Luckily, to be staying in such GRAND as this hotel. Built only in 93 days, the world's longest…read morefront porch, famous for hosting by US Presidents? This era brought back memories, for me, for when my dad used to work in such luxury!
If only I could visit EVERY SINGLE ROOM. I'd be in heaven! I would have liked visiting the 'behind the scenes' tour. I missed it by 2 minutes! They employ about 700 employees, and about 500 horses! Imagine that now.
We spent two days and nights at the Grand Hotel, and it was indeed a grand experience. Arriving at Mackinac island via the ferry there was, however, a chaotic mass of people. That was not fun, unless you like crowds. Our bags were taken to the hotel on one horse drawn carriage, while we were taken there on a separate horse drawn carriage. We were traveling as part of a group and when we arrived at the hotel were given an orientation by a hotel staff member. We later attended a lavish five course dinner. Formal dress was required. For men that meant a suit or sport coat and a tie. Every course was delicious. A live band provided background music throughout the dinner. Our room was comfortable - the sheets had been turned down during our meal. After a good night's sleep, we had their buffet breakfast, which was equally as lavish and tasty as dinner. Shortly thereafter, we went on a horse drawn carriage for a guided tour of the island. Our driver/tour guide - a hotel employee- was both knowledgeable and personable. The hotel provided a list of options for how to spend time during our day. In that respect, staying here is rather like being on a cruise ship. Too soon it was time to hop on the horse drawn carriage and head back to the ferry for our return trip to the mainland.
Our first dinner, the waitress was so petite, and was professional in all her presentation. I was impressed!
Negatives: The 2nd evening, the waiter, had made so many errors, I call that unprofessional! Example: he left partly empty water carafe on my place mat. He left two bread plates on my place mat, and an extra plate where it should be. He didn't remove the bottom plate, before he placed the main course, to several of our group members. I watched him do that over and over. NOBODY in their right mind, eat the main course, over an empty smaller plate. This was after our soup and salad. Totally ridiculous! Then, after we're done with our dessert, he presented us a waiter pouch, if we wanted to give him a tip, he would appreciate it. (BTW, the staff were already given a tip, part of our package deal). Sometimes, the live band (in two days), can somewhat too loud, specially the 2nd evening we were there, and it is sometimes too hard to hear when having conversations. Shouldn't be just a 'background' music, not rock concert?)
The drapery in our room, had shown some tear & wear. There was paint peeling above the tub.
Can't sit on the beds. They were sagging. They needed to replace them!
It should be 4 stars!