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Introduction
A new strain of hotel chain
At 420 E. 11th Ave in downtown Denver, an iconic hotel is the seed for an ambitious concept. The 420 Hotels aspires to be at the forefront of a new type of cannabis hospitality—a chain of boutique properties that combine high-end hotel accommodations with a members-only cannabis club.
This offering pertains to equity in the entire hotel chain, with terms set out in the investment agreement.
While the cannabis industry is booming, the cannabis tourism industry has been held back by a lack of state and local regulations. In March, Forbes reported that sales rose 46% nationwide in 2020, and that 48% of adults in Colorado partake—the highest percentage in the country.
Complimenting this backdrop of market growth, The 420 Hotels founder Chris Chiari acquired a unique property to serve as an initial and keystone location.
The 420 Hotels fills a need in the market by pairing four-star overnight accommodations with a licensed cannabis consumption lounge.
Initial property
The 420 Denver
Constructed in 1891, the Patterson Inn is a 10 bedroom, 14 bath French Chateau in the heart of downtown Denver. It was renovated in 2011 and reopened in 2012 as the Patterson Inn—currently the #4 Denver B&B on Tripadvisor. The property includes a commercial kitchen, tavern, event space, and all operating licenses.
The inn’s address at 420 E 11th is an inherent branding asset that aligns with the mission of The 420 Hotels—converting the Patterson Inn from a bed and breakfast, into a high-end boutique hotel and the carriage house into a cannabis consumption lounge, The 420 Denver.
Conversion
Legal, safe, and sophisticated
Centered around the largest growth segment in cannabis consumers—adults 50 years and older—“The 420 Denver” will offer a safe and sophisticated location to consume cannabis, along with guest service representatives who can provide advice and safe practices, especially to novices.
With a re-zoning approval in Q3 of '21 the company is now planning improvements to increase both revenue and the property’s appeal through added inventory and the addition of unique amenity:
- Remodel of the carriage house with the lounge addition
- Addition of two more hotel guest rooms
- Improvements to the pub and kitchen
Business model
Blazing a new trail
Cannabis hospitality has quickly become a hot news topic. Cannabis consumption lounges are being proposed in states across the country, many of which have yet to formalize the regulations needed to license a business of this kind. While many have operated in the "cannabis friendly" space, the path to licensing commercial cannabis hospitality offers a new dawn in the still-emerging cannabis industry and removes a layer of uncertainty. It also offers, for the first time, a safe space for consumers both experienced and curious.
The 420 Hotels is pairing four-star hospitality with legal and licensed on-site cannabis consumption, bringing to market one of the most unique and exciting new amenities in America.
Built around our core asset, the property located at 420 E 11th Ave in Denver, Colorado, along with hotel operations, tavern and intellectual property, the company sets out to launch not just a location, but a brand.
With our 50+ secured domains the company looks to take the guest experience and service established at the Patterson Inn and expand our culture and vision to other properties as laws and markets mature and offer a path to licensing further locations and lounges.
Market
Leading the way
Colorado was one of the first states to legalize adult cannabis cultivation, distribution, possession and consumption. As of Spring 2021, Colorado now allows for the licensing of cannabis consumption businesses regulated through the Department of Revenue Marijuana Enforcement Division. The City of Denver passed local regulation in April of 2021 and accepted the first application in November of 2021.
The new state rules require business licensing—like hospitality—as well as a principal owner who is approved by the state and meets its background and integrity standards. The principal of this offering, Chris Chiari, currently possesses five unique business licenses in the city of Denver (Lodging, Liquor, Restaurant, Cabaret, and Cannabis). The 420 Denver is currently pending final licensing from the City and County of Denver.
The 420 Hotels is unique in that it builds off the success of the current hotel offering, adding the convenience of on-site consumption as an amenity through The 420 Denver cannabis lounge.
Competition
From scrounging to lounging
As the first hotel in America poised to add licensed cannabis hospitality as an amenity, we are peerless. Though several businesses operate as "cannabis friendly," this new path to licensing leaves us in a field alone. Cannabis hospitality is expected to boom in the near future, but for the moment, and with this opportunity, we enter a new frontier together.
Vision and strategy
Expanding the use
Patterson Inn currently features nine en-suite guest rooms as well as a neighborhood basement tavern. Improvements include the addition of two new guest rooms on the second floor of the carriage house, and adding the cannabis consumption lounge on the first floor.
The company has been working with DAS Architects to design key improvements to the property focused on the carriage house.
Through the addition of added guest rooms, the property will move from Bed & Breakfast to Boutique Hotel, with the addition of the first-in-the-nation, on-site, licensed cannabis consumption lounge as an amenity to the hotel.
Offering
Opening the door
to cannabis hospitality
The 420 Hotels is a first-in-the-nation cannabis hospitality lounge and boutique hotel. The company currently owns as wholly owned subsidiaries: the Patterson Inn (hotel operations and licensing), 12 Spirits Tavern (tavern operation and licensing), and Castle of Quality (property owner). The company is currently licensed-to-own in the Colorado state regulated cannabis industry and holds a 40% ownership in The 420 Denver (our pending licensed cannabis consumption lounge).
The 420 Hotels concept intends to expand to multiple locations over the next several years, as more municipalities and states across the country pass laws that allow for on-site consumption of cannabis in commercial establishments.
The company owns unique web domains that create common branding and shows the growth ambitions of the company as we expand the brand into other markets.
Management
Chris Chiari
Chris Chiari is an entrepreneur and award-winning film producer. He has a wealth of experience in corporate strategy and government relations. Skilled in marketing and messaging, he has engaged exclusively with the cannabis industry since 2011 and has held an owner's badge for over the last five years.
Chris has owned and operated Denver’s historic Patterson Inn since 2018, 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.
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.