Las Vegas and the state of Nevada have been working to sort out their confusing cannabis laws. Currently, recreational marijuana smoking is legal, but you can only actually do it in a private residence.
That creates a problem for visitors to Sin City because you can't go visit Planet 13 (PLNHF) , MedMen, or any other legal dispensary and then head back to your hotel room to smoke it. In fact, casino operators including Strip leaders MGM Resorts International (MGM) and Caesars Entertainment (CZR) can't allow marijuana smoking at all because they're also beholden to federal law (which has not legalized cannabis).
Basically, for tourists, there's no legal way to smoke, unless you have a friend who lives in the area. That, of course, has not stopped people from smoking pretty much anywhere. The Las Vegas Strip smells like the Grateful Dead are perennially in town and every hotel parking lot has people sharing what's probably not a tobacco cigarette.
Nevada has addressed this and rules are now in place for the launch of cannabis consumption lounges (including one at Planet 13). In addition to these dedicated lounges, one company has big plans for Las Vegas first cannabis-friendly hotel, and those plans have made a big move forward.
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Las Vegas' Cannabis-Friendly Hotel Has Opening Date
Elevations Hotels and Resorts (formerly Pro Hospitality Group) CEO Alex Rizk purchased the 64-room Artisan hotel at Sahara Avenue and Interstate 15 for $11.9 million. Rizk's company already owns the Clarendon Hotel in Phoenix, which it describes as "cannabis-friendly," and plans to do the same thing with its Las Vegas location.
Now, the hotel operator has shared some details on the new cannabis-friendly boutique hotel that's just off the Strip including an opening date and a name change.
"Rizk said Tuesday [Jan. 17] that the property would open as The Lexi. A formal opening date hasn’t been set, but Rizk said it would occur in early April," the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported.
Guests will be able to smoke cannabis in some rooms, but not in the hotel's common areas.
"For our cannabis-friendly rooms, we allow vaping, dabbing, flower, etc. We do not allow tobacco products to be smoked in the room due to the lasting smell and residue," The Clarendon shared on its website. "Since we are currently a split-use hotel with cannabis and non-smoking rooms, we do ask that any smoking take place in your cannabis-friendly room and not in the public areas of the hotel. Vapes and smokeless products can be used in outdoor public areas, not including the restaurant."
New Vegas Cannabis Hotel Has Another Adult Twist
The newly rechristened "Lexi," will also offer a European-style pool.
A website for the new property actually described the pool as "topless optional," which is not actually that common in Las Vegas. Some day clubs allow women to be topless, and Caesars, MGM, and Wynn Resorts (WYNN) have select pools that are top optional.
"The pool at the Artisan Hotel is an exotic hideaway where you can party in a private cabana or show off on an oversized daybed surrounded by swaying palm trees. During Las Vegas pool parties, the deck comes alive with magical beats and shimmering lights. Call ahead for V.I.P. reservations," the Lexi shared on its website.
Rizk described the goal of the new owner for the property to the Review-Journal.
“We want to make it a classy experience and keep that vibe going,” he said. “We want to keep the mischievous attitude," he said. "We want to be sure to keep the sexiness of the hotel, but we want to classy it up from where it was.”
