The cannabis legalization movement in the U.S. has spawned plenty of "bud and breakfasts" and weed-friendly, budget hotels, but a few boutique hotels are targeting the high-end cannabis traveller.
Expansion at the sector's more premium end comes as the number of Americans interested in cannabis-related travel has increased, according to Brian Applegarth, founder of the Cannabis Travel Association.
MMGY Travel Intelligence and Cultivar collaborated to analyze the cannabis traveler segment prior to the Pandemic. They found that 29% of active leisure travelers in the U.S. were part of a growing cannabis-motivated travel audience.
The size of that audience has increased to 37% of all active leisure travelers, with Gen Z and young people in particular, reporting overwhelming interest in engaging in at least one cannabis related activity while on vacation.
Applegarth said that there's also this sophisticated kind of person. The cannabis-interested audience has a very compelling profile when it comes to disposable income.
The Scotia Lodge has an outdoor smoking area for hotel guests. The photo was taken by Leon Villagomez.
The trend is being led by properties in California, which was the first state to relax marijuana laws. The Oyster Beach Bayfront Resort is one of the businesses operated by Humboldt Social, which operates several businesses, including a dispensary and spa.
The Scotia Lodge is a 22-room hotel located near a park in California. There is no obvious weed-related theming at the property, which is open to working with advisers. A cannabis delivery menu and an outdoor smoking area are included in the hotel's amenities. Guests are encouraged to enjoy cannabis in-room even though smoking is not allowed indoors.
Jon O'Connor said that some of the companies doing cannabis hospitality are just saying, "Hey, bring your own cannabis, we're cannabis-friendly,' and other places are getting little bed- and-breakfast licenses and have bongs in the lobby." We want to be supportive of the customer, but we also want to be a place where their aunt or grandma can stay.
For the coming year, the social organization is eyeing further expansion. O'Connor said that the company is in talks with hotels in the Southern California market to oversee food and beverage, dispensary, smoking area and cannabis- infused spa operations.
O'Connor said that their version of cannabis hospitality was similar to that of the famous wine region. It used to be tacky to stay in a bed and breakfast in the valley. It is now a world-class resort. That is what we envision after national legalization.
There is a hotel in California. A photo is courtesy of The Madrones.
The Madrones and the Brambles are sister properties and are following in the footsteps of the Humboldt Social.
Guests can access two on-site wine tasting rooms at the pair, which have a combined 14 accommodations.
More recently, co-owners Jim Roberts and Brian Adkinson opened a dispensary at the Madrones called the Bohemian Chemist. The dispensary's house brand is made up of locallysourced products from cannabis grown at a nearby farm which is owned and operated by Roberts and Adkinson.
"We already had a crowd of people coming here for wine, and we wanted to make sure we introduced cannabis in a way that was easy to understand." Those guests are very interested in cannabis. Some four- or five-star places are hesitant to embrace cannabis tourism because they are afraid of alienating their clients. Our experience has been that it doesn't hurt us.
Encouraged by positive guest feedback, the Madrones and the Brambles began building out more robust cannabis tourism- related programming this summer, including cannabis farm tours and a cannabis- infused seven-course dinner series.
The properties plan to open a cannabis consumption lounge later this year. The Madrones and the Brambles can now be booked forbudtending service for weddings.
A lot of young people want to consume at weddings, just like people want to have drinks at weddings. I believe that cannabis is becoming more and more mainstream. We want to make it normal.
All Rights Reserved © 2024
