California Palms Hotel finally finds its place in the sun

Remember all that fuss about Hotel California/California Palms Hotel?

All those questions, such as:

Should owner Sebastian Rucci be allowed anywhere near a liquor license?

Will the place ever open?

And how will all those palm trees survive the winter?

That noise has died down. The only sound coming from the Austintown hotel now is from its booming nightclubs.

California Palms Hotel – they changed the name after a hotel in the Golden State with the same name took exception – is coming up on its one-year anniversary (it opened April 17, 2015).

It got its liquor license in late November, so it has been serving alcohol for just a little over four months.

And the place is booming. It has quickly become one of the Valley’s busiest nightspots for adults age 30 and up.

The talkative Rucci was always bursting with ideas for the place long before it opened. He had a vision of modern luxury accommodations and nonstop (and mostly free) entertainment that – quite frankly – a lot of people didn’t think would work.

But it has.

The numbers have been on a steady rise since December.

On weekend nights, 600 to 700 people will flow through the nightclubs, with about 300 inside at any one time.

The parking lots are overflowing by 8 p.m. Partiers have to leave their car with the valet, or patrol the adjacent lots for a space.

Some folks arrive every half-hour or so on the shuttle bus from nearby Hollywood Gaming casino.

The hotel rooms are booked to full capacity on weekends. Folks are coming in from outside the Valley, getting a room, and partying as a mini-getaway.

On weeknights, the hotel – which has a little more than 100 rooms – is topping 50 percent of capacity, and that figure rises every week. The 40-person hot-tub room is a big hit with hotel guests.

Of course, travellers on I-80, which goes right past California Palms Hotel, also wander in for a night’s rest. They are usually shocked and pleasantly surprised at what they find. “They say, ‘What IS this place? It’s funky and beautiful and a gem,’” said Rucci.

The rooms and lobby have boutique hotel accoutrements and furnishings.

California Palms’ nightlife area includes a spacious main show room with a stage, dance floor and bar. Connected to it is the restaurant, which morphs into a smaller showroom after dinner. Folks can slip between the two rooms for an instant change of pace.

Connected to the showrooms are three outdoor patios that will spring to life once the weather gets warm. They feature terrazzo-like flooring, outdoor furniture and fire lamps.

The main patio in the back of the hotel already has a boccie court and a cornhole area. But it will soon be further transformed into a grand courtyard with a stage for live music and sand volleyball.

It could become an outdoor hot spot with live music on weekend afternoons and evenings.

The courtyard is a continuation of Rucci’s philosophy of constant and varied (and often interactive) entertainment in multiple rooms. It keeps guests happy and assures they don’t get bored.

Last Friday night was a typical one. Bands were playing simultaneously in both showrooms (the Sensations in the main room and Guys Without Ties in the smaller one). Before and after the bands, there was a comedian (the Funny Farm comedy club presents shows in the smaller room), and a DJ picks up after the bands end their sets.

Weeknights feature game nights with WYTV personality Jim Loboy (Wednesdays), karaoke and lively piano man Todd Cutshaw.

Rucci has made running the hotel his life, and he is almost always on site to direct traffic and troubleshoot. Folks greet him as he walks through the lobby.

Few remember the legal woes that bogged him down not so long ago, stemming from his operation of the troubled Go-Go Girls club on the site years ago. “That’s all behind me,” he said. “People now just say they love the place.”

Rucci employs about 50 people – being overstaffed is better than being understaffed, he says – to cater to the crowds that range in age from 30 to 60 and beyond.

From the outside, the neon lights and fountains that once raised eyebrows are now just a part of the landscape.

And the hotel’s signature palm trees that line the parking lot – they look real but are actually man-made – are surviving just fine.