'Inside Grand Hotel' On Detroit Public Television, Online: Must-Watch TV Alert

There is no place on Earth like the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island. Those who have traveled over land and lake to stride up the hill and take in the sight of the magnificent landmarkl never forget that first glimpse: the feeling of stepping back in time; the magic of encountering your second home, a place where hospitality is still cherished and talent perpetuated.

At 8 p.m. Thursday, March 2, Detroit Public Television takes viewers behind-the-scenes of the Grand Hotel to meet the people who bring the magic of the hotel to life every summer in "Inside Grand Hotel." The documentary will also be streamed online and on DPTV’s Facebook page. To add to the experience, Dan Musser, Paul W. Smith, and others will be live in studio to discuss the film and the importance of the Grand Hotel in Michigan’s history.

To celebrate Grand Hotel’s 130th anniversary, DPTV took its cameras behind the scenes of some of the hotel’s most iconic spaces to meet the people who create the Grand Hotel experience, including the family that shepherds its long legacy. Narrated by WJR-AM’s Paul W. Smith, the 60-minute documentary explores Grand Hotel’s iconic spaces to learn what has made this unique property an icon of success for more than a century. Cameras will become virtual guests at the hotel, exploring some of the rooms and suites that most guests never see while sharing how the hotel continues to find new ways to pamper and promote the relaxation of its guests.

Along with Grand Hotel’s history, the program also tells the fascinating business story. Learn how the Grand Hotel’s kitchens are able to provide five-course dinner service to more than a thousand guests every evening; how the staff is recruited, housed, and deployed across the hotel each day; and how the main hotel supports the growing number of satellite operations that are all overseen by Grand Hotel. See how the hotel successfully manages the challenges of its dependence on ferries and horse-drawn carriages to deliver necessary food and supplies or the intricacies of a business model that depends on maximizing a short summer season before ice closes the island for winter. This program will also explore some of the theme weekends Grand Hotel promotes to draw an ever-expanding number of patrons and fans to the property.

Photo by Josh Hallett via Flickr Commons