Grand Hotel's front porch is the longest in the world at some 660 feet in length, overlooking a vast Tea Garden "Grand Hotel MI From Lake" by Dehk - Own work. Licensed under CC BY 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Grand_Hotel_MI_From_Lake.jpg#/m…
In 1886, the Michigan Central Railroad, Grand Rapids and Indiana Railroad, and Detroit and Cleveland Steamship Navigation Company formed the Mackinac Island Hotel Company. The group purchased the land on which the hotel was built and construction began, based upon the design by Detroit architects Mason and Rice. When it opened the following year, the hotel was advertised to Chicago, Erie, Montreal and Detroit residents as a summer retreat for vacationers who arrived by lake steamer and by rail from across the continent. Rates at the hotel ranged from US$3 to US$5 a night.