Parlor time at the Grand Hotel

Grand Hotel

When you step off the ferry onto Mackinac Island, time slows. Horses clip-clop past, flowers spill over balconies, and the scent of fudge drifts across the streets. Then you reach Grand Hotel, and the effect is immediate. Floors gleam, chandeliers sparkle, and every corner feels like a Technicolor frame from a movie you never want to leave. Behind the scenes, two men are responsible for keeping this fantasy alive: Sebastian Varney, president of Dorothy Draper & Company, and Rudy Saunders, the firm’s design director. Together, they oversee the preservation and evolution of Dorothy Draper’s legacy at Grand Hotel.

Draper, born in 1889, began her career in an era when American interiors were dominated by restrained elegance or staid European influence. Rejecting minimalism before it had a name, she celebrated color, scale, and theatricality, earning a reputation as the designer of “the bold and the beautiful.” From the 1920s through the 1960s, she transformed hotels, apartments and public spaces into immersive experiences. Her clients included Howard Hughes, Standard Oil, and the White House under Presidents Eisenhower and Kennedy. She designed everything from airplanes to hotels to department stores, pioneering a distinctly American, exuberant style.

Grand Dame Dorothy Draper

Grand Hotel

Step Back in Time: Mackinac Island’s Design Legacy

Founded in the 17th century as a French fur-trading post, Mackinac later became a strategic military site and a summer retreat for wealthy visitors escaping industrial cities. On Mackinac cars are banned—and historic buildings line the waterfront, preserving a sense of 19th-century charm.

Grand Hotel, opened in 1887, quickly became a playground for America’s elite. Its world-famous porch stretches 660 feet, overlooking the shimmering Straits of Mackinac. Draper’s mid-20th-century redesign infused it with color, drama, and theatricality, making the hotel a living showcase of her philosophy: hotels as immersive, joyful worlds. Floors gleam, chandeliers sparkle, and every corner feels like a Technicolor frame from a movie you never want to leave.

Back in the day

Grand Hotel

The Keepers of a Century-Old Design Vision

Behind the scenes, two men are responsible for keeping this fantasy alive: Sebastian Varney, president of Dorothy Draper & Company, and Rudy Saunders, the firm’s design director. Together, they oversee the preservation and evolution of Draper’s legacy at Grand Hotel and beyond.

Sebastian is the son of Carlton Varney, the first heir to Draper’s creative empire. Carlton trained directly under Draper in the 1950s, absorbing her philosophy of bold colors, sweeping scale, and meticulous attention to detail. After Draper’s death in 1969, Carlton took over the company, expanding it internationally while preserving her visionary approach. He added his own creative flair, turning the firm into a global authority on American interior design. Today, Sebastian blends this multigenerational expertise with contemporary energy, ensuring Dorothy Draper & Company remains a standard-bearer of luxury and imagination.

“Mrs. Draper was a visionary,” Varney says. “She designed everything from Howard Hughes’ planes to the Greenbrier to hotels and apartments across the world. Her style is unmistakable—bold, bright, and unapologetically joyful. Our job is to honor that while making sure these hotels work for today.”

Saunders adds, “Every hotel has its own personality. Our role is to maintain the soul of each property while making it comfortable and practical for the guests of 2025. You’re not just visiting a hotel—you’re stepping into a story that spans generations.”

Sebastian Varney and Rudy Saunders

Grand Hotel

Color, Scale, and the Joy of Too Much: Dorothy Draper’s Design America

Draper was the ultimate anti-minimalist. In an era of stripped-down interiors, she celebrated color, texture, and scale. At Grand Hotel, vibrant wallpapers, bold furniture, and sweeping architectural flourishes create environments that feel playful, luxurious, and alive.

Varney explains, “We’re not afraid of color. We bring it inside in a way that feels celebratory, not timid. My father used to say the same thing—hotels should take you somewhere else entirely.”

Fantasy, after all, is serious business. Guests at Grand Hotel plan wardrobes like productions. I packed a full trunk—multiple outfits, fancy shoes, scarves; the works. One leopard-print scarf even became a makeshift tie for a dinner jacket I hadn’t planned on wearing. I switched outfits more than once in the middle of dinner, and each time, I was met with cheerful nods, not judgment. At home I’m in sweatpants and a hoodie. Here, I could dress up, play a role and feel transported.

Saunders nods. “People love planning their outfits, wearing bright colors, and seeing the joy it brings to everyone around them. It’s fun. And it’s an education too. Kids see the etiquette and decorum and experience something they might never get at home.”

No cars on the island, try a carriage ride

Grand Hotel

Grand Hotel and Greenbrier: Living Design History

Grand Hotel and the Greenbrier are more than hotels—they’re living museums of American style. Greenbrier, sprawling across 12,000 acres, includes the old congressional bunker, a casino and historic guest rooms, all filtered through Draper’s lens of grandeur.

Varney recalls, “My father and the team would find objects and experiences from around the world and transplant them here. It’s not just decoration. It’s storytelling. Each piece has meaning, history, and a little bit of magic attached.”

Saunders adds, “Even today, we’re tasked with keeping the essence of these historic spaces while introducing subtle updates. Guests love that it feels fresh, but they also expect continuity. Nothing can change too drastically.”

That continuity is what gives these hotels their enduring appeal. Families return year after year, generation after generation. “The Greenbrier client and the Grand Hotel client have been coming for decades,” Varney explains. “This is part of their lives. Part of their identity.”

The biggest porch in the world

Grand Hotel

Why It Feels So Good to Escape: Design That Transports

These grand hotels are comforting and exciting at once. “The point is to take people out of their daily routines, their screens, and their stress, and put them somewhere extraordinary,” Varney says.

The hotels are rules-based in the best way. Jackets in the parlor after 5 p.m., bars with dress codes. While some rules have relaxed, the expectation of decorum and engagement remains. “It’s cultural preservation,” Sebastian says. “We’re protecting a time, a social code, and an aesthetic. It’s as much about manners as it is about design.”

I saw it firsthand. Guests were dazzled, dressed to the nines, stepping into a different world, while a few rule-breakers were gently reminded this isn’t their living room. It was restorative and joyful.

The newly renovated Baroque Bar

Grand Hotel

The Stories Behind Every Detail: Design With Meaning

Varney and Saunders shared stories that reminded me why this work matters. A Tiffany suite at Grand Hotel started as a canopy in a Fifth Avenue window display. A phone booth traveled from London to Northern Michigan because it sparked magic. Every object has a narrative.

“Decorating isn’t about buying something expensive and calling it a day,” Sebastian says. “It’s about finding pieces that tell a story. That transforms a space into something living and breathing.”

Saunders explains how they balance legacy and innovation. “We reference and are inspired by the Draper archive, but we also have to be relevant for today. Guests want freshness while still feeling rooted in history. It’s a dance—keeping it timeless yet exciting.”

Varney adds, “I still see traces of my father’s touch everywhere. He had a knack for transporting objects from one place to another, creating moments of fantasy. It’s the story behind each object that makes it magical.”

Carleton Varney Suite

Grand Hotel

Where to Experience Dorothy Draper’s Design Legacy

Visit Mackinac Island. Ride in a carriage. Explore the history. Take afternoon tea in the parlor. Stay in the Tiffany suite. Or go to Greenbrier, wander the sprawling property, and peek inside the old Congressional Bunker. These places are rare, grand, and immersive.

Varney says, “Even if the aesthetic isn’t your personal taste, it’s worth knowing it exists. You might discover something unexpected, something that inspires you. That’s the point of these hotels. Traveling as a child was one of the most generous things my parents did for us. Seeing different places and experiences builds memory and imagination. These hotels are part of that magic—for families and for visitors alike.”

Dorothy Draper’s vision has lasted a hundred years because it was unapologetically bold, playful, and immersive. With caretakers like Varney and Saunders, it will endure another century, teaching us that a hotel can be more than a place to sleep—it can be a place to dream, celebrate and step fully into the joy of living.

I agree. It is a service to the world. And it’s one we could use more of.

Back in the day

Grand Hotel