Chicago hotels say no to pot

Out-of-staters planning ganja getaways at the start of next year may not have anywhere to legally get stoned as many hotels are sticking by their strict no-smoking policies.

In this Feb. 20, 2015 photo, Alaska Cannabis Club CEO Charlo Greene smokes a joint at the medical marijuana dispensary in Anchorage, Alaska.

Many hotels in Chicago will continue to ban smoking on-premises after marijuana is legalized on Jan. 1, meaning Chicago tourists will be hard-pressed to find a place to legally get high next year.

AP Photo/Mark Thiessen

Out-of-staters planning ganja getaways to Chicago at the start of next year may not have anywhere to legally get stoned as many hotels are sticking by their strict no-smoking policies.

State law permits hotels and motels to designate a quarter of their rooms for smokers “provided that all smoking rooms on the same floor must be contiguous and smoke from these rooms must not infiltrate into nonsmoking rooms or other areas where smoking is prohibited.”

While the few hotels in Illinois that have designated rooms for cigarette smokers could simply apply the same rules to pot use, many have already instituted stringent anti-smoking policies.

Michael Jacobson, president and CEO of the Illinois Hotel & Lodging Association, noted that some hotels have inquired about embracing legalization, though he wouldn’t provide specific examples.

Ultimately, he said, stakeholders will have to determine “whether or not the broader tourism industry as a whole leverages the legality of recreational marijuana as a marketing tool to attract new visitors to Illinois.”

Jacobson said the association is now looking to its “Colorado counterparts” to glean what they’ve learned about operating in a state that’s already legalized recreational weed, adding that the group will likely hold a webinar in the coming weeks to address concerns and answer questions.

Major hotels ban weed

Meanwhile, representatives for major chains with multiple hotels in the downtown area all said pot use will still be banned come Jan. 1.

Hyatt Hotels will not permit pot use at any of its 10 locations in and around the downtown area. A Hyatt spokesperson said the chain’s current no smoking policy “covers the smoking of any marijuana, tobacco or vaping products, and it applies to both colleagues and guests at the hotel.”

The spokesperson noted that “designated smoking areas may be located outside of the hotels.” However, smoking on balconies will still be prohibited.

Hyatt was founded in 1957 by an uncle of Gov. J.B. Pritzker, who signed the cannabis legalization law into effect earlier this year. The bulk of the hospitality assets controlled by the Pritzkers were consolidated in 2004 as the Global Hyatt Corporation, which later changed its name to Hyatt Hotels Corporation.

Hilton Hotels & Resorts owns 25 hotels in and around the downtown area, including the swanky Drake and Palmer House hotels. A spokesperson for Hilton confirmed that the company’s overarching smoke-free policy extends to vaping and prohibits both recreational and medical pot use.

Cannabis use will also be prohibited at Marriott International’s 25 hotels in and around downtown, as well as the InterContinental Hospitality Group’s nine locations in the area. The same goes for Sofitel Chicago, The Peninsula Chicago and The Ritz-Carlton.

Though Airbnb has no explicit policy on marijuana use, guests are required to follow house rules that can include limitations on smoking. Individuals who flout smoking rules could potentially have cash drawn from their security deposits to compensate hosts for damages.

Guests looking to get high and avoid any issues can simply use terms like “cannabis” and “420 friendly” while searching for the perfect place to stay. Bud and Breakfast, another booking website, touts itself as “the largest collection of marijuana-friendly hotels and other cannabis-friendly rentals anywhere on the web,” but there are currently no listings in Chicago.

With pot tourism already on the rise in states that have legalized recreational marijuana, it’s clear that the city will need to designate businesses for visitors to consume without violating the provision of the state legalization law that prohibits public marijuana use.

Lawmakers in Springfield passed a followup bill earlier this month to curtail the initial legislation’s loose language about public consumption spaces and make it clear that pot use won’t be allowed in bars or restaurants. Now, public cannabis use will be relegated to dispensaries and special shops.

There are currently no pot shops operating in the downtown area — and no new dispensaries are expected to open by Jan. 1 — meaning tourists will initially have to travel to the closest dispensaries in West Town or the Near West Side to buy cannabis products and toke up legally. 

On top of that, the City Council hasn’t voted to permit consumption in those businesses or set local rules regulating them. Ald. Gilbert Villegas (36th), Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s floor chief and the chairman of the City Council’s Committee on Economic and Capital Development, introduced a sweeping ordinance in September that would have allowed public consumption at a variety of businesses. He swiftly pulled back the legislation, claiming it was “not fully baked” and mistakenly introduced.

The ordinance would have allowed pot use at spaces where use is now prohibited under the state law, like restaurants, bars, beauty salons and yoga studios.

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