Despite the state of Illinois only about a month away from legalizing recreational marijuana, many tourists in the state may have a hard time smoking it in their hotels.
Many hotels in Chicago are saying no to marijuana and are adhering to strict no-smoking policies.
State law allows for hotels and motels to designate a quarter of their rooms for smokers “provided that all smoking rooms on the same floor must be contiguous and smoke from these rooms must not infiltrate into nonsmoking rooms or other areas where smoking is prohibited.”
According to Michael Jacobson, president and CEO of the Illinois Hotel & Lodging Association, stakeholders will have to determine “whether or not the broader tourism industry as a whole leverages the legality of recreational marijuana as a marketing tool to attract new visitors to Illinois.”
Representatives for major chains with multiple hotels in the downtown area have said that marijuana smoking will still be banned come Jan. 1.
Hyatt Hotels is included in the lot and a hotel chain spokesperson has said that its current no smoking policy “covers the smoking of any marijuana, tobacco or vaping products, and it applies to both colleagues and guests at the hotel.”
They added that “designated smoking areas may be located outside of the hotels.” However, smoking on balconies will still be prohibited.
