Cottage-country resort first to earn ‘pot-friendly’ designation

Spark one up in celebration, if you’re so inclined.

Less than a year after cannabis became legal in Canada, Ontario has it’s first openly pot-friendly resort, which could have weed-lovers jumping for joy. Or kicking back in a Muskoka chair with a fattie in hand.

Adults-only Sir Sam’s Inn and Spa in the Haliburton Highlands, roughly a 2 1/2-hour drive north of Toronto, has been touted as the province’s first hotel/resort to welcome cannabis consumption by its guests, according to a press release from Cannabis Hotels, a website dedicated to the fledgling pot tourism industry.

The announcement should come as welcome news for cannabis consumers who are looking to escape the city for a relaxing getaway in cottage country that doesn’t require them to sneak off for a quick puff.

“Somewhere like Sir Sam’s, which is more of an experience resort and more of a boutique type of hotel, it gives them more leeway to move in that direction,” said Wendy Forwell, founder and CEO of Cannabis Hotels. “(Many hotel owners are) waiting to see what others do. It’s still very early days so they’re all holding back a little bit. Sir Sam’s is fully embracing this.”

Sir Sam’s Inn, a 25-room, luxury four-season resort on the shores of Eagle Lake, is taking the plunge with its the new cannabis-friendly designation after exploring the ramifications — positive and negative.

The resort has been cautious about being industry ground-breakers because it doesn’t want to chase away loyal customers — or those who are against the use of cannabis — by being swamped with characters like those out of the stoner flick, Dazed and Confused. That said, being on the cutting edge of a growing trend in the hospitality business can be a real advantage.

“We’re not looking to become a signature pot-smoking hotel or anything like that,” said Jon Massey, Sir Sam’s Inn’s director of business development. “It’s more about acknowledging it is legal now, we are an adults and couple resort and we do have professionals who like to come up and relax with the setting we provide.

“Really, it’s a natural progression. We thought it was a unique opportunity. It was simply finding a way to say ‘yes.’”

According to the Ontario Restaurant Hotel and Motel Association website, smoking or vaping of cannabis “will only be permitted for registered guests or invited guests of registered guests if the room is designated as a smoking room, and other conditions which align with the Smoke-Free Ontario Act are met.”

Unlike the majority of hotels in Toronto, where provincial smoking laws are a major obstacle towards a cannabis-friendly designation, Sir Sam’s has a leg up because of its location and layout.