Friends:

This week Grand Hotel is hosting the 28^th Biennial Midwest Republican Leadership Conference.  This is always an exciting gathering.  Movers and shakers pontificating on this year’s conference theme to “Fix Michigan”.  Mackinac Island seems an appropriate meeting place because the Republican Party has such deep roots in the Midwest being founded in Ripon Wisconsin in 1853.  Grand Hotel warmly welcomes all parties today, Republicans, Democrats, Independents and Green party.  Grand Hotel’s political hospitality dates back over 100 years, once hosting such long forgotten organizations as the Federalist party and the Whig party.  Even the term lobbyist is associated with another landmark historic hotel, the Willard Hotel in Washington, D.C.  Many believed the term lobbyist was first used by Uylsses S. Grant to describe those frequenting the hotels lobby in order to gain access to the President who was often found there, enjoying a cigar and brandy.  Highlights of this years conference will be the Gubernatorial Debate with participating candidates; Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard, Attorney General Mike Cox, State Senator Tom George, Congressman Peter Hoekstra and Venture Capitalist Rick Snyder.  This lively debate will be broadcast live on Detroit’s WJR 1760 am.

I have just looked around the lobby and it is indeed full of lobbyists lobbying, the American system of politics is still alive and well here at Grand Hotel.

Thanks,

Bob T.