In 1991, we celebrated the opening of the Lilac Tree Hotel & Suites. This past Mother’s Day weekend, we proudlycelebrated our 24th Opening Weekend with beautiful weather, and thanks to our guests, our 39 rooms were sold-out which made it the best opening weekend ever!
Our dedicated team worked non-stop, even on opening day to get the Lilac Tree Suites & Spa in perfect shape for all of our “suite” guests. Even though we were open for New Year’s we still had work to do getting the hotel in shape.
In our off-season, we removed the fireplace mantle that gave a warm down-home feeling from the lobby and it was sad to see it go. Our teams re-painted many of our rooms and we also bought a lot of new furniture. People love summer cottages and so do we which is why our new chairs and coffee tables are white wicker, giving our suites that welcoming summer lake cottage look. Staying at Lilac Tree Suites & Spa with a summer cottage feel on beautiful Mackinac Island is a dream come true. Our opening day weekend guests loved our new look and that’s our dream come true!
The transition from Winter to Spring on Mackinac Island comes fast. On opening weekend, everyone was thrilled with sunny skies, temps in the 60’s and sold-out rooms, and only the week before, it was 30 degrees and Main Street was empty. It starts in April, when the horses start to return to the island to get ready for another bustling season and that really hits home, as we know the season will begin to transition and unfold fast. The horses come off the boats and are carefully led to their various summer homes to get ready to work.
On May 1st all of the boats were very busy and most of the shops had opened on Main Street. The streets were packed with people once again and the season began to transition fast with the reality that we had only one week to go. Many of our guests celebrated The Michigan Craft Beer Opening Weekend at The Chippewa, our sister hotel and Pink Pony. On Saturday night, there was a full 5-Course dinner perfectly prepared by the Pink Pony Master Chef where all meals were paired with the perfect selection of Michigan Craft Beers. Some of ourLilac Tree Hotel & Suites guests were there enjoying the evening when the conversation turned to how theypampered themselves with well-deserved spa treatments, with the opening weekend special, a beer pedicure! Yes, a beer pedicure. In the afternoon at the Pink Pony, brats were served with beer, but did you know that beer does wonders for your feet?
A beer pedicure is a great treat for women, but bring a beer into the picture and the guys will love it too! What a perfect way for the Lilac Tree Hotel & Suites tobring our unique touch to The Michigan Craft Beer OpeningWeekend at the Chippewa.Did you know that beer does great things to your skin? The enzymes andhops softens skin and helps exfoliate the feet. Plus, since it’s alcohol, it’s a natural antiseptic. Need we say more?
The entire Opening Weekend was one of our best ever in our 24 year history. Thanks to our wonderful guests who opened with us to make it a truly “suite escape.” 2015 is going to be a great season, especially with our new summer lake cottage feel. Give us a call to make your reservations for your great get-away at the Lilac Tree Suites & Spa.
We have a suite with your name on it. Sweet!
George Piliouras for The Lilac Voice
