W Grand

I have been going to the Grand Hotel ("Grand") for 38 years. Obviously it's a special place to me, so much so that I was engaged there back in August of 1992. Since that time my husband and I have been taking our three children (and now their spouses) back to the Grand for the 4th of July weekend. What a special place!! However, on this particular trip we had several negative experiences during both breakfast and dinner during our 4 night stay. Here's the issue - we had a party of 8 and were reminded that the Grand does not take dining reservations for any group under 10 people. That's fine - we can follow the rules. Guests line up at the hostess stand and wait for one of the hostesses to take them to a table. Each time our group of 8 showed up for breakfast or dinner the maitre d’ (Ryan Cole) would send us to a separate room / area in the very back part of the dining room which does not have anywhere near the same ambiance as the main part of the dining room. As the hostess walked us to the back area we noticed several tables that were set for 8 that were empty. We asked the hostess several different times if we could have one of the empty 8 top tables in the main dining hall versus going all the way to the back. We also stated that we would split into two four tops for breakfast. The hostess proceeded to tell us that all of those tables were "Reserved!" I asked how could the tables be reserved for a group of 8 when the Grand doesn't take reservations for groups under 10. After a few frustrating interactions my husband spoke with the dining manager and ultimately the President (David Jurcak). David proceeded to tell my husband that those tables are reserved for "Special Guests" that have been coming to the Grand for 40 years. He said he had 40 names on "his list" that basically can have the table they want at any time they want. My husband then proceeded to tell David that we have also been coming to the Grand for almost 40 years (38 to be exact). David didn't seem to care, in fact, his response to my husband was condescending and arrogant. The President really didn't care if we had been coming for 40 years or not, that wasn't the criteria to get on his special list. I'm not a big fan of different rules for different guests - especially when I'm paying around $5,500 for the 4 night stay per room. Disappointing to say the least!!

Ended up with a room that overlooked the kitchen and other walls. Can’t control that . The room however, wallpaper seams showing and corners peeling, controllable. Expected more from the “Grand”

My wife and I visited for the first time the week of July 4th. From the moment we arrived at The Grand Hotel until we left, it felt like time slowed down and life got simpler. The service and amenities were second to none. Special thanks to the GM (David) for taking the time to be kind and walk us around.

This is a truly special place. My family had an unforgettable stay at Grand Hotel. From the stunning views to the incredibly colorful decor to the attentive staff this was an exceptional experience. A couple things to consider, if we return (which we hope to), we will probably either not purchase the meal plan or get a smaller one. We would have enjoyed having dinner in town a few nights. If you are traveling with a less mobile person (like we were), it can be very challenging getting around the property. Be prepared to slow down. The pace of meal service was relatively slow, which was kind of nice for the adults but a little frustrating for the kids in our group. Overall, the experience of staying at this resort cannot be replicated anywhere else. It is, indeed, a magical little get away!

We loved sitting on the 600’ porch for cocktails with appetizers, Sadie’s ice cream cones, and after dinner nightcaps! Our lower cost room was very spacious with two 4-poster queen beds and a larger than expected bathroom. Everything was top-notch and luxurious in every way!!

Beautiful location, excellent food, good service. Unfortunately with its new ownership it has lost some its family charm

This was our second visit to the Island for golf. We thoroughly enjoyed the golf! The staff at the Club house was wonderful. Our meals at The Jockey were very good. The breakfast Buffett is excellent. All the staff we encountered were very courteous and respectful. The only down side, was the noise in the hallway of kids running back and forth. If we come back, it won't be on a weekend.

We booked our trip to visit the Island months ago. The trip was expensive but to have the "Grand experience" we were willing to pay the price. It was a "bucket list" experience for us. Imagine our surprise when arriving for the start of our tour we were informed by our agent (that had booked the Grand for us) that the Grand had notified her the day before the trip began that we had been bumped out of the Grand into a lesser property down the hill on Main Street. Our agent advocated for us to(14 couples total) but she was informed that if she checked the fine print of her contract she would note that in the fine print The Grand reserves the right to bump booked guests who are only staying two nights to accommodate guests staying 3 nights . We were promptly kicked to the curb and rebooked into the Bicycle Inn. Most of the couples traveling with us are in their late 70's and 80's so it is most likely the only opportunity we will have to make this trip. We were allowed to eat a lunch and a dinner at the Grand which were lovely. Our other meals were provided by the Winchester which is part of the Inn. The food was marginal there. Breakfast tasted like it came out of a cardboard box. We were also mislead into thinking as a compensation of being bumped we would be allowed to ride the carriage to and from the Grand anytime we wanted to as most of us were not able to walk the hill up or down. However that was incorrect. The only time we were allowed to ride without a charge was up for dinner and down from dinner. My husband was charged $9 to ride up to join us for lunch where the rest of us were dropped after a carriage tour. We all had to pay for our rides back to the Bicycle Inn after our lunch at the Grand. We would also like to know what happens to the difference in price we all paid to the Grand after staying at the Bicycle which according to the internet is far cheaper per night than the Grand. I have a feeling "in the fine print" it says the Grand reserves the right to keep the difference. It seemed to me to be akin to the old days of "bait and switch". I feel like the Grand promised a stay at the time of booking and never intended to honor that stay if they got a better deal. It is very disappointing that a property as prestigious as the Grand would do something so shady. I have told many of my neighbors and family members (as did 13 other couples) who were anxious to hear about our stay at the "Grand" how we were so easily cast aside .

We come to the island often, but this was our first time experiencing The Grand Hotel- it was fantastic! The food was amazing, the pool was so much fun. What a dream to be sitting there and looking up at this beautiful hotel. Our family of 5 fit comfortably into our room, though the mattresses (especially in the pull-out couch) were not great. I also recommend bringing your own hairdryer; the one I used was very old and on its last leg. Aside from that, it was the experience of a lifetime!

Staying at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island is like stepping back in time. As a fan of “Somewhere in Time”, the hotel and grounds invoke memories of the best parts of the movie. After visiting I watched the movie again and was touched by how little the venue has changed in the past 46 years and how traditions at the Grand are continued to this day.

We enjoyed our 7th annual visit to the Grand for the end of the Lilac Festival. We enjoyed the Garden tour, Lecture on Decor, the Kitchen Tour and winetasting with he expert Sommelier We always enjoy dining in main room and the excellent unique choices on the menus. Our room over looked the Lake and the Tropiary horses & carriage. We also enjoyed Sadies Ice Cream. Service was excellent in all respects and we look forward to returning next year.

Attended the MBA conference last week. We loved our room (314), the view was fantastic! The food was great, especially the ice cream ball!

We stayed at the Grand for 3 nights in June. The hotel itself is spectacular. Old fashioned charm meets classic elegance. We loved the delicious food, the hotel ambiance, the live musicians, and our daughter especially loved the hot tub. Service at the various venues was hit or miss. We had some very attentive servers, and some that barely made any contact with us, so it really just depended on who was assigned to your table. We attended afternoon tea one day as well. The tea sandwiches and pastries were absolutely delicious, and the harpist was lovely. Only complaint was the inattentiveness of the serving staff. They did not come by to ask if we needed anything other than set out the food and the bill.For the high pricetag, I feel like service could have been better. On our previous visit, service was top-notch in all venues. We also did not like that tipping was ambiguous. Last time we stayed at the Grand, tipping was prohibited everywhere and was already included in general as part of the stay. This time, I was not sure which people should be tipped as some things were included (like live musicians, dinner and breakfast service) and others maybe should have been tipped (bartenders, baggage handlers, tea service, etc.). We noticed that people who had alcoholic drinks at dinner seemed to get better service than we did, and perhaps knowing that there were tips involved led to our lackluster service experience.

A beautiful location and property, The Grand Hotel is definitely worth a visit for a relaxing and “turn back time” experience. Our family has had the opportunity to come back to our favorite spot a few times and will continue to do so. Keep in mind that this hotel was built a long time ago so the walls are a bit thin and not up to current sound proof norms. Also, if you plan on eating on site, particularly for dinner, make sure that is included in your reservation plan. Adding it later is quite expensive. Though it is a great experience to eat dinner in the hotel, you may also want to consider eating at one of the other hotel restaurants or choose a restaurant on the waterfront.

The Grand Hotel was the most special place I have ever stayed. It was beautifully furnished and decorated. The meals and service were outstanding.The grounds were perfectly manicured, down to watering the horses and carriage topiary. I hope I’ll be fortunate enough to return in the future for another top notch experience.

The first surprise was our room which had a stunning view through 6 windows of the Straits. The service was top notch. All the employees were friendly. A shout out to Charles the bellman. What a wonderful person. The food was good. Not 5 star, but presented well and tasty after a long day of exploring the island. The Cupula bar is a favorite as is the after dinner dancing.

We loved the flowers and the gardens, especially the lilac, and the lady that did the garden tour was excellent. Sydney the photographer was excellent. The food was faultless, absolutely beautiful. Glendon looked after us so beautifully in the dining room, an absolute gent of a man. We loved the rocking chairs on the porch. The view from our balcony was amazing. We loved the outdoor pool facilities, so good. It was overall a very quirky and funny experience, not the kind of hotel we visit, a trip of a lifetime. Unfortunately for us, the only thing that let it down was the bed. We wanted a lake view, thought that a room of that calibre would have a decent bed, we were wrong. We had 2 terrible nights sleep sadly in an uncomfortable small double bed.

The property is beautiful and the staff are VERY friendly and very helpful! The bad part was my having booked through someone other than Grand Hotel itself. The website I used said there was free breakfast, leading me to believe that we were getting a package with breakfast included, only to find out upon arrival, that was not the case. It wasn’t the Grand’s mistake, but mine not booking with them. It was a great disappointment, that colored the remainder of our day. All the staff I talked to ALWAYS smiling ALWAYS friendly.

Very Grand! It is all anyone could ask for. All amenities are available. Close to the village, carriage ride away. Excellent restaurants, many nice bars, massive pool. Not cheap!

The hotel was a beautiful piece of history, but it needs some updates. There wasn't a microwave, which was inconvenient for us on 2 different occasions. When we went to get ice from the standing cart, it was all melted. If you need ice, get it the night before and put it in your fridge. The pool is far away, and they needed an elevator to get to it instead of just stairs. It wasn't handicap friendly.