Grand Hotel Timeline

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.

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.

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.

W. Stewart Woodfill, hired as a desk clerk in 1919, purchases and becomes sole owner of Grand Hotel.

Michigan Historical Association selects Grand Hotel as a State Historical Building.

The new Woods nine opens, and combines with the original Grand nine to comprise The Jewel — Grand Hotel’s 18-hole golf course.

Margaret’s Garden and The Audubon Wine Bar open.

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.

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.

The Jacqueline Kennedy Suite is added.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

This year guests will have even more to look forward to with the addition of new state-of-the-art facilities and enhanced offerings on our grounds. We are undergoing extensive renovations to transform the iconic Esther Williams Swimming Pool and surrounding area. When Grand Hotel reopens for the season in May 2021, guests will enjoy a number of upgrades and will have a brand new experience - fun for the entire family! Moving inside many bathrooms in our guest rooms will be upgraded with new fixtures and finishes throughout. These updated features will enhance your guest experience while you are away from home with small luxuries and details you may expect during an overnight stay at Grand Hotel. As you enter the lower level upon check-in or the east entrance by Sadie's you will notice a new retail experience. Grand Jewelry & Co. will become Grand Kids focusing on our youngest guests. Many of the current shops will remain similar but you may notice a new name and selection of merchandise. Our shops department is busy curating creative ideas and selecting the best products for each individual retail space. Our newest addition, Grand Coffee & Provisions will expand to offer picnic items and a larger selection of "to-go" items.