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Cannabis-friendly vacation rentals have been popping up as legalization of recreational marijuana expands to more states.
Niche sites such as BudandBreakfast.com offer databases of listings for cannabis-minded travelers. 
Minority entrepreneurs are among those hoping to cash in on the business.

At her bed-and-breakfast Nicole Butler hosts backyard potlucks with THC-infused food.
Photo: Nicole Butler

At Nicole Butler’s bed-and-breakfast, cannabis is in the candy that greets guests at check-in, the homemade shrimp and grits and other meals she serves, and the snacks she sets out for anyone who gets the munchies.
“I’ve really just tried to give people what they’re used to, just with the added element of cannabis,” said Butler.

With permission from her landlord, Butler in 2018 began listing her 3-bedroom, 3-bathroom townhouse in Washington, D.C. on BudandBreakfast.com, which connects guests with hosts who allow marijuana use on their properties.
The site is still tiny, with just 2,000 active listings compared with Airbnb’s 6 million. But the niche market of cannabis-friendly accommodations is gaining interest, with recreational marijuana use now legal in 19 states and Washington. Tourism for cannabis more broadly is also now a $17 billion industry, according to recent data from Forbes.
Some hosts of cannabis-friendly rentals go beyond simply allowing people to smoke or consume weed on site. With rooms starting at $420 per night, for example, Butler offers a fully stocked cannabis bar with a variety of strains to choose from as well as yoga, CBD massages and cannabis education.
A hairstylist before the pandemic, Butler began managing the bed-and-breakfast full time when the salon she worked at closed during the pandemic. She said the business started to sustain itself after about a year.
“I think the pandemic made people really appreciate experiences, self-care, and just doing things that make them feel good,” said Butler.

A growing trend

Cannabis sales in the U.S. are projected to climb from $25 billion in 2021 to $42 billion in 2026, according to cannabis market research firm BDSA.
Among those looking to capitalize on the growing industry is Sean Roby, who launched BudandBreakfast.com in 2015. Homeowners can list their properties for short-term bookings in states where recreational or medicinal cannabis use is legal. When he first started the site, Roby said his business partners were doubtful about whether people would buy into the idea of letting guests smoke cannabis on their properties.
“We get dozens of bookings per day now,” he said.

On the site, listings indicate where in the house smoking is allowed, if cannabis will be provided or if it’s BYOB — bring-your-own-bud. They also include information on local dispensaries and cannabis-friendly events happening in the area.
“We have places that are booked out six months in advance,” Roby said.
Deontae Mack has also been courting guests with his online startup Vibesbnb.com, where he lists cannabis-friendly rentals. The site has more than 150 listings, mostly in Florida, and Mack said about 2,000 users have signed up in the first year.
Florida, one of the top vacation destinations in the U.S., still does not allow recreational cannabis use. But after voters approved a bill in 2016 allowing medicinal use on private properties, Mack, an Uber and Lyft driver at the time, saw an opportunity to cash in.
“People do not want to be inconvenienced when they smoke and some actually have medical needs,” Mack said. “But when people travel to Florida, if they do smoke for whatever reason, the only place that they can do that is at a private residence.”
Mack cross-lists on Vibesbnb and Airbnb. He said people can either book one of his listings on Airbnb or go directly to his site for cheaper booking.

Deontae Mack, founder and CEO of Vibesbnb
Courtesy: Deonte Mack

According to Airbnb’s community policy, cannabis possession and use is allowed “in locations where it is legal and does not violate any house rules.” However, the company does not allow users to directly search for cannabis-friendly rentals, or allow its hosts to list their rentals as such.
“If a guest is curious about a Host’s host rules on cannabis in their listing, we encourage guests to contact the Host ahead of booking to ask them for more information,” Airbnb said in a statement.
Mack took his plans for Vibesbnb to investors in 2019 after finding success listing his own, then other apartments that he rented, as cannabis-friendly stays on sites including Airbnb and Vrbo. He got around the site’s rules by putting “420 friendly” in the description, which let people find him through Google searches.
“I’m trying to become like the Airbnb of cannabis in Florida,” Mack said.

Cashing in 

The cannabis industry’s move into the mainstream caught Jeremiah Swain’s attention while he was a student at Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration.
“There are so many opportunities that the Black community is missing out on because of its traumatic response to marijuana, because of this traumatic history with the plant,” Swain said.
Swain and his classmate Cameron Wesley Scott founded a research-based cannabis company in Ithaca, New York. Swain said he hopes it will expand into one of upstate New York’s first boutique cannabis hotels, with about 65 rooms.
“We’re looking at mid- to late 2025, depending on how quickly we close our fundraising,” he said.
Construction hasn’t started, but he said he envisions an atrium-style area with live plants, spas and studios for art and yoga.
For now, the pair are cultivating cannabis for the recreational adult-use market in New York state through his 8th Wonder Cannabis Company. They received $300,000 in angel investments, but are still raising money to build the hotel.

From left, Cameron Wesley Scott, and Jeremiah Swain
Photo: Jesse Winter

Swain said the hotel, which he called “the nexus of cannabis and hospitality,” will be what allows minority entrepreneurs like him a chance to break into the industry.

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The company held off on increasing its membership fees after reporting earnings that topped analyst expectations Thursday.
Costco typically raises membership fees around every five years.
The company said higher costs hurt its margins during the period.

Shoppers wait in a check-out line at a Costco wholesale store in Orlando, Florida.
Paul Hennessy | Sopa Images | Lightrocket | Getty Images

Costco is still holding off on raising its membership fees after reporting fiscal fourth-quarter results that beat expectations.
The retailer typically raises fees around every five years, but hasn’t said when it will do so again after rival Sam’s Club hiked its fees in late August. On Thursday, Richard Galanti, the company’s chief financial officer, noted Costco hasn’t reached its typical milestone for a hike.

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“If you look at June of ’17, plus five years and seven months, you’re talking roughly January ’23,” Galanti said during an earnings call with investors. “Now I’m not suggesting it’s January ’23. I’m just saying it’s not there yet.”
A Costco membership costs $60 a year, or $120 a year for an executive membership that comes with additional perks.
During the quarter ended Aug. 28, Costco said the number of its members increased and that executive members now account for a record 44% of total membership.

For the quarter, Costco reported higher revenue of $72.09 billion, which was slightly above the $72.04 analysts expected. Earnings per share rose from a year ago to $4.20, beating estimates of $4.17.
Gross margins declined in the quarter as inflation drove up costs.

Shares of Costco were down 2% in Friday morning trading.
Costco has kept its prices competitive and even maintained the price of its $1.50 hot dog combo meal as inflation pressures shoppers. Galanti noted a small uptick for the company’s private Kirkland brand products, but said the company is seeing a relatively strong consumer.
“They’re not trading down. They’re trading up or certainly trading the same,” Galanti said in the earnings call.

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Shares of Digital World Acquisition Corp. fell this week as the company missed a key deadline to hold on to about $1 billion in financing.
DWAC, which is a special purpose acquisition company, or SPAC, has been set to be the vessel to take Trump Media and Technology Group public.
At its 2022 peak, DWAC’s stock traded at $97. Now, its share price sits around $16.

The Truth social network logo is seen on a smartphone in front of a display of former U.S. President Donald Trump in this picture illustration taken February 21, 2022.
Dado Ruvic | Reuters

Shares of Digital World Acquisition Corp. fell this week as the company missed a key deadline to hold on to about $1 billion in financing for its proposed merger with former President Donald Trump’s media company.
DWAC, which is a special purpose acquisition company, or SPAC, has been set to be the vessel to take Trump Media and Technology Group public. But the deal with Trump’s firm has run into several financial and legal obstacles.

At its 2022 peak, DWAC’s stock traded at $97. Now, its share price sits around $16 as markets slide, the appetite for SPACs dries up and Trump faces mounting legal peril. The stock fell about 3% Friday.
DWAC secured $1 billion in financing from private investors in public equity, also known as PIPE, which would fund Trump Media after the merger. However, Tuesday marked the expiration of these investors contractual obligations to the deal, allowing them to pull their funding.
These investors are given convertible preferred shares, which can be transferred into common stock at a discount. By converting and selling these shares, PIPE investors also have the power to significantly dilute the holdings of other investors including former president Trump.
Trump Media, DWAC and the PIPE investors didn’t immediately return a request for comment.
Losing the $1 billion in financing is far from the only woe facing this deal and its involved parties. The merger is under investigation by the Securities and Exchange Commission for possible securities violations involving discussions about a deal prior to the merger announcement. The Justice Department is also probing the deal.

In addition, Trump himself is facing mounting legal pressures. A lawsuit alleging widespread fraud from New York Attorney General Letitia James is just another in an already sizable pile of legal actions against the former president. The former president is simultaneously under investigation for the removal of sensitive documents from the White House, his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot, and his push to overturn 2020 election results.

His Truth Social app, which was founded after the ex-president was banned from Twitter after the events of Jan. 6, is currently barred from the Google Play store for violating Google’s content moderation policies. Google and Truth Social said this week they were still working on a solution.
If the merger does go through, it would provide about $300 million to Trump’s media firm without the $1 billion in PIPE investments. But even to get that $300 million will require navigating several more hurdles.
DWAC needs to buy more time to get shareholders to approve delaying the merger by up to a year. DWAC CEO Patrick Orlando made a $2.8 million deposit to extend the merger deadline to December. A shareholder vote is required for the yearlong extension the company is aiming for, but DWAC has been unable to rally its many retail investors to approve the extension thus far. The next shareholder meeting is scheduled for Oct. 10.
Amid these mounting pressures, Trump Media issued a statement saying it would pursue legal action against the SEC for unduly obstructing the deal, blaming the “weaponization and politicization” of the Securities Exchange Commission.
“This inexcusable obstruction, which directly contradicts the SEC’s stated mission, is damaging investors and many others who are simply following the rules and trying to expand a successful business,” Trump Media said.

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Yankees slugger Aaron Judge is striving to break the American League single-season home run record on Friday.
New York Attorney General Letitia James called on Apple to allow the game to be broadcast on YES Network.
Apple said earlier this year that baseball games were free “for a limited time” but has yet to start charging.

Aaron Judge #99 of the New York Yankees hits a solo home run in the fifth inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Yankee Stadium on April 22, 2022 in the Bronx borough of New York City.
Elsa | Getty Images

Yankees slugger Aaron Judge is striving to break the American League single-season home run record on Friday.
The only place to watch the Yankees take on the Red Sox on Friday is Apple TV+, a streaming service, which is causing concern from some Yankee fans who want to watch the game on its usual TV channel, YES Network, and with the team’s own regular broadcasters.

On Friday, before the game was set to start, Yankee fans railing against Apple found a new ally: New York Attorney General Letitia James, who called on Apple to allow the game to be broadcast on YES Network.
“New Yorkers paid their cable bills expecting to see live sports programming. Now they are being asked to pay extra if they want to watch this exciting home run chase, and potentially historic game,” James said in a statement “That is why I am calling on Apple and the MLB to reach a fair accommodation with the YES Network so that fans can watch what we all hope will be history made this evening.”
However, nobody needs to pay extra to watch the Friday Night Baseball broadcast — it’s free to anyone who signs up for an Apple account or already has one. Users don’t need to pay the $5 per month fee for Apple TV+ to get baseball. Apple said earlier this year that baseball games were free “for a limited time” but has yet to start charging.
Nor do users need an Apple device to watch: In a break from its historical preferences, has made Apple TV+ apps for several non-Apple platforms, including Roku, Amazon’s Fire TV, Google TV, and game consoles, allowing its broadcasts to reach a wider market. You can even watch them on any computer with a web browser and sufficiently fast internet access.
James later walked back the statement, noting, “While there is a way to watch the game without paying more, it creates requirements including an Apple ID, a smart TV or streaming device, or Wi-Fi or cellular service.”

The dust-up is an example of the tension bubbling up as high-profile sports broadcasts move from linear TV to streaming services like Apple’s. Major League Baseball and the Yankees have tried to clear up the confusion, posting guides on how to watch the game to social media and their websites.
Apple enlisted comedian Jon Stewart, who has a show on Apple TV+, to inform viewers that there is no paywall on Friday. He joked that he pushed an Apple executive, “Mr. App,” to make the game free.
“All you need is the app, and that’s on everything, It’s probably already on your phone, your TV, your microwave, behind your eyeballs, because Apple is very technically adept,” Stewart joked in the video.
An Apple representative did not immediately have a comment.

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The penthouse inside Central Park Tower is the most expensive listing in the country.
It has seven bedrooms, eight bathrooms, three powder rooms and a 2,000-square-foot ballroom.
For the year, sales of apartments priced at $10 million or more have declined 38%, according to Miller Samuel.

A penthouse atop the world’s tallest residential building − listed for $250 million − is marking the biggest test of the ultra-luxury real estate market at a time of falling sales and growing economic uncertainty.
The three-story mega-home inside Central Park Tower, which spans more than 17,500 square feet, is the country’s most expensive listing. It is also the highest, situated at over 1,400 feet and spanning the 129th to 131st floors. Perched on Manhattan’s “Billionaires’ Row” − a strip of super-tall skyscrapers along the southern edge of Central Park − it is being marketed as the ultimate real estate trophy for a billionaire looking to tower over New York City.

The Staircase at The Penthouse at Central Park Tower
Source: Evan Joseph

“I’ve been selling real estate for 15 years now, and I’ve sold some of the most expensive real estate in New York, Florida, everywhere,” said Ryan Serhant, of Serhant, who is marketing the penthouse. “I have never seen anything like this apartment.”
The big question is whether the listing can fetch its asking price as storm clouds gather over real estate, financial markets and the broader economy. Luxury real estate sales in Manhattan have slowed dramatically in recent months. The number of signed contracts for properties priced at $5 million or more fell by nearly half in August compared to a year ago, according to a report from Miller Samuel and Douglas Elliman.
For the year, sales of apartments priced at $10 million or more have declined 38%, according to Miller Samuel. The most expensive sale of the year in Manhattan so far is a $74 million penthouse of the new Aman New York condo.
Some brokers say the $250 million asking price for Central Park Tower penthouse is unrealistic.
“I consider this a fantasy price,” said Donna Olshan, a Manhattan luxury broker.

Olshan said there have been 23 closed sales in the building this year, with an average price-per-square-foot of $5,228. The penthouse, which is much larger with higher ceilings, views and amenities, is seeking more $14,000 per square foot.

The Penthouse at Central Park Tower: Sunrise Facing South
Source: Cody Boone, SERHANT Studios

But Serhant said the price is appropriate, given the sale of a penthouse at nearby 220 Central Park South for $190 million, or $20,000 per square foot.
“I know it sounds crazy, bur relatively speaking, it’s priced at a great value on a per-square-foot basis,” he said. “It’s just a very, very big apartment with lots of amenities.”
The triplex has seven bedrooms, eight bathrooms and three powder rooms. A stairwell that winds its way up through the three stories is the centerpiece of the main salon, and a 2,000-square-foot ballroom on the top floor has 27-foot high ceilings.
Central Park Tower was built by Extell Development, the developer behind several of Manhattan’s new super-towers. To protect the privacy of would-be buyers, Extell and Serhant are limiting public viewings of the unfurnished apartment to a few select areas.

The Grand Salon at The Penthouse at Central Park Tower
Source: Evan Joseph | Central Park Tower

The home has the highest terrace in the world, a glass-rimmed platform soaring 1,460 feet above Manhattan. It also comes with a lavish list of building amenities, including a 60-foot outdoor pool, 62-foot indoor saltwater pool, spa, private garden, game room, conference room, fitness center, squash court, screening room, private restaurant with Michelin-star chefs and a wine and cigar lounge.
Serhant said the apartment’s greatest amenities are the 360-degree views, with Central Park spreading out below like a green welcome mat and hills of New Jersey and New York suburbs visible in the distance.
He said he has already seen strong interest from the ultra-wealthy, who are less affected by stock-market declines, rising rates and recession fears.
“The purchaser of this apartment is someone who is looking to diversify their assets,” he said. “It’s someone who probably owns expensive art, probably has an expensive car collection and other things, and they want the best of the best.”
Serhant said one billionaire was flying in this week just to see the apartment.
“When they saw it come onto the market a few days ago, they reached out and said ‘Is this the best apartment in the world?’ I said ‘yes,’ and they said ‘I’ll fly in to see it’.”

The Penthouse at The Central Park Tower: Sunset over Central Park.
Source: Cody Boone, SERHANT Studios

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Ford has experienced shortages with the oval badges for vehicles as well as the nameplates that specify the model.
The issue is the latest in a yearslong supply chain crisis that has included critical parts such as semiconductor chips, wire harnesses and raw materials.
Earlier this week, Ford said parts shortages have resulted in roughly 40,000 to 45,000 vehicles not shipping to dealers.

A Ford F-150 pickup truck is offered for sale at a dealership on September 6, 2018 in Chicago, Illinois.
Scott Olson | Getty Images

DETROIT – Recent supply chain problems for Ford Motor have included a small, yet important, part for the company and its vehicles – the blue oval badges that don nearly every vehicle for its namesake brand.
The Detroit automaker has experienced shortages with the Ford badges as well as the nameplates that specify the model, a Ford spokesman confirmed to CNBC. The Wall Street Journal first reported the problem, including badges for its F-Series pickups, on Friday, citing anonymous sources.

The issue is the latest is a yearslong supply chain crisis that has ranged from critical parts such as semiconductor chips and wire harnesses to raw materials and now, vehicle badges.  
The Journal reported a Michigan-based supplier called Tribar Technologies that has made badges for Ford in the past had to limit operations in August, after disclosing to Michigan regulators it had discharged industrial chemicals into a local sewer system.
A message seeking comment from Tribar was not immediately answered. Ford declined to comment on whether Tribar’s limited operations were connected to the automaker’s name-badge shortage.
A spokesman also declined to comment on how many vehicles have been impacted by the problem.
The report comes after Ford on Monday said said parts shortages have affected roughly 40,000 to 45,000 vehicles, primarily high-margin trucks and SUVs, that haven’t been able to reach dealers. Ford also said at the time that it expects to book an extra $1 billion in unexpected supplier costs during the third quarter.

The announcement earlier this week, including a pre-release of some earnings expectations, caused Ford’s stock to have its worst day in more than 11 years.
Separately, Ford on Thursday announced plans to restructure its global supply chain to “support efficient and reliable sourcing of components, internal development of key technologies and capabilities, and world-class cost and quality execution.”

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The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers said it would file an application for a union vote for JetBlue’s ground operations workers.
There are about 3,000 people in the fleet workers group, which includes baggage handlers.
JetBlue’s pilots and flight attendants are already unionized.

A JetBlue passenger jet (Embraer 190) taxis at LaGuardia Airport in New York, New York.
Robert Alexander | Archive Photos | Getty Images

A major airline union said Friday that it has enough support among JetBlue Airways’ roughly 3,000 fleet service staff to seek a unionization vote, in the latest move to organize workers.
The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers said it will file an application for a union vote with the National Mediation Board. The work group includes baggage handlers and other ground operations employees.

A vote in favor could create the third-largest unionized work group at the New York-based airline. JetBlue’s pilots and flight attendants are already unionized. It would come during a wave of union votes across companies from Amazon to Starbucks.
A vote could also take place while JetBlue is in the process of trying to acquire budget airline Spirit Airlines, where more than 80% of employees are represented by unions, compared with JetBlue’s 46%, according to annual company filings.
Ensuring more predictable schedules is one of the pillars of a potential labor contract for the fleet service workers, IAM’s air transport territory general vice president, Richard Johnsen, told CNBC.
“They really have never had that opportunity to have a say in their future,” he said. “Now might be the most critical time.”
Staff schedules plunged early in the pandemic but surged along with travel demand as Covid cases waned, sparking tensions with airline unions across the U.S.

“JetBlue values its relationship with all of our crewmembers including our ground operations crewmembers who, for the last two years, helped manage the unprecedented challenges posed by the pandemic,” the carrier said in a statement. “We firmly believe that the direct relationship we have with our ground operations crewmembers has worked, and will continue to work, and that third-party representation and the costs to our crewmembers that come with it are not in their best interests.”
Most major airline workers are already largely represented by unions, though less so at some carriers like JetBlue than at some competitors.
Delta Air Lines is the largest U.S. carrier whose workers aren’t mostly unionized. However, the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, the country’s largest flight attendant union, is in the middle of a union drive there, which it launched in 2019. Flight attendants had previously rejected unionization.

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Shares of cruise companies have fallen after the Fed’s latest rate hike Wednesday.
Norwegian, Carnival and Royal Caribbean have massive debt loads that grew during the pandemic.
The companies are also still working to recover after the lifting of pandemic restrictions.

People come out to watch the new Carnival Cruise Line ship Mardi Gras as it departs on its maiden voyage, a seven-day cruise to the Caribbean from Port Canaveral, Florida on July 31, 2021.
Paul Hennessy | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images

Shares of Carnival, Norwegian and Royal Caribbean fell this week after the Federal Reserve again hiked rates, raising worries about cruise companies’ huge debt loads and their ability to recover in a broader economic downturn.
The declines in cruise stocks come as the industry is working to recover from the pandemic, with bookings ticking up after the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lifted Covid-19 guidelines from ships.

“There’s a lot of one step forward, one step back going on,” Truist analyst Patrick Scholes said. He also noted the debt cruise companies racked up while their ships were anchored during the pandemic.
As of Sept. 1, Truist estimates that Carnival holds $35 billion in debt, Royal Caribbean has $25 billion and Norwegian owes $14 billion. Respectively, the companies’ values in the stock market are about $11.01 billion, $11.18 billion and $5.61 billion.
The declines came during a selloff in the broader market, as the three major indices have taken a beating since the Fed’s decision Wednesday.
Norwegian, Carnival and Royal Caribbean did not respond to request for comment.

“The reason the stocks, in my opinion, went down a bunch on Wednesday was because you just had this fear that the companies are going to have to pay more for their debt,” Deutsche Bank analyst Chris Woronka said. The companies’ losses persisted throughout the week.

At the same time, Woronka said their revenues might not recover as strongly in a broader economic downturn if people are spending less on leisure.
On Thursday, Bloomberg reported that Royal Caribbean will use high-yield corporate bonds, or “junk-bonds,” to help refinance $2 billion of debt due next year.
Still, some investors have been bullish on debt-ridden cruise lines. Earlier this month, Stifel analyst Steven Wieczynski reiterated a buy rating for Norwegian, noting that cruise bookings have climbed, particularly for luxury lines that cater to higher-income customers.
Scholes says that Norwegian is best-positioned with a high proportion of luxury options. But between high interest expenses and revenues that are still recovering, he said none of the cruise companies are yet “out of the woods.”
Carnival shares are down about 55% this year, while Norwegian stock is down about 35% and Royal Caribbean has fallen about 43%.

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