Potcast 238: Cannabis Hospitality and Tourism

While at MJBizCon, I sat down with a hotel proprietor to discuss the evolution of cannabis hospitality as a complement to your travel experience. Chris Chiari owns and operates Denver’s historic Patterson Inn that will soon feature a members-only cannabis consumption lounge. Chris uses his expertise in hospitality, operations, and community outreach to address the stigmas and ignorance that still exist around cannabis use while creating a unique and upscale environment for cannabis consumption.

And as someone who loves to travel as much as I love cannabis, I’m excited to share this conversation about cannabis hospitality. In this potcast, Chris pulls back the curtain on the licensing process and what to expect when you pair overnight hospitality with the unique amenity of a cannabis consumption lounge. We also swap ghost stories and get travel tips for visiting the Mile High City.

As cannabis legalization continues, it’s important to understand the ins and outs of exploring cannabis-friendly destinations. So smoke ‘em if you got ‘em and settle in for this mile high conversation about cannabis hospitality and tourism. It’s time to get casually baked.

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‘After the Show’ Notes

**Chris Chiari, CEO and Founder, The 420 Hotels**
Chris Chiari is a driven entrepreneur and award-winning film producer with a wealth of experience in corporate strategy and regional politics. Skilled in marketing and messaging, he has engaged exclusively with the cannabis industry since 2011 and is a tireless advocate for cannabis policy reform and fostering industry growth.
Chris owns and operates Denver’s historic Patterson Inn, the keystone of The 420 Hotels portfolio. As CEO, he uses his expertise in hospitality, operations and community outreach to address the stigmas and ignorance that still exist around cannabis use while creating a unique and upscale environment for cannabis consumption.

With a deep appreciation for the power of collaboration, Chris has built a wide-ranging network throughout his career spanning corporate boardrooms and the entertainment industry. *Public Enemy Number One*, a film by Chris Chiari, is a feature documentary about the War on Drugs, and counts entertainer Ice-T as one of its executive producers. The film won awards for Best Producer and Best Storyteller at its world premiere at DOC LA 2019 and Best Documentary at the 2020 Seattle Film Festival. It is currently available for rent on Amazon Prime and streaming on Pluto TV and Tubi. Chris is a former Deputy Director of Colorado NORML, serving for over eight years.. When not working on The 420 Hotels portfolio, Chris likes to stay involved with grassroots advocacy and advancing social reform; he was one of the five members of the petitioners committee of Denver’s successful 2019 psilocybin ballot initiative. In his free time Chris can be found on the rail at a Twiddle show.
**The Vision**
The 420 Hotels aims to be amongst the nation’s first hotel chains where guests will be able to consume cannabis onsite in legally licensed lounges. The company is converting intimate boutique hotels into high-end, members-only cannabis consumption clubs merged with luxury overnight accommodations that will offer both sophisticated locations to consume and onsite guest service representatives who can advise consumers on safe consumption practices. The 420 Hotels intends to expand from its keystone location at Denver’s historic Patterson Inn to open upscale cannabis-friendly hotels in multiple locations over the next several years as more municipalities and states across the country pass laws that allow for onsite consumption of cannabis in commercial establishments.

10 Things to Know About the Mile High City

Denver has 300 days of annual sunshine.
Denver's arts and cultural scene is thriving.
Denver is near the mountains, not in them.
Denver has a rich musical legacy and one of today’s best music scenes.
Denver’s history is short, but colorful.
Denver loves its sports.
Denver brews more beer than any other city.
Denver really is exactly one mile high.
Denver has one of the largest downtowns in the United States.
Denver has one of the largest city park systems in the country.

Learn More About Visiting Denver, CO

Stay At the Historic Patterson Inn

**Patterson Inn has been selected as the 2022 Winner for Hotel & Restaurant of the Year in Colorado by Travel & Hospitality Awards.**

Located at 420 East 11th Avenue, the Patterson Inn is a stately and distinguished National Landmark situated in the heart of Denver's Capitol Hill neighborhood. Historically intriguing yet complete with all the comforts of modern amenities, it offers a luxurious reprieve in one of nine uniquely themed bedrooms. The Patterson Inn is also home to The 420 Hotels, the nation’s first legally licensed cannabis consumption lounge in a luxury hotel. Slated to open in late 2022, this high-end, members-only cannabis consumption club that will be merged with luxury overnight accommodations will provide a sophisticated location to consume and onsite guest service representatives who can advise consumers on safe consumption practices.

For more information or to make reservations, please visit www.pattersoninn.com or call 303-955-5142.

The 420 Denver

The most exiting and unique amenity in hospitality is becoming a reality with The 420 Denver. A modern lounge designed to meet international standards for a smoke filled room. This space will establish a new normal in hospitality by pairing overnight accommodations with this first of its kind on-site licensed cannabis hospitality lounge.