Take a look inside the historic Mackinac Island hotel where Mike Pence gave a speech this weekend - and then stirred outrage with his 8-car motorcade

Libertina Brandt

Sep 24, 2019, 02:02 IST

Take a look inside the historic Mackinac Island hotel where Mike Pence gave a speech this weekend - and then stirred outrage with his 8-car motorcade

The Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island.

The Vice President of the United States, Mike Pence, gave a speech at the historic Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island this past weekend.
Outrage erupted on the island, which banned automobiles in 1898, when a video showed Pence driving away from the hotel in an eight-car motorcade.
Along with Pence, the hotel has been visited by other notable public figures throughout the years, including former President Gerald Ford.
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The Vice President of the United States, Mike Pence, traveled to the historic Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island in Michigan on September 21 to deliver a speech to the Republican Leadership Conference.

As Business Insider's Rachel Premack previously reported, Mackinac Island attracts around a million visitors every year. One of the island's most distinct features is its lack of cars - which have been banned since 1898.

So, when a video caught Pence leaving the hotel in an eight-car motorcade this past weekend, outrage erupted on the island and across the media.

The Grand Hotel, where Pence gave his speech, has 397 lavishly decorated guest rooms and offers everything from horseback riding to live music. Hotel management declined Business Insider's request for comment on the event.

The White House did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment.

Keep reading for a look inside Mackinac Island's Grand Hotel.

Vice President Mike Pence leaves the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island Saturday in an eight-vehicle motorcade - the island's first ever. pic.twitter.com/p0IgewX09K
- Paul Egan (@paulegan4) September 21, 2019

Mackinac Island is an island located in Michigan. As of 2018, the island's estimated population is a mere 471.

Arguably one of the island's most distinctive features is its lack of cars. According to Mackinac.com, most of the island's visitors arrive by a ferry from either the Mackinaw City dock or the St. Ignace dock. It's about a 15-minute ferry ride to get there.

As Business Insider previously reported, outrage erupted across the island and in the media on September 21 when Vice President Mike Pence drove through the island, which banned automobiles in 1898, with an eight-car motorcade.

A video shows the eight-car entourage leaving the historic Grand Hotel, where Pence delivered a speech to the Republican Leadership Conference.

The Grand Hotel, which opened in 1887, has a long history of being visited by public figures.

According to the hotel's website, former presidents Bill Clinton, George H. W. Bush, Gerald Ford, John F. Kennedy, and Harry S. Truman have all made appearances there.

According to the Detroit Free Press, when Gerald Ford visited the island in 1975, he used a horse-drawn carriage to get around.

Along with its grand exterior, the nearly 200-year-old property is also home to the longest front porch in the world — which spans 660 square feet.

Inside the hotel, the main dining room sports patterned curtains and green-and-white striped seats. Both the common areas and the guest rooms boast similarly lavish designs.

Currently, there are 397 guest rooms. Some rooms will cost you around $600 per night. But other, fancier rooms, like the Cupola Suite (pictured below), can set you back nearly $1,500 per night.

Guests have a variety of dining and entertainment options to choose from. This mostly blue Cupola Bar is located at the very top of the hotel.

The hotel also features a wide range of activities for its guests, including golf, horseback riding, swimming, tennis, and pickleball.

There is even croquet in the hotel's Tea Garden.

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