Comet” Hayes invites an agent of Edison Phonograph to conduct regular demonstrations of the new invention.
1895
Mark Twain lectures in the Grand Hotel Casino. Admission: $1.00.
1897
The West Wing is added to the hotel.
1900s
The automobile finds its way onto Mackinac Island. Grand Hotel supports an Island-wide ban. A law is passed, but not strictly enforced until the 1930s.
1919
Hotel rates: $6.00 a day per person.
1933
W. Stewart Woodfill, hired as a desk clerk in 1919, purchases and becomes sole owner of Grand Hotel.
1935
A radio salon where patrons can listen to Jack Benny and other popular programs is added.
1947
This Time For Keeps, starring Jimmy Durante and Esther Williams, is filmed on the island and at Grand Hotel.
1951
R.D. (Dan) Musser joins the hotel staff.
1957
Michigan Historical Association selects Grand Hotel as a State Historical Building.
1960
Grand Hotel owner W. Stewart Woodfill appoints R.D. (Dan) Musser president of Grand Hotel.
1976
Musser and wife Amelia begin the redesign of the hotel’s interior and exterior with the help of architect Richard Bos and decorator Carleton Varney.
1979
The Mussers purchase Grand Hotel.
1980
Somewhere In Time, filmed at Grand Hotel and starring Christopher Reeve, Jane Seymour, and Christopher Plummer, is released.
1987
In preparation for its centennial season, the Cupola Bar is added, the Woodfill Conference Center is completed, and The Jewel Golf Course is renovated. The pool is officially named after Esther Williams. Grand Hotel celebrated its 100th season.
1989
R.D. (Dan) Musser, III is named president of Grand Hotel. The U.S. Department of Interior designates Grand Hotel a National Historic Landmark. The East Wing is added to the hotel.
1994
The new Woods nine opens, and combines with the original Grand nine to comprise The Jewel — Grand Hotel’s 18-hole golf course.
1995
Astor’s Hair Salon and Rebecca’s are added.
1996
Margaret’s Garden and The Audubon Wine Bar open.
1997
Oil Paintings by Marlee, featuring original works by local artist Marlee Brown, is added to the variety of shops at Grand Hotel.
1998
Five new Named Rooms in honor of former First Ladies Lady Bird Johnson, Betty Ford, Rosalynn Carter, Nancy Reagan, and Barbara Bush are added to the west end of the hotel. Two new two-bedroom suites, the Grand and the Carleton Varney, are also added to the west end.
1999
Grand Hotel & Co., Fine Jewelry is added to the variety of shops. Thirteen guest rooms are added to the west wing of the hotel, bringing the total to 343.
2000
A new golf pro shop is added. The Vanderbilt Suite is added. Three electric boilers are added making heating water more efficient and environmentally friendly. Construction began on the Millennium Wing, a 200-seat addition to the Main Dining Room and 42 new guest rooms. This is the largest addition since the original construction of the hotel. The Millennium Wing will be completed in time for the 2001 season.
2001
The Millennium Wing opens on the east end of the hotel. The wing features 42 new guest rooms; the Grand Pavilion, a 3,600-square-foot private meeting room and dining room; restrooms adjacent to the dining room; and new guest and service elevators.
2002
The Jacqueline Kennedy Suite is added.
2003
The Masco Cottage, a four-bedroom cottage attached to the east end of the hotel, is added. The swimming pool’s deck area is expanded and a new large hot tub is added.
2004
The Grand Club, a vacation membership program allowing guests to prepay future stays at Grand Hotel at a discount, is established.
2005
The earliest Grand Hotel has been open in its 118-year history. The Jane Seymour Suite was added featuring furniture and linens from her Grand Hotel – Mackinac Island Collection, a line of home goods she created for Saks, Inc.
2006
The Gate House, a casual bar/restaurant just a short walk down Grand Hill, is added to Grand Hotel’s offsite dining options. The hotel welcomes its 5,000,000th overnight guest.
2007
Air conditioning is added to 170 guest rooms, making Grand Hotel entirely air conditioned. Grand Hotel celebrates its 120th birthday.
2008
For the first time in Grand Hotel history, regular selective dinner was served on the Front Porch during the summer season.
2009
Grand Hotel is certified as a Green Lodging Michigan Leader by the Michigan Department of Energy, Labor & Economic Growth. The commitment to reducing Grand Hotel’s carbon footprint is an ongoing process that began in 2007, when a state-of-the-art air-conditioning system was installed using water for cooling guest rooms, which is then used to heat the Esther Williams Swimming Pool. As part of the hotel’s green initiative, a “Green Team” constantly looks for new and creative ways to benefit our planet.
2010
The Trophy Room is added celebrating Sadie, the Scottish Terrier owned by Amelia Musser, wife of Grand Hotel Chairman R.D. Musser. Sadie won Best In Show at Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, in addition to 112 other shows around the United States. Located just off the west end of the Parlor, the Trophy Room features her ribbons, trophies, and photographs, and is accessible to Grand Hotel guests and those visiting the hotel for the day. Quattro’s Quarters is added to The Gate House restaurant. Quattro’s Quarters is named after 10-year-old Dan Musser IV, nicknamed Quattro because he is the fourth generation Dan Musser. The game room will feature classic arcade games.
2011
The Laura Bush Suite is added as the seventh First Lady Named Room. Capitol Bedding creates a private label set, Grand Hotel Touch of Softness. One-hundred-and-eighty beds will be placed in guest rooms. Autumn Blaze maples are planted on either side of Cadotte Avenue leading up to Grand Hotel, as part of a two-year project to replace dying Norway maples. The project is set for completion in the fall of 2011. A partnership with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan titled “Live Healthy. Live Grand” debuts highlighting healthy dining options, and recreational and stress-reducing activities at Grand Hotel.
2012
Grand Hotel celebrates its 125th Anniversary. The historic year was commemorated with a weekend filled with memorable events: Saturday night dinner with former Michigan governors in attendance, presentation by Grand Hotel interior decorator Carleton Varney, fireworks, a live performance by John Pizzarelli, and more. A special edition 125th anniversary coffee table book is published. Grand Hotel hosts a full schedule of vintage 1860s-rules baseball games and opens its new horse stable, home to 12 horses and 20 antique carriages. The Stockbridge Suite also opens its doors, featuring furniture from the estate of Francis B. Stockbridge, who once owned the land on which the hotel sits.
2013
Sadie’s Ice Cream Parlor is added in what was Margaret’s Garden. Margaret’s Garden is moved to the lower lobby. Adding the Grand Hotel Touch of Softness Sleep Sets to all guest rooms is completed. Air conditioning is added to Woods Restaurant. An outdoor hot tub is added to the deck of Masco Cottage. Two new weekend packages are added: Grand Garden Show featuring Proven Winners and the Live Healthy Live Grand Weekend, partnering with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan.
2014
The Musser Suite is added at the west end of the fourth floor. This one-bedroom suite features an entryway with a wet bar. Steps up to the right lead into a large parlor with a view of the Straits of Mackinac and the Mackinac Bridge. To the left of the entry is the bedroom with a dormer sitting area. The suite is named after Mr. Musser who passed away in April 2013. Grand Hotel President Dan Musser III and his father discussed the Cupola Suites project for many years. The suite is decorated by Carleton Varney of Dorothy Draper & Company in New York, who Mr. Musser hired in 1976 and has continued to be the designer of all Grand Hotel interiors since then. The Musser Suite is the first of the Cupola Suites project that will lead to dormers lining the fourth floor of the front of the hotel, which is how the hotel’s exterior looked as late as 1915.
2015
The fourth floor project continues with the addition of new Cupola Suites to the west end of the hotel. Each suite has a bedroom with a king bed, which is entered through a parlor, and the option of connecting to a second bedroom. This brings the guest room total to 390 rooms. Beautiful stone work and new sculpted walls is added to define the flower beds in the Tea Garden. The season is 184 nights long, the longest ever.
2016
The fifth off-site restaurant, Sushi Grand, is added next to The Gate House. Also, 336 feet of the World’s Longest Front Porch is reconstructed, the first time in 50 years. A newly designed Memorial Garden with edible flowers and herbs for the Executive Chef and his staff to utilize is now available.
2017
Grand Hotel celebrates its 130th Birthday on July 10, 2017, and commemorates the occasion with a 130th Anniversary Celebration, June 30 – July 2, 2017. Detroit Public Television releases the documentary, Inside Grand Hotel, that tells the 130-year history of the Michigan Landmark. The reconstruction of the Front Porch is complete and three new Cupola Suites are added to the east end of the hotel, bringing the room total to 393 rooms.
2018
2018 marks Grand Hotel’s 131st Birthday and over 85 years of the Musser Family’s ownership. The hotel opens for the 2018 season on Friday, May 4.
2019
Grand Hotel completes the four-year Cupola Suites project and opens for the season with 397 total guest rooms. (The Cupola Suites project began in 2014 and restored the dormers from the hotel’s original architecture from the late 1800s.) KSL Capital Partners acquires Grand Hotel and Davidson Hotels & Resorts will manage the hotel moving forward.
2020
New management group Davidson Hotels & Resorts commits to significant improvements to Grand Hotel, beginning with employee housing. Team members are an integral part of Grand Hotel’s culture and guest experience and upon return to Mackinac Island in late April, they find updated accommodations throughout approximately 70% of the employee buildings. The updates include new floors, paint, décor, full Wi-Fi access, and a fitness facility. Also new for 2020, many Grand Hotel shops are completely replaced with brand new looks, and Grand Coffee & Provisions makes its debut as a casual dining option offering grab-n-go breakfast and lunch items for guests. Plus, Grand Stables welcomes two new Hackney horses, Courageous and Brickell Pilot.
2021
Guests look forward to the addition of new state-of-the-art facilities and enhanced offerings on our grounds. Extensive renovations transform the iconic Esther Williams Swimming Pool and surrounding area into a fun family-friendly aquatic retreat. Moving inside, many bathrooms in the guest rooms are upgraded with new fixtures and finishes throughout. These updated features enhance the guest experience with small luxuries and details during an overnight stay at Grand Hotel. Upon check-in on the Lower Level or near the east entrance by Sadie's Ice Cream Parlor, a new retail experience awaits: Grand Jewelry & Co. becomes Grand Kids, focusing on the youngest of guests. The shops department is busy curating creative ideas and selecting the best products for each individual retail space, including a new name and selection of merchandise. The newest addition, Grand Coffee & Provisions expands to offer picnic items and a larger selection of "to-go" items.
2022
This year marks the hotel's 135th birthday celebration throughout the month of July. Guests enjoy a number of new offerings, including the Woodlands Activity Center which offers miniature golf, a nature center, a recreation court, new bicycles and more! The new ice cream partnership with Guernsey Farms kicks off this season, featuring Mackinac Island Lilac as the flavor of the season.
