15 things I learned this week about Mackinac Island's Grand Hotel

15 things I LEARNED this week about

Mackinac Island’s

world-renowned

GRAND HOTEL

Dianna Stampfler

PromoteMichigan.com

Geraniums are the signature flower of the Grand Hotel

Grand Hotel uses 2,500 geraniums, its trademark flower, in all its flower beds combined. The front porch includes1,375 geraniums in 147 plantingboxes, with 12 yards of potting soil. Additionally, 24,120 bulbs are planted each the fall, including 18,000 tulips. More than 125,000 annual bedding plants are also used in the various hotel gardens.

PS – Geraniums are also the scent of the bathroom toiletries!

15 things I LEARNED this week…

PromoteMichigan.com

FOUR! Bring the sticks for a memorable round – island style!

Grand Hotel’s award-winning 18-hole golf course, The Jewel, is the only course in the world that transports guests from the front nine to the back nine via horse-drawn carriage. The Grand nine (originally built in 1907) is across the street from the hotel, with views of Lake Huron and Round Island. The Woods nine (added in 1994) is set in the interior of the island, with views of the Mackinac Bridge and the Upper Peninsula.


PromoteMichigan.com

World’s Longest Front Porch!

At 660 feet, Grand Hotel's Front Porch is the world's largest, and is visible as you approach the Island from Lake Huron. The porch boasts more than 100 rocking chairs and 147 planting boxes, and overlooks a vast Tea Garden and the Esther Williams swimming pool. There is a $10 fee for non-guests to enter the building and walk the famous porch.


PromoteMichigan.com

Presidential Faces & Spaces

Five U.S. Presidents have visited Grand Hotel: Presidents Clinton, Bush, Ford, Kennedy and Truman. Of Grand Hotel’s 390 guest rooms, some of its most exceptional are the rooms named after Presidents & First Ladies, including Eisenhower, Jefferson, Lincoln and Teddy Roosevelt. First Lady Suites are named after Jacqueline Kennedy, Lady Bird Johnson, Betty Ford, Rosalynn Carter, Nancy Reagan and Laura Bush. For a list of other “Famous Faces” who’ve stayed at Grand Hotel, click here.


http://www.grandhotel.com/pdfs/GrandHotelNotableIndividuals.pdf

PromoteMichigan.com

Take a dip in the famous pool

It takes 500,000 gallons of water to fill Grand Hotel's swimming pool, which was named for actress Esther Williams when she starred in the 1947 movie, This Time for Keeps, shot at Grand Hotel.

The movie, an American romantic musical, also starred Jimmy Durante, Johnny Johnston and opera singer Lauritz Melchior.


PromoteMichigan.com

A place in movie history

The 1980 film Somewhere in Time, starring Christopher Reeve, Jane Seymour and Christopher Plummer, was filmed on location at Grand Hotel. The movie now has a huge following and fan club that meets yearly at Grand Hotel in late October. During the filming of this movie was one of the only times a car was allowed to be driven on the island (where no motorized vehicles, other than a handful of emergency vehicles) are allowed.


PromoteMichigan.com

Unique, world-famous interior design

Interior designer Carleton Varney is associated with the restoration and decoration of Grand Hotel as well as many other hotels and resorts all over the world. His versatility in design can be seen in the wide range of products that bear his mark, ranging from furniture, lamps, dinnerware, crystal, and linen designs.


PromoteMichigan.com

Drinks with a panoramic view!

At the very top of Grand Hotel, the Cupola Bar offers a panoramic view of the Straits of Mackinac and the Mackinac Bridge.

Other hotel bars include: Terrace Room, Audubon Wine Bar, Geranium Bar, The Jockey Club at the Grand Stand, The Gate House and Bobby’s Bar (inside The Woods—which features the oldest operating duckpin bowling alley in the U.S.).


PromoteMichigan.com

The Grandest accommodations of all!

The 4-bedroom Masco Cottage provides an intimate, spacious setting for those who want the atmosphere of a summer cottage with all the amenities of a luxury resort. The Cottage is connected to the east end of Grand Hotel by a private walkway. The suite features two downstairs bedrooms with private bathrooms, and a kitchen, living and dining room area. Upstairs are two bedrooms, a bathroom and a media parlor. Outside enjoy a private outdoor hot tub.


PromoteMichigan.com

Head out to the lawn for game time!

On a sprawling lawn surrounded by the lush surroundings of the Grand Hotel Tea Garden lies a spectacular setting for croquet and bocci ball and hotel guests are invited to enjoy these quintessential summer games with family

and friends. Both sports were popular in America when Grand Hotel opened in 1887. Today, they remain popular at family gatherings, garden parties and other social events. The website even has rules for playing!


http://www.grandhotel.com/activities/lawn-games/

PromoteMichigan.com

A sweet treat not to be missed!

More than 60,000 Grand Pecan Balls, the Hotel's most popular dessert, are consumed each season (utilizing 6000 pounds of pecans). During the 2014 season, Grand Hotel also prepared 9,000 lbs of prime rib, 102,500 lbs of potatoes, 5,500 lbs of rack of lamb, 6,400 lbs of bacon and 42,500 lbs of strawberries. The kitchen staff, of more than 100 people, prepares and serves as many as 4,000 meals per day.


PromoteMichigan.com

Sadie’s – A Prize Winning Dog and Sweet Ice Cream!Sadie’s Ice Cream Parlor is named after the Scottist terrier, Sadie, belonging to Mr. and Mrs. R.D. Musser, proprietors of Grand Hotel. Sadie won “Best In Show” at the 2010 Westminster Dog Show.

The only brand of ice cream served there is from Holland, Michigan-based Hudsonville Ice Cream– including the Grand Hotel Pecan Ball, which can also be found in retail stores statewide during the summer.


PromoteMichigan.com

Get in the rhythm of Jazz Weekend!

Experience Grand Hotel during one of its finest musical weekends of the year. Escape to America’s Summer Place for this holiday weekend and immerse yourself in the melody of beautiful Jazz music played by some of the country’s top performers.Always held over Labor Day Weekend, September 4-7, 2015.


PromoteMichigan.com

An award-winning, historical experience!

Grand Hotel is one of the most decorateddestination resorts in the country, garnering awards from countless media outlets and distinguished organizations including AAA, Conde Nast Traveler, US News & World Report, Fodor’s, CNN, Architectural Digest, Travel+Leisure, Trip Advisor, Wine Spectator, National Geographic Traveler, Smart Meetings Magazine and many others. For a complete list of awards, click here.


http://www.grandhotel.com/pdfs/2015GrandHotelRecentAwards.pdf

PromoteMichigan.com

Closing the Grand

Every season at Grand Hotel has to come to an end, but the public is invited to join in the unique experienceas the hotel prepares for its winter slumber. The 2015 dates are Nov. 1-2. Enjoy the cuisine as the culinary team cleans out our pantries and wine cellar. Bob Tagatz, the hotel’s historian and concierge will do a presentation explaining the process we go through to close the hotel, as well as fun facts and interesting information from the 2015 season.

For more fun facts about the Grand Hotel, click here.


http://www.grandhotel.com/pdfs/GrandHotelFunFacts.pdf

15 things I learned this week about Mackinac Island's Grand Hotel

Travel

Transcript of 15 things I learned this week about Mackinac Island's Grand Hotel