Recreational marijuana is days away from being legal in the Golden State and at least one hotelier is gleaming with the potential profits. And with that, we kick off a new series titled “Cannabis Watch,” where we’ll keep readers informed on all real estate-related changes stemming from the upcoming Jan. 1 legislation.
“After the party, it’s the hotel lobby” is about to take on a whole new meaning.
Boutique hotelier Standard International announced it will be welcoming cannabis-infused candy-maker Lord Jones to the lobby of the Standard Hollywood hotel on Sunset Boulevard starting in early 2018, the Los Angeles Times reported. The partnership plans to go one step further and even create co-branded THC-derived products in the future, if regulations permit. (The Standard brownie, anyone?)
Lord Jones’ will take up roughly 300 square feet in the hotel’s lobby – marking the brand’s first retail outpost. It will include the full collection of caramels, chews and all THC-sweetened candy, as well as the brand’s topicals. A “tightly curated assortment” of “smokable products” from other brands will also be laid out.
But the partnership is not without its complications. Despite an overwhelming “yes” vote to legalize adult recreational marijuana use last year, state and local laws governing the sales of THC-infused products are still very much in the planning stages. With neither West Hollywood or California regulations properly established, Lord Jones’s founder Robert Rosenheck compared the permitting process to “sort of building the airplane on the runway.”
The Standard is no stranger to welcoming unique retailers – the same Hollywood location played host to the first brick-and-mortar Warby Parker location while the Downtown hotel welcomed Susan Sarandon’s unique ping pong/social club SPiN LA. The hotelier also holds two locations in New York and one in Miami. Its owner, Andre Balazs, recently faced allegations for sexually harassing four women. [LAT] – Natalie Hoberman