Grand Hotel — Hotel in Mackinac Island

Despite visiting the island for 15 seasons, I had only ever experienced the Grand Hotel to enjoy the historical porch, charming Audubon Wine Bar, Cupola Bar with its breathtaking view and cocktails at the Geranium bar. This recent trip was designated to truly experience the Grand Hotel and all of its magic as an on-site guest. Not one moment was filled with a trace of disappointment. From the moment I approached the red carpet staircase, I was greeted with genuine smiles. The Front Desk's team was extremely professional, pleasant and helpful with answering all of my questions regarding luggage (thank you Mario), housekeeping, reserving a carriage and dining service. I was delighted to be staying in room no. 309, which was absolutely beautiful! The newly renovated bathroom was perfect and the bed was extremely comfortable (giving me the best sleep in years). It was such a treat to have my room taken care of daily with turn-down service. The Housekeeping staff was so lovely and friendly. I appreciated the sense of privacy and respect of my personal belongings secured in the room.  Now, for the fun part. The dining experience. I must say that over the years I had heard nay-sayers grouse about the Main Dining Room's menu, but this was not the case for the 2025 season! I ate like a queen throughout my entire stay. Saturday morning's breakfast went beyond any expectations that I had. Ryan, Mr. Marsh, Geisha and Raymond made every moment of my experience wonderful! I was seated at table 13 with a stunning view overlooking the porch, flowing flags and treetops leading toward the lake. Raymond was excellent with helping me select from the a la carte menu; grapefruit brulee (incredible), avocado toast and eggs benedict with a side of bacon, not to mention a delicious bloody mary and perfectly brewed cup of coffee. Afterwards, I decided to stay at the hotel and enjoy every nook and cranny. Sunshine and relaxation, courtesy of the rocking chairs on the porch. Cocktails at the Geranium Bar with excellent service provided by Miguel, Iggie and Jose. Miguel recommended a deliciously smooth "gold rush" old fashion with the Grand Hotel's label bourbon (I'm kicking myself for forgetting to purchase a bottle). Pammy and Ashley were absolutely the perfect duo in Baroque (a glamorous, mid-century Parisian decor dream). They paired martinis with caviar blinis and truffle chips that made "lunch" a memory.  I had so much fun mingling with fellow Grand guests throughout the entire afternoon! The welcome cocktail reception was everything you would see in classic old Hollywood films; a well dressed pianist filling the room with harmonic tunes, guests in formal dress socializing, uniformed Servers caring silver trays of champagne and the sound of "oohs" and "aahs" at the gorgeous decorated interiors. All of this set a great precedent for dinner. Once again, I was greeted by the dashing Ryan and escorted to my table by Mr. Marsh (such a stoic gentleman). Happy to see that I was fortunate to be taken care of by Raymond and Geisha again. Dinner service was impeccable and a prime example of fine dining; the table setting, linens, china, stemware and placement of cutlery were on point. The menu was excellent. Under the wonderful recommendations made by Raymond, I had enjoyed the "red" menu; sumac lamb chop, great lakes chowder, summer beet salad, perfectly prepared beef wellington and peach baba au rhum for dessert. No matter the dish, every bite was a tasteful surprise. It was truly a decadent feast that I will never forget.  Sunday's adventures at the hotel were equally fantastic and I was sad to have to return home. Of course I couldn't leave without a few Grand trinkets and a luxury silk scarf from the Dorothy Draper boutique to commemorate a fabulous weekend. I had no question in my mind to immediately reserve a second trip for this year in September.  Please extend my sincerest gratitude and appreciation to all that make the Grand Hotel my absolute favorite place...

This is a unique hotel and per the goal clearly the interior was more important then service. If you are not visiting for a weekend event but there on your own. BEWARE your are on your OWN. |This was my first and will be my ONLY stay... there was 2 event the" Somewhere in time event, done yearly at the end of the season and a second very large event with a women's group." We checked in we were given the key at and NOTHING regarding events, amenities, where the restaurant were NOTHING and a very cool reception by the check in staff. Once we got to our room and look we spent 30 mins trying to find a place to have lunch. and discovered later the main dining area was close for lunch after searching for 30 mins The only other available food was a grab and go and the jockey club outside only and it was chilly. When we tried to ask the concierge any questions she was very unhelpful and weirs would actually avoid having to go to the concierge for assistance(with where to eat, where event meeting place were and the various information not received when we checked in. We found a place to finally to eat the Jockey Club, none of the serves on this property anticipated your service had to ask and wait for 5-10 min to get water, or the check. We did an event expensive but was a worth the money, about the history and the decor tour in the kitchen. This was the ONLY thing in the hotel where questions were answered and was interesting. |The first eventing we had reservations at the Woods, and once again hurry up and wait to order, get water or anything. We were a party of 4 on couple on one check and the other 2 on he check. When we got the check one of my items on the check was placed on the couples check and when were informed the waiter his response was "It to hard t change it out between yourself!" Now day 2 we planned to eat in the main dining room. You can't make reservation and once again we go there and had to wait for 45 mins to be seated at arrived before. : "as there was a large party that was seated before the group waiting but wait didn't you say no reservations? It appeared that we were the last seating and we had to wait wait wait for water and to make the order etc. and at the end of out meal rushed out.. at the dinner seating we found out that we had a coupon for breakfast and out room package included which we had no clue( Back to the check in) | Mind you the 5 Course dinner was over 120.00 per person, and one person in our party sent his steak back to be cooked to medium as wasn't done correctly had to wait a while and still was to rare. The wait staff was marginal at best( I am being polite) Had to track down a waiter for water, drinks. bread, and any other thing we needed.. they were not at all attentive to any of anyone in our party. I travel extensively and it does sadden me that this very elite destination in the US has such poor service and in reality not worth the money. I would hope that this review will let others be aware if you are coming to the hotel for a honeymoon, for a trip as an individual not for a event that you will spend top dollar for little to no service AT ALL. I wish they spent 1/2 about of time training and customer service as they do on the decision for the interior design. Maybe this is a place for just certain group and not for families or a lone traveler. When you check in there is a sign stating"Will refund the room charge if the staff doesn't smile" I doubt that would ever happen; Bottom line if you come to the island save money tour the hotel and stay at another location or just do a day trip.However, it if you want to spend a lot for the scenery and get no service proceed and schedule your stay. I retired from the military after 30 years and a commander said it isn't how you start mission but how you finish.. and I understand this was the end of the season and a very poor finish for the Grand Hotel. I just want other to be aware of the reality...

A very detailed and honest review, from a normal middle class person, for our room/dinner/and breakfast at the Grand Hotel on October 8th 2023

Since it was our 12th anniversary it was worth a splurge. We opted for a basic room, Grand King and got room 441 with part of the experience fall package ( $618 a night with taxes and fees) in this package everything was included. Attached are photos we took of our room, breakfast, and overall experience.

Pros: -It’s a fantastic place to be in inclement weather. There was so much to explore, and do! -While the decor is bold. It really makes each room unique. We were told the designer Dorthy Draper wanted every room to be like opening a new gift wrapped present. And each room, was Instagram worthy! -The rooms surfaces etc were very clean. Not a hair, or speck of dust anywhere, the first kleenex in the box was even folded in anticipation for our arrival. (I do have one gripe though about the carpet in the cons list) -Plenty of entertainment. If you love music this is the place for you, there is always live piano, harp, jazz music being played somewhere in the building (they give you a schedule of events) the dancing in the evening was a blast and there was a song for everyone, not just ballroom dancing. -In house coffee, gift, and ice cream shops so you never have to leave (in bad weather) -Getting a chance to dress up, and see everyone in formal wear for dinner was quite enjoyable -All the staff were ready with a smile, and eager to help -Where we were on the 4th floor was very quiet, though we had an exterior view of a roof (maybe not so lovely), I can imagine, being on lower floors/closer to stairwells it could get noisy with all the music etc. -Breakfast in the main dining room was fantastic! They had the most amazing chocolate avocado muffins, and french toast, we could have ate a mountain of those!

Cons: -The first small gripe was that though our room was obviously clean, the carpet had some major stains, and was in need of a carpet cleaning or replacement. For the price tag, it was slightly annoying. -The main dining room was the biggest disappointment overall. Though this was our first actual stay at the Grand Hotel, during previous years day trips we ate at both the "Woods" and "Jockey Club". So we had the bar set in our mind that dinner at the main dining room would be on par. While the menu had plenty of options (see photo), both my husband and I found the food to just be bland, and lukewarm. We both got different dishes for each course but had the same experience. For instance I got the Macadamia Nut Mahi Mahi, with Coconut Rice, and Charred Pineapple Salsa. One would think by this description it would be a party in your mouth, but sadly it was just lacking. We both felt the food flavor and quality at the main dining room was on par with the flavors one might find at Applebees or the like. The dish that had the most flavor was actually the small salad (Bosc Pear & Baby Arugula)....add to that it just seemed like confused chaos with the waiters, we were only offered drinks once at the very start. After finishing a bottle of wine, we weren't offered or handed any other drink options for the rest of the night, aside from the water one server was in charge of. For the price the experience was unacceptable. (Breakfast was a different story, highly recommend having the breakfast in the main dining room!)

Conclusion The grand hotel, though pricey, is a lovely curated experience, we would recommend to everyone to enjoy at least once. In bad weather it's a great option and it will keep you entertained for a weekend indoors....BUT...Book the cheaper bed and breakfast plan ONLY! We absolutely would never go back for dinner at the main dining room again. Dinner is definitely not...