Grand Hotel (Ina, Japan)

The hotel opened in July 1887 built with the financial resources of two railroad companies and one steamboat company. It was billed as a summer retreat for wealthy vacationers who wanted to escape the dust and heat of the industrial cities of the Midwest. In the 1890s, Grand Hotel''s legendary 660 ft front porch - the world''s longest - was the social center for all of Mackinac Island hosting afternoon tea, dances, concerts and the famous "Flirtation Walk" when soldiers from Fort Mackinac would walk the porch in full military regalia just to make small talk with the eligible young ladies. Today, this magnificent front porch remains a meeting place for island romantics. :Two movies have been filmed at Grand Hotel, with the hotel prominently in their storylines. The 1947 film "This Time For Keeps" starring Jimmy Durante and Esther Williams; and the 1980 film "Somewhere In Time" starring Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour. :Today, Grand Hotel’s 385 guest rooms include an abundance of comforting amenities; each having been tastefully decorated in its own special style by the Dorothy Draper Company’s New York interior designer, Carleton Varney.