It is no secret that legalising the use and sale of cannabis in Colorado in 2014 turned into a highly profitable decision for that state.
Although that decision is still seen as somewhat controversial, the people of Colorado spoke and voted in favour of legalising recreational use of cannabis throughout the state, giving Denver its capital the new nickname Mile High City, both because of its altitude and the generally high consumption of weed on its streets.
What had once been a business led by criminal gangs turned into a billion-dollar a year industry that pays US$90 million in state taxes.
The move created a burst of new enterprises and small businesses and has turned Colorado into a hot travel destination for marijuana enthusiasts.
Travellers have begun flocking to Colorado to enjoy its mountain air, its astonishing landscapes, and its legal weed laws. But some odd codicil in the law makes it illegal (or at the very least tricky) to smoke weed in Colorado hotels.
This opened up a lacuna in the accommodation offers for travellers, one that Joel Schneider was only too eager to fill. Schneider saw the potential in a chain of accommodations that catered to ‘weed enthusiasts’ and opened the Bud and Breakfast chain – bud is part of the marijuana plant.
The first one opened in 2012 but they quickly grew into a franchise and now Bud and Breakfasts can be found in Denver, Colorado Springs and Silverthorne (this one has a Grateful Dead themed décor).
The hotels are a favourite among snowboarders and skiers as well as people curious about the Colorado weed culture.
The offers include a ‘bud bar’ which offers free samples of different weed to guests during the hotel’s happy hour and there’s cannabis-infused massages on offer. There’s also the traditional Wake and Bake Breakfast which the hotel’s website describes as “Every morning eggs are cracked and bowls are packed as guests gather in our sunny, communal dining area for our famed Wake+Bake breakfast sessions. Grab a fresh cup of coffee or an uplifting Sativa strain and enjoy a gourmet breakfast prepared with care by our skilled on-site chefs.”
The franchise has become extremely popular, for who wouldn’t want to benefit from that high altitude and high state of mind.
