A longtime patron of the iconic Hotel Iroquois on Mackinac Island approached the McIntire family and made an offer they couldn't refuse — and the 45-room boutique hotel sold Friday.
"It was really important to our family that it go to another family, and it's even better that it's going to a Michigan family that has stayed with us for years," Sam Barnwell, who lives on Mackinac Island year-round and has run the Hotel Iroquois as director of operations, told the Free Press on Monday.
Jon Cotton of Grosse Pointe, former president and chief operating officer of Meridian Health Plan Michigan, is the new owner of the boutique hotel.
The purchase price was not disclosed.
Cotton approached the McIntire family with the idea over a year ago, Barnwell said.
"For us, it's just the right time for our family with the right people. It's good for the Iroquois and good for Mackinac," he said. "The atmosphere doesn't change. The staff doesn't change. It's just the next generation taking hold of it. They've been tourists for years and they've always loved the property. They reached out to us. It's the right blend of everything."
Barnwell will continue working on site now as general manager, while the rest of his family members retire.
"We're happy. My grandmother will still come over every day and give me her opinion on how I’m doing," he said, laughing. "For us, it was important not to be some venture capital firm or bank. ... It’s actually still staying owned by a family in Michigan that really cares for the property and the island — people who want to do things right and have the resources to make it better and keep moving forward."
The Cotton family sold Meridian Health, the state's largest Medicaid provider, to Florida-based Wellcare Health Plans in 2018.
Since 1900
Now, a Troy-based hotel management company called Hotel Investment Services (HIS), Inc. will manage Hotel Iroquois on behalf of the Cotton family.
Since 1954, the McIntire family has managed by themselves the property that overlooks the Straits of Mackinac.
The hotel and Carriage House Restaurant overlooking the water have been recognized by both Conde Nast Traveler Magazine and Travel + Leisure magazine as top destinations. Mackinac Island has been named a top destination site, too.
Families of sailors racing to Mackinac Island from Chicago or Port Huron each year often gather outside the beach adjacent to the Iroquois Hotel to cheer boats as they cross the finish line after two or three days of nonstop racing.
“I am committed to honoring the stewardship and legacy that Sam and Margaret McIntire gave to this hotel for the last 66 years," Cotton said in a news release. "Their traditions will continue.”
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Island historical records show that the Hotel Iroquois was originally built as a home by island blacksmith Robert Benjamin in 1900. In 1904, Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Poole turned it into the Hotel Iroquois. After Mr. Poole’s death, his daughter, Alicia, managed the Iroquois until 1954, when Sam and Margaret McIntire purchased the property.
“Although this is a bittersweet moment for me, I am pleased that another Michigan family will be working with all our great staff and carrying on the traditions of hospitality and excellence for which the Iroquois is known,” said Margaret McIntire in a news release.
Ron Wilson, CEO of Hotel Investment Services, now manages three properties on Mackinac Island — along with The Inn at Stonecliffe and Harbour View Inn.
Looking back
Barnwell offered assurance that longtime customers will recognize all they love.
"My grandmother is 93 and works every day," he said earlier this month. "My title is usually McIntire No. 4. My grandfather, Sam McIntire, was a state trooper and actually Soapy Williams' bodyguard."
Gerhard Mennen "Soapy" Williams, the former governor of Michigan, was elected in 1948 and served six two-year terms. McIntire retired and bought the hotel in 1954.
Creating memories
"The historical significance of buildings and hotels like the Iroquois create a special feeling. You're participating in the history of the building, standing on the shoulders of guests who have come before. This hotel creates a memory in and of itself," Wilson told the Free Press, noting that all the management company's hotel-as-destination properties are doing well despite COVID-19 challenges.
"It's like going to a museum or seeing an amazing piece of artwork or looking at an incredible vista," he said. "You feel you're part of it, some small part of history, and you take that history with you."
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Boutique hotels on Mackinac Island, which is known for its horse-and-buggies and bicycle riding with no automobiles, are seeing "high occupancies" despite the pandemic challenges, Wilson said. "Guests seem to like the idea of being on an island with its wide open spaces and enjoy al fresco dining."
Contact Phoebe Wall Howard: 313-222-6512 or phoward@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @phoebesaid.
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