Original Brayton Suite

In 1873 lumberman James and Mary Brayton built the original cottage here which they named after their family friend, Chief Khardomah, leader of one of the 19 historical Grand River Bands of Ottawa peoples. Khardomah means "happy home" in Anishinaabemowin, an Algonquian language, which is currently designated as "critically endangered" by UNESCO. This suite composes the original sleeping quarters that the Brayton's built for themselves over a hundred years ago, long before the Lodge was extended to its current form. It is a single bedroom with one king bed that overlooks our front porch on the main level with a private full bathroom.

Yerkes Suite

Susan Hill Yerkes purchased the Lodge from the Brayton's and owned it from 1919 to 1937. Yerkes was a highly educated and cultured woman of her time, and expert in Greek, Latin and German. From 1901 to 1926, Yerkes and her sister Mary Helen served as teachers and co-principals of the Ackley Institute, a girls school in Grand Haven. During that time Susan took students to Paris to study and acquired art objects that she displayed in Khardomah Lodge. In her honor we have begun our renovation of this historic property by creating the Yerkes Suite. This suite is composed of 3 bedrooms (king, queen, 2 twins) and a private full bathroom.

Lodge Rooms

Khardomah Lodge includes ten double occupancy bedrooms that preserve the simple, communal character of the historic cottage while providing comfortable sleeping quarters for families, friends and groups gathering together under one roof. The Lodge rooms are intentionally modest and practical, each furnished with a dresser and mirror, nightstand, and a bed arrangement that may include one queen, one full and one twin, one queen and one twin, or two twin beds. Guests staying in the Lodge rooms share four full bathrooms and one half bath, much as generations of summer visitors have done here for more than a century. These rooms are best suited for guests who value the experience of staying in a historic Lake Michigan lodge over the formality of a modern hotel.

Common Areas

The shared spaces at Khardomah Lodge are the heart of the property and the reason the building has remained such a happy home for generations. Guests have use of the lobby, great room, kitchen, dining room and back deck, with the dining room able to seat up to 42 people for meals, meetings and celebrations. The kitchen is equipped for group use with two refrigerators, two sinks, a microwave, gas oven and stove, two dishwashers, coffeemaker, plates, utensils, pots, pans and glasses. In keeping with the Lodge’s communal spirit, guests are expected to wash, dry and put away their own dishes, take care of trash, and leave the common areas clean for others. Laundry facilities are not available for guest use.