Austintown hotel to become drug-treatment center

Hotel of Hope

Video

California Palms owner, Sebastian Rucci talks about his brother's struggles with drugs and why he is turning his resort hotel into a place to help addicts return physically and mentally healthy to our society. Rucci's 2 brothers both died of drug related issues and he wants to help other families so that they do not need to go through that type of heartache. This "Hotel of Hope" is scheduled to reopen as a drug treatment facility in March, 2017. Rucci hopes that this facility will work with addicts who have been detoxed to cope with society and get back into the world as positive members of the community.

By GUY D’ASTOLFO

dastolfo@vindy.com

AUSTINTOWN

California

Palms Hotel, the unique palm tree-landscaped hotel and nightspot with a short but colorful history, will close after its final show tonight and reopen in March as a drug-addiction treatment facility.

The California Palms Addiction Recovery Campus might appear to be a stunning turnaround for the resort property and its owner, Sebastian Rucci. But on closer examination, it fills needs that are both public and personal.

Northeast Ohio, like much of the country, is facing a crisis of heroin addiction, and there is a growing demand for treatment facilities.

It was an uphill battle for Rucci to open his hotel and nightspot. The Poland attorney and businessman had originally operated Go-Go Girls cabaret on the site, which was a lightning rod for controversy.

After a much-publicized battle with officials, the club closed in 2011 in the wake of drug charges stemming from purported activities by employees and patrons.

Rucci then spent about $5 million to transform the property – adding the signature faux palm trees that line its perimeter – into a hotel and nightclub. He eventually

obtained a liquor license a year ago.

The hotel segment’s business was adequate, but to reach the rate of occupancy that Rucci was seeking, he was on the verge of making the property a Wyndham Hotels franchise.

California Palms was to be placed under the Ramada banner, and was to be renamed Ramada Plaza at California Palms. This move would have enabled it to be part of the hotel chain’s frequent customer rewards program – a must to attain consistently high occupancy – with Rucci retaining ownership and keeping the property’s unique look.

But in December, a few weeks after the death of his mother, Rucci had a change of heart. Hence the plan to transform the property into a residential opioid treatment facility that – with 200 beds – will become one of the largest in this region of the country.

PERSONAL REASONS

Rucci was known for giving heroin addicts a chance at his bar businesses. He also put together Rock Against Heroin last summer, a weekend-long music festival at which the area’s top bands performed to raise money to help addicts recover.

But what few people know is that both of his younger brothers – Fabio and Natale – were heroin addicts who died because of the scourge. Rucci had spent years trying to help his brothers beat their addictions, but Fabio died in 2003 and Natale in 2012.

“I’ve dealt with the opioid problem in the last 15 years more than most people,” he said.

Once he checked into the logistics of converting his hotel into a treatment facility – including licensing, programming, operations – he determined it would be feasible and would also provide a much-needed service.

That was about five weeks ago, and Rucci has since moved at a rapid pace to make it a reality.

He purchased New Day, a heroin treatment center in Liberty, which gave him an immediate foothold. He has also begun to hire a staff of experienced counselors and other addiction treatment specialists.

Rucci said he is aware his decision might leave people wondering why he would go through so much effort to open his resort-style hotel property only to flip it two years later into another endeavor.

“It doesn’t matter to me what they say about me,” he said. “I enjoyed California Palms for two years. It’s a difficult business if you’re not part of a hotel chain, but we were successful.

“I am a businessman, but something called me to do this.”

Because his property is zoned B-2, no zoning action was required, said Rucci, who is also a real-estate lawyer. This enabled him to begin the changeover at once.

WHAT TO EXPECT

California Palms was not a typical hotel. With its palm trees, turquoise and teal color scheme and Southern California motif, it attracted attention in an otherwise typical stretch of chain hotels and restaurants at the highway interchange where it sits at Interstate 80 and state Route 46.

Inside, the amenities included a 40-person hot-tub room, fitness center, large nightclub and restaurant, and a massive outdoor patio and entertainment area.

Rucci said his penchant for developing properties that stand apart will continue as the building is reborn as the California Palms Addiction Recovery Campus.

He said the palm trees, hot tub and patios will remain, centerpieces of a facility that will not have the institutional look that often characterizes treatment facilities.

The treatment plan will also be atypical, he said, though the costs have not yet been established.

The campus will offer counseling and classes, but also will augment it with recreation, and hobby classes – magic lessons and pilates, for example.

It will adopt a dual-diagnosis approach that puts equal emphasis on each client’s drug dependency and mental health. This approach seeks to address the issues that led to drug use.

Family will be a major aspect of treatment. Family members will be invited in once a week and can spend time in a relaxing atmosphere, watching movies and dining.

The facility’s overall atmosphere will be less regimented than the norm, said Rucci.

In addition to classes, clients will be kept busy with entertainment options and learning programs. Such an environment is intended to foster communication, trust and support with other addicts and the staff. There will be a theater room, a stage for live performances, an outdoor sand volleyball court, and a barber and beautician.

The nightclub room will be transformed into a coffee bar and billiard room.

The facility will have security but will not be locked down. Clients will be free to leave, and may also move about the property without restriction, and intermingle with other clients.

“Addicts are usually treated with mistrust but we will show them respect,” Rucci said. “If they can follow the rules, such as attend classes, no smoking, no fighting, they can take advantage of lots of perks. If not, they will be kicked out.”

California Palms will incorporate life skills, meditation, positive thinking and volunteering as part of its methods.

“The goal is for them to get a job, a car, insurance, and return to their lives,” Rucci said.

CHANGING FACE OF ADDICTS

The overriding goal is to treat addicts in a more modern way, not one that is rooted in decades-old methods that may no longer be effective in reaching young people.

This is necessary because most heroin addicts today are in their 20s, said Elizabeth Beckley, of the California Palms counseling staff. She pointed out that 3,050 Ohioans died of a heroin overdose in 2016.

Beth Layman, also a member of the counseling staff, pointed out another change in the faces of addiction.

“This generation started at the highest high,” she said. “[In the past], addicts started out with alcohol and marijuana. Needles were only for skid-row types. But kids today come out of the gate with needles. We will need to have the capability of reaching this young generation on their level.”