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Hotel California denied liquor permit
By ROBERT CONNELLY
AUSTINTOWN
There will not be liquor served at Hotel California for now.
The Ohio Division of Liquor Control on Monday turned down the establishment’s liquor permit application. Hotel owner Sebastian Rucci said Tuesday night he will pursue bringing a local hotel operator on staff, something local officials for months have requested he do.
“It’s clear to me that some people would prefer to have a more-experienced operator,” Rucci said. “We’ll just look around for a seasoned operator who has local experience and contacts and go back to the drawing board with a new applicant.”
The permit for liquor at the 1051 N. Canfield-Niles Road renovated hotel was under Vitullo Investments LLC, run by attorney James Vitullo, a friend and business partner of Rucci’s.
“I’m just overwhelmingly disappointed,” Vitullo said. The ruling can be appealed, and the deadline for that is March 4.
Officials with the Mahoning County Prosecutor’s Office declined to comment.
This decision comes after months of deliberations by the Ohio Division of Liquor Control, a branch of the Ohio Department of Commerce. Attorney James P. Bally of that department presided over the two-day hearing, and then he presented a report to his superiors who made the ruling. The ruling and the reasoning behind the ruling were unavailable Tuesday night.
Rucci and hotel officials have gone back and forth with local politicians about the liquor permit for the hotel that’s gained local interest for its lights and fake palm trees.
Austintown Trustee Jim Davis recommended a hotel operator be brought on board months ago — something Rucci and Vitullo will now pursue.
Rucci recently said he is a few weeks away from opening as he finalizes some of his final checks with local agencies. He continues to work with the Mahoning County District Board of Health on plumbing issues, which were covered in a recent Vindicator story.
Vitullo and Rucci both talked about how no liquor would lead to fewer food options, and the Funny Farm, a comedy club that would relocate to the Austintown hotel, would no longer be an option. But they will re-examine things as they interview local hotel operators over the coming weeks.
The two-day liquor hearing in November took place after both the township and county filed objections to the liquor permit for the hotel, specifically the bar/restaurant area that would be named Club Cali and run by Vitullo.
“It’s pretty tough to get your liquor license denied. You have to show there is just cause,” said county Commissioner David Ditzler. Ditzler was also an Austintown trustee during Rucci’s previous business at the hotel, the Go Go Girls Cabaret.
Much of the Go Go’s past was talked about during the two-day liquor hearing and how the liquor permit was switched from 5455 Clarkins Drive to 1051 N. Canfield-Niles Road. The hotel sits on the corner, and both addresses apply.
“If that happens, that would be a step in the right direction to allow the facility to move forward,” Ditzler said of Rucci’s pursuing a hotel operator. “[It’s] a great option for all parties. I think it will bring some credibility to the facility and enable them to open.”