Council advances hotel-suite liquor-license ordinance amid questions on monitoring and local demand

The DeKalb City Council advanced an ordinance on first reading to add a hotel-suite liquor-license classification that would permit participating hotels to sell small containers of beer and wine from a staffed cooler area near the front desk.

City staff said the license would require an initial and renewal fee and that participating hotels must maintain a staffed cooler area monitored at all times by an employee age 21 or older to prevent underage sales. Staff described the change as a response to hospitality-industry requests and said the city reviewed similar programs elsewhere.

Pramit Patel, president and CEO of BO5 Hotels, was in the audience and available to answer questions, staff said. Council members asked how the license differs from full-service hotel bars and how the city would ensure compliance. One alderman noted that full-service restaurant and bar operations would still require other license classifications; staff said the hotel-suite approach intends to be lower risk because the cooler would sit in the vicinity of the main desk and be continuously staffed.

Several members voiced support for the change as consistent with what they have seen in other college towns and as a service that could keep guests in-house rather than sending them to off-site bars. The council voted to waive second reading and moved the ordinance forward on a first-reading approval.

Because this action was on first reading, staff said the ordinance will return for final passage or further amendment at a later meeting.