Denver’s Historic Patterson Inn Plans Marijuana Consumption Lounge

Visitors to the Mile High City could soon have a new choice in marijuana-friendly accommodations thanks to a cannabis consumption lounge planned for Denver’s Patterson Inn.

The historic—and some say haunted— hotel in Denver’s Capitol Hill neighborhood was the first business to apply for a license under the city’s new social consumption regulations, which were approved by city leaders last April. And now the landmark property has received approval from state regulators to transform part of the Victorian structure into a lounge where guests are welcome to smoke marijuana.

The lounge will not sell cannabis, so guests will have to pick up their own bud from one of Denver’s more than 200 retail marijuana dispensaries. Chris Chiari, CEO and founder of The 420 Hotels, Inc. and the owner of the Patterson Inn, says the new cannabis lounge will make the hotel a premier destination for travelers who want to enjoy legal marijuana during their visit to Denver.

“The 420 Hotels, Inc. is bringing four-star hospitality paired with a licensed cannabis lounge to market,” Chiari writes in an email. “Our brand focus is ‘heads in beds,’ and we see the addition of a licensed lounge for cannabis consumption as one of the most unique and exciting amenities in hospitality today.”

The Patterson Inn is located in the Croke Patterson Mansion, named for its builder Thomas B. Croke and one-time owner Thomas M. Patterson. While being renovated in the 1970s, workers reported supposed paranormal activity including unexplained voices and odors. Today, the property, which has been given historic designation by the Colorado State Register of Historic Properties and the National Register of Historic Places, is a frequent stop on Denver ghost tours.

Guests staying at the nine-room boutique hotel will be able to purchase a day pass to the cannabis consumption lounge for $4.20 and bring a friend for an additional $7.10. Those not staying at the inn will be able to purchase an annual pass that allows them to visit the smoking lounge with prior reservations.

Encouraging Safe Cannabis Consumption

Chiari said the goal of the Patterson Inn’s marijuana consumption lounge is to encourage visitors to consume cannabis safely while they are in Denver, with hotel staff guiding the way.

“By having the open dialogue with concierge and innkeepers when you check in, we hope consumers will make smarter decisions and take the advice of ‘start low and go slow,’ and experience and experiment, if that’s their interest, without going too far and leaving with a bad experience, a bad impression, or a desire to never engage again,” Chiari told local media.

The 19^th century inn, appropriately located at 420 East Eleventh Avenue, still has some hurdles to clear before it can start allowing guests to light up. The proposed cannabis consumption lounge must gain the approval of local officials, with public hearings expected to begin next month. Chiari hopes to have the venue in operation by late fall or early winter.

“Licensed cannabis hospitality is the final mile in the effort to destigmatize and normalize cannabis possession and use,” Chiari says. “This has been my career focus for just over a decade and it’s exciting to be leading the charge toward the goal line starting with our keystone property, The Patterson Inn and our cannabis consumption lounge, The 420 Denver.”