The Grand Hotel Mackinac Island has been welcoming guests every summer since 1887. Since then people have been asking what to do on Mackinac Island and one of the best things is a visit to the Grand Hotel.
It operates seasonally from May-October and is one of the most well known and well-loved hotels in Michigan and around the world.
It has a long and interesting history. Spending a night or three at the Grand Hotel is a vacation that you won’t soon forget.
I was fortunate enough to spend three nights at the Grand Hotel last fall and I loved every minute of my stay.
It quickly became one of my favorite places to visit in Michigan.
During my visit, I learned some fun facts about the Grand Hotel that highlights the uniqueness of this property.
10 Mackinac Island Grand Hotel Facts
1. The front porch is 660′ long. That is almost two football fields in length. It is magnificent and stretches across the entire front of the hotel.
2. The swimming pool takes 500,000 gallons of water to fill.
3. Across the front porch, there are 100 white rocking chairs for guests to sit and enjoy the amazing view of the straits of Mackinac
4. 260 flower planters line the front porch and bring an explosion of color to the white porch.
5. Every year 1600 geraniums are planted in the 260 planters. It takes 7 tons of planting soil to plant all of the flowers.
6. The hotel’s most popular dessert is pecan balls and the Grand Hotel will serve 50,000 each season.
7. The largest dinner service ever served at the Grand Hotel was for 1400 guests.
8. During one dinner service, the hotel can use up to 40,000 pieces of dishware. That is a LOT of dishes to wash.
9. A James Beard award-winning chef is in charge of the kitchen which means that every single meal is delicious.
10. Every single day during the season the hotel receives the freshest ingredients from the Eastern Market in Detroit.
I shared 10 reasons to stay at the Grand Hotel here.
Grand Hotel Deals
Be sure to follow them on Facebook for last-minute specials.
Me! I want to go there!
As crew members on the NORTH AMERICAN and SOUTH AMERICAN, we were allowed to swim for free in Esther’s Pool.