As part of what has been a $100 million five-year renovation project, the Grand Hotel enlisted the help of Dorothy Draper & Co. to help give the historic retreat a refresh.
Located on Mackinac Island, where motorized vehicles have been banned since 1898, the Michigan resort has a storied past and the New York-based design company has been part of that. Many overnighters remember it for having the world’s longest porch at 660 feet, and others remember the bold, colorful and exuberant interiors. In the 1970s, Dorothy Draper’s former leader Carleton Varney first went to work at the 332,500-square-foot hotel after being tasked with tuning up the Parlor, the Main Dining Room and the Audubon Bar. Now his son Sebastian, who is managing partner at the company, leads the charge in those same areas.
Now celebrating its centennial, Draper’s company is the oldest American design firm that has been in continuous operation. The founder was known for her smashing interiors that favored black-and-white checkered floors, cabbage rose chintz, and plasterwork that is reminiscent of what is now known as Hollywood Regency style. Carleton Varney, who was nicknamed “Mr. Color,” joined Draper in the 1950s as a draftsman and became her protégé. In the ’60s, he bought the company and served as its president for decades. Varney, who died in 2022, told WWD in a 2008 interview, “I worked with Dorothy for seven years and I have never really worked anywhere else. It was all destiny.”
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Now his sons Sebastian and Nicholas own the company. Sebastian Varney noted Draper did not work on the Grand Hotel, since the hotel’s former owners had called to hire her in 1977 — eight years after her death. And Carleton Varney answered the call. “He always said we gift wrap summer memories, when we decorate the Grand Hotel. The wallpaper is the gift wrap and the draperies the ribbons,” his son said. “You vividly remember the space because of its distinct colors and bold patterns. His original goal with the property was to bring all of the lush, colorful flowers from the beautiful gardens of Mackinac Island into the hotel. All of these incredible blooms work perfectly together in the garden, bringing them inside to enjoy”
Draper’s design director Rudy Saunders also worked on the 30-month project. This summer guests will find custom-designed carpeting that was made in Ireland in the Parlor, the Main Dining Room, and the Audubon Bar, which is now known as the Baroque. Images of the hotel’s signature flower — geraniums — are featured throughout. The Davidson Resorts-owned Grand Hotel has 2,500 geraniums on site. The Parlor’s murals have been restored and a new hand-painted one that plays up local elements has been added. The Baroque’s pine-paneled bookshelves were lacquered in a deep green, and it has a custom bar and red velvet banquettes that were built by Kindel Grand Rapids. The bar was inspired by material in Draper’s archives. Next up the New York-based company will be working on guest rooms. That will call for more ingenuity since none of the 388 rooms and suites are alike.
In the meantime, Grand Hotel’s president of operations David Jurcak is banking on at least 148,000 visitors this year, compared to last year’s tally of 142,280 guests. Some repeat visitors know the destination for the daily duck races at its Esther Williams swimming pool, midday “Siren Salute,” and afternoon tea in the Parlor, but there are new attractions this summer like cocktail classes, a BTS kitchen tour and the Grand Hotel Mackinac Market, a new store on Main Street. Next year Grand Hotel will mark another milestone — its 140th season.
