FAQs and Attendee Information

Detroit Regional Chamber leadership continues to hear the concerns about hotel room availability on Mackinac Island for Conference attendees. We understand the continued frustration with the lack of rooms, and we remain committed to making changes and solving the problem.

Over the last 15 months, Chamber leaders met multiple times with Mackinac Island hotel owners, the Mackinac Island Tourism Bureau, and the Mayor of Mackinac Island to identify real process changes to increase access to hotel rooms for the 2026 Conference. To secure a room reservation, follow the below steps:

1. Register for the 2026 Mackinac Policy Conference.
2. After registering for the 2026 Conference, you will receive a confirmation email with a Conference Hotel Code. To make a room reservation, you must provide this code to your preferred hotel. Hotels will begin taking phone calls from attendees about available rooms for 2026 starting June 17, 2025.
3. View a list of Island and some Mackinaw City hotels on the 2026 Conference accommodations page. Registered attendees must call their preferred hotel on call-in day to inquire about room availability. A deposit or full payment may be required to make a room reservation. While all hotels will require the Conference Hotel Code, their booking processes and cancellation policies may vary, so attendees should make sure to review and understand the policies of their preferred hotel before making a reservation.

Individuals who have a hard time finding a hotel room after registering for the 2026 Conference are invited to join the Chamber’s hotel waitlist using their “Hotel Code,” which can be found in the registration confirmation email received from “event@detroitchamber.com”.

The Chamber established its own waitlist because it reserves rooms for speakers, sponsors, select government officials, staff, vendors, and other guests critical to the Conference, and those that are not needed for these groups are made available to registered attendees.

Note: The Chamber manages room access for Grand Hotel. If you typically receive access to a Grand Hotel room through the Chamber, the Chamber will reach out on Jan. 15, 2026, to provide information on how to secure your reservation.

Please see the Mackinac Island Tourism Bureau website for a list of Mackinac Island hotels.

One code provides access to one room reservation. Each registrant receives an individual code specifically associated with their registration. One code cannot be used to reserve multiple rooms.

The Chamber manages room access for Grand Hotel. Due to the increasing room requirements for sponsors, speakers, the Chamber’s Board of Directors, and select government officials, Grand Hotel will no longer hold a “call-in day” for room reservations. If you previously accessed a room by calling Grand Hotel to make a reservation, you will need to secure accommodations at a different hotel.

If you traditionally access a Grand Hotel room through the Chamber, the Chamber will reach out to you directly via email on Jan. 15, 2026, with the details you need to secure your reservation. If you have questions about your Grand Hotel access through the Chamber, please contact Marianne Bogard at mbogard@detroitchamber.com.

Proceed northbound on I-75, take exit 337, and follow the signs to Shepler’s Mackinac Island Ferry. The approximate driving time from Detroit is five hours, plus a 15-minute ferry ride to the Island.

Delta Air Lines flies from Detroit Metro (DTW) to Pellston Regional Airport (PLN).

Guests can arrange ground transportation from Pellston to Mackinac Island by calling Mackinaw Shuttle at 888.349.8294. Advance reservations are recommended.

If you are interested in chartering a plane directly to Mackinac Island from Oakland County International Airport, call  Pentastar Aviation at 800.662.9612. Advance reservations are required.

Electronic Ferry Ticket Only: Shepler’s Mackinac Island Ferry will email ferry tickets with a QR code one week prior to the Conference, on Monday, May 18, 2026, to the email address you used to register for the Conference. Ferry tickets will not be mailed. The e-ticket with the QR code is your only ticket and will be scanned and validated by Shepler’s upon arrival. If you do not receive an e-ticket in your inbox, check your spam, junk, or clutter folders.

Conference attendees staying in Mackinaw City will not incur daily fees for ferry transportation. Attendees must pick up a complimentary ticket at the ticket office. A ferry schedule for 2026 will be available at a later date.

Shepler’s Ferry service will provide a complimentary roundtrip shuttle service between Mackinaw City hotels and Shepler’s Mackinac Island Ferry dock. Guests will need to request a shuttle and should plan to call Shepler’s Ferry (231.436.5023) 30 minutes before the ferry they would like to ride.

Most Conference attendees stay at other hotels. For convenience, each registrant at a hotel other than Grand Hotel will receive four complimentary taxi tickets when picking up Conference credentials. Taxis have also been secured to shuttle attendees staying at Mission Point to and from Grand Hotel with no taxi tickets required.

Additional taxi tickets are available at Grand Hotel’s front desk at attendees’ own expense. Driver gratuity is always appreciated. Taxis will be available at peak times for Chamber guests for transit to Grand Hotel. The average taxi ride price is $9 to $11.50 for a one-way trip to Grand Hotel.

In case a taxi is not waiting when you need it, call Mackinac Carriage Tours/Taxi Office at 906.847.3323.

Shepler’s Mackinac Island Ferry has complimentary roundtrip ground transportation from all local hotels in Mackinaw City to its ferry dock. Guests will need to request a shuttle and should plan to call Shepler’s Ferry (231.436.5023) 30 minutes before the ferry they would like to ride. When you leave the Island and dock in Mackinaw City, get in the bus line and let the shuttle driver know which hotel you are staying at.

Your Conference registration fee includes:

Breakfast 

• Thursday

Lunch 

• Tuesday
• Wednesday
• Thursday

Dinner Receptions 

• Tuesday
• Wednesday
• Thursday

The Conference registration fee does not include meals in the main dining room. You must have a meal ticket for any meal in the Grand Hotel dining room. If you are staying at Grand Hotel, you will receive a guest card at check-in. If you are not staying at Grand Hotel, tickets can be purchased by calling 800.33.GRAND or at the front desk.

Upon arrival at Grand Hotel, pick up your credentials and Conference materials at the lobby level, down the hall from the hotel’s front desk. Admission to sessions and social events will not be allowed without a Conference name badge.

Throughout the Conference, Grand Hotel access is limited only to registered and credentialed Conference attendees. Individuals attempting to obtain access to Grand Hotel property, events, and the Porch who are not registered and credentialed will not be permitted access.

Attendees will be required to display their credentials to gain entry to all Conference functions, including meals, sessions, and receptions taking place on Grand Hotel’s properties.

Attendees looking for a map of Mackinac Island can view the map below. Maps for Grand Hotel will be available closer to the 2026 Conference.

• Mackinac Island Map

In 2026, the Chamber will continue to implement the new security measures it created in 2024 to ensure a safe and secure environment for Conference attendees. These protocols could cause increased wait times when picking up credentials on Tuesday, May 26, and Wednesday, May 27, when you first arrive at Grand Hotel.

Attendees are required to show a government-issued photo ID, like a driver’s license or passport, to pick up credentials at the Conference registration desk upon arrival. If your ID does not match your Conference registration, please notify the Chamber at mpc26@detroitchamber.com as soon as possible.

Attendees will be required to display their credentials to gain entry to all Conference functions, including meals, sessions, receptions, press conferences, and private events taking place on any Grand Hotel properties, including the Porch. Attendees who lose their badge during the Conference must pay a $50 badge replacement fee.

Attendees looking for business and communications services can utilize the Attendee Business Center by the Theatre Foyer of Grand Hotel. Staff will be available to assist you with your business needs.

The attendee list will be available to registered attendees via the Conference App.

The Conference App will be available in the App Store and Google Play in May 2026.

The Chamber encourages attendees to post about the Conference using the hashtag #MPC26 on all major social networks.

There will be a communication center at Grand Hotel, which will provide Conference participants with items like fax machines, color printers, and computer workstations.

Grand Hotel properties offer many options for private meeting or event space. During the Conference, the Chamber oversees the scheduling of all property space. Scheduling unsanctioned Conference meetings or events is at the Chamber’s discretion. Meetings and events can not conflict with Conference programming and priority is given to Conference sponsors. For more information, call Jim Connarn at 313.596.0391 or email jconnarn@detroitchamber.com.

Grand Hotel has slightly relaxed its dress code for the Conference. Throughout the week, attendees are encouraged to dress in business casual or resort attire. No ties are encouraged. However, comfortable shoes are a must as attendees will walk a lot throughout the Conference.

All receptions and many 2026 social events and meals will be held outdoors (weather permitting). Mackinac Island weather can be very unpredictable, but temperatures have an average range of 51° F to 70° F, and the sun will set at approximately 9:20 p.m. Be sure to pack a rain jacket or umbrella, and dress in layers for crisp mornings and cool evenings.

Conference fee includes credentials, materials and gifts, admittance to meetings, receptions, and special entertainment. Conference pricing is subject to change. The fee does not cover hotel accommodations, meals in the Grand Hotel dining room, or the PAC reception. If paying by check, payment must be received by Friday, May 15, 2026.

Registration is now open. Register now.

Solicitation of Conference attendees to fundraise or sell any idea, product, service, venture, cause, or action, however worthy or potentially of value to the solicited member, is prohibited while on Grand Hotel property. While much of the Conference’s value comes from its networking capability, and while we do not intend to interfere with that benefit, the Chamber has received many requests for such a policy from regular Conference attendees. Individuals violating this policy will be dealt with immediately and could be excluded from the Conference immediately and in the future.

The Chamber controls the distribution of “Conference-sanctioned materials” throughout the Grand Hotel and other Conference venues. Distribution of other materials is strictly prohibited. No attendee or organization (company, entity, media outlet, political campaign) can distribute materials, publications, postcards, other items, or gifts on Grand Hotel property (including the main Conference venue and other facilities owned and operated by Grand Hotel) and Shepler’s Mackinac Island Ferry facilities. If non-sanctioned materials are found, Conference staff is instructed to remove and dispose of the materials from the premises. Individuals distributing materials will be dealt with immediately and could be excluded from the Conference immediately and in the future.

Video cameras and recording devices by credentialed media are not allowed in the Grand Hotel Theatre without permission of the Chamber AND AN ESCORT BY CHAMBER STAFF for B-roll only. News organizations that want to capture main stage programming inside the Theatre may make a special request through the Media Center to be escorted into the Theatre for limited recording. Media wishing to capture video/audio of main stage programming in the Theatre are provided access to a pool feed. The Chamber reserves the right to ask a reporter with a camera to leave the Theatre at any time.

NOTE: Due to contracts with Conference speakers, video and audio recordings of some Conference speakers may be restricted or may not be allowed. 

Flash photography is not allowed in Grand Hotel Theatre. Photographers shooting in the Theatre are welcome to take photographs but must not use a flash. A Flickr photo feed will be uploaded in real-time, and media will be provided the link or can request it by emailing Catia Sabak.

I hereby grant permission to the Detroit Regional Chamber to utilize my name, photograph, image, likeness, signature, voice, actions, and/or statements from any program or event, whether live or recorded audio, video, photographic media, or any other context or media now known or hereinafter devised, and further grant the Detroit Regional Chamber the right and ability to alter, copy, display, distribute, edit, exhibit, modify, perform, publish, or create derivative works of any version of any program or the event, all without further authorization, consent, or compensation.

You can find registration instructions here. 

*Note: If you have not already created a login for the Detroit Regional Chamber website, you will need to do so before registering for an event. Instructions for creating an account can be found here. 

The organization and attendee fields will automatically be filled in with your information.

• If you want to register a different person, click the drop-down and choose the correct person.

• To add more than one person to the cart, at the same time, turn on Register Multiple Attendees.

This will add a new record for your organization.

*When adding a new employee, please make sure your cart shows the correct pricing before you process the payment. If it is incorrect, remove them from the cart and re-add. If you have issues, please contact mpc26@detroitchamber.com.

When you are finished, click Create to add the person to the drop-down list. Please be patient. This may take a few seconds to process. Do not click “Create more than once.

• Correct attendee(s) selected.
• Correct session (s) selected.
• Pricing is correct.
• Spouse/partner name filled in (if applicable).

*Important note: If using a credit card for payment, be sure Zip is the zip code associated with the credit card to be charged.

• Credit card
• eCheck