RIP: West Palm nightclub Lobby
Tags: CityPlace, florida, hotel, Hotel/Rock Lobby, Josh Sagman, Lobby, Motley Crue, Tommy Finneran, vince neil, West Palm Beach
| Thursday 9 April 2009 5:15 pm
Yet another nightclub at West Palm Beach’s CityPlace has been shuttered.
The oft-renamed Lobby was closed for good this week by owner Tommy Finneran.
Finneran
“We just had a huge weekend and, in general, business was OK, but I’m getting older and I wanted out of the nightclub business,” said Finneran, who would only say he’s between 30 and 40. “I’m sorta tired of having to deal with things like a broken ice machine at 3 a.m.”
Egged on by his sidekick, promoter Josh Sagman, the Manhattan-based Finneran opened Hotel/Rock Lobby in the summer of 2007. He signed a 10-year lease for the space then left vacant by Resort, another high-profile nightclub. Finneran said he worked out a deal with CityPlace that allows him out of the lease gracefully.
While Hotel/Rock Lobby sometimes drew the younger horsey set from Wellington and some celebs, it never captured the imagination of an economy-wary clientele.
Competition was plentiful, with the opening of places like Motley Crue frontman Vince Neil’s down-market Dr. Feelgood’s and the nightclub Monarchy on Clematis Street, and the re-opening of 251 Sunrise in Palm Beach.
“I always kept it upscale,” Finneran said of something else that may gone wrong, although he doesn’t think so. “I always refused to do business with hip-hop or Latin promoters. I didn’t want to have to install metal detectors at the door.”
And then, there were the name changes. A year after the opening, the club became known as just Hotel. But under threats of lawsuit from a similarly named joint in Louisville, Ky., Hotel then became Lobby in February.
It employed 20 part-timers.
“There are a few hot waitresses on the job market who should get scooped up quickly,” Finneran said.
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What went wrong @ Lobby?? I’d put most of the blame on that sidekick Sagman….he was run out of NY for being a snake, he’s classless, uses people, and abuses their trust…Karma is a bitch.
This is the change we’ve been waiting for!
Shallow place for shallow people.
What a jerk… Just because you work with Latin or hip hop promoters doesn’t mean you need to install metal detectors. What went wrong is trying to be an exclusive club for the pretty and rich.
Those dudes that owned the place were the biggest pair of douches in Palm Beach County. Theyre how old?? Hanging out with 18 and 19 year old girls? Talk about somebody needing confidence boosters. I guess thats just what money will get you… I mean, one look at this guys picture and you can tell hes a douchebag. Haha Im glad that placed closed, those two guys dont deserve a dime from anyhbody in this county. Move somewhere else
yea the comment about hip hop and latin is the reason why this dip crap is out business. Cant believe he said that on record…..wow. Typical doush bag snob loser….
the comment “I always refused to do business with hip-hop or Latin promoters. I didn’t want to have to install metal detectors at the door.”
just shows how snobby and really ignorant this guy is. We are in S. Florida where Latin and Hip-Hop culture influences EVERYTHIING…
maybe you shouldnt have turned your back on the real people
Isn’t this the guy with an interest in the WPB Spearmint Rhino strip club? What an arrogant hypocrite…..
I went there once. It was $9 beer night. I met a couple porkers on the dance floor that I thought I could surely get a BJ from after I bought them numerous shots. Maybe I should have gotten them cupcakes because my efforts failed. I love the clubs where there are more people standing outside then there actually are inside partying. C-Ya Lobby, you won’t be missed.
Two things I hate, HipHop and Latin music, culture and the jackoffs that make up that crowed. I just hope Lobby doesn’t turn into “Mango’s” or some ghetto joint that suckes and muggs the life out of city place…
I agree with Patty D. Go hang out on Blue Heron or 45th Street. It’s no coincidence that with the arrival of Dr. Feelgoods Clematis Street became safe to walk at night and cool again. Lobby will remain an empty shell of potential late night fun in City Place until some other donkey comes along and decides to re-open it the exact same way and wonders why it failed. $20 cover charge to stand around and and watch Losers rock their Ed Hardy and Affliction gear just isn’t cutting it anymore.
I am actually someone that is sad they closed Lobby. It was one of the only venues in palm beach county that had a real NYC door policy and hot girls.I personally know both Tommy and his “sidekick” Sagman and they are good people. I wish them luck in whatever they do next in Palm beach. The funny thing is all you haters will be the first ones lining up to get into their next spot-Brian
I have a feeling that 251 wont make it past october. Any club that bases its business model on bottle service in these times is just arrogent and looking to provide zero value to its customer. At least at Monarchy you can get a cheap drink at Lost Weekend. Anyone looking to make an 80 percent markup on liquor in this economy is just living in the past. Bottle Service is so “Night at the Roxbury” and its only popular in places like SoFla where 50 yr old men think it will get them a 22 yr old girl to bang.
Oh yeah, nothing like waking up hung over after a Saturday night and checking your credit card reciept to see you got banged out for 1000 bux to drink 50 dollars worth of vodka. I CANT BELIEVE THERE ARE BRAND NEW PLACES FOLLOWING THIS SAME BUSINESS MODEL!
I feel sorry for all the staff that got f**ked by Tommy and his sidekick. They did not even have the balls to let them know they were closing so they could find jobs not to mention most of the staff was not allowed to work any where but lobby or hotel or Sh*t hole. In respect to Tommy’s comment about Hip-Hop & Latinos its great to know how people really are and think and if he doesn’t like it move some where else thats all White, racist a**hole & take your stupid sidekick n his fake laugh with you!!!
I worked there since the beginning of Hotel. And I always LOVED the people I worked with. Just not the owners. They were always all over the next piece of hot ignorant ass that actually thought that by sleeping with them that they would get somewhere in the club. Maybe a better bar spot or section, but thats about it.
Oh, and I never once saw Tommy deal with a broken ice machine at 3 a.m. He was always belligerant by than trying to get into the pants of some girl at the main bar.
Everyone knows that the club started to go when the manager quit. He would make us feel welcome every time we went. I went in a couple months ago to see him, but one of the girls at the bar told me he left. I wish I knew where he went…
Love the story. It is about time someone shined the light on this man. There was some recent facebook drama that this tied in well with. Good timing.
I’m amused to read these posts and glad to see so many really understood what these two were about. I was a long time employee for these spoiled children and fought daily to hold some sort of moral amongst the real family there. The whole staff meshed very well together and worked together to try and keep the business going but the combined efforts of the two mentioned were more damaging than anyone could contend with.Lying and cheating contractors out of money (then laughing about it), withholding tips from waitresses and four months later the checks bounced anyway.
The two and there doped up friends contributed at minimum 90% of the clubs security problems and managed to get the entire staff ( except the new girls they preyed on)to hate them to the point of avoidance when they came around and drunkenly demanded drinks for all their loser and underage friends. I witnessed personally all of these things I have written and others above me have mentioned, they are true, period.
Damn there’s so much i didn’t get to post in my first comment. Some of my favorites people may or may not know.
*i was present when one of ‘them’ was detained by his own security for throwing martini glasses at his own customers.
*i was present when one of the employees was fired for not drinking with the owner above’s ghoulish sidekick.
So, NY and DC, whats left for you two? Going to try and own the scene somewhere else before you’re laughed out of there too? Good thing your families have money to support your unfathomable pretentious douche-bag lifestyles, do us all a favor and take all your parasite followers whose friendships you bought with free booze with you.
Sallo O HATER!!!!! i was at 251PB this weekend and it rocked FINALLY there is an upscale place that just lets you have fun!! 251 will be here forever…Thank you Gus for having the balls to reopen it and i cant wait for the food part to come we are BIG supporters…….see you next season
This is Ivan and for those that worked at Hotel you know who I am.I don’t feel the need to hide behind ex-employee one or ex-employee two. I personally enjoyed my time at Hotel and as I read the above comments they all point towards that dork Michael(trying to be cool) because he always wanted to be Matt the real manager. Tommy and Josh thanks for the oppurtunity we had a good run.-Ivan
For once the opinionated ones are the correct ones, for the most part. To the person above me, I worked at Hotel/Lobby the entire time you did, and for a long while after as well. ALL of the managers at the club did the best they could with what they had to work with, including the one you are choosing to insult. The owners fought against the managers constantly, and they still held it together as long as they could. None of them were given enough freedom to actually manage the club, and the incompetent owners fought against them every step of the way. How do you manage a club when the people above you change their minds every other day? They made it IMPOSSIBLE for anything productive to get done. Taking entire bottles of the most expensive liquor and pouring it into their own mouths and the mouths of underage girls. Getting employees drunk instead of letting them tend to their customers. Then treating any girl employee that denied their advances horribly. Great guys. I commend anyone that stuck it out there as long as they did. I hope everyone finds great jobs, and I really hope that everyone is smart enough not to work for them again. I know I am.
What goes around comes around. That’s all I have to say
I thought it was a good club when west palm had nothing else to offer. Like any place they all close after a year. See any other places like that around town here? Look at Clematis!! Nobody is crying about cream, enigma, flow, liquid, my martini, bar, have a nice day, vivid, etc.. They all close and the staff always go work at some new place in town. West Palm has no culture!! Has anbyody been to Miami or a cool city?? Respectables is the best place here and that is because you don’t see all the people you know. Same people same clubs same bars same staff!! Old Clematis was great. Lost weekends was the best the new one you get smoked out from feelgoods. It is not the same. You all should thank Rocco for making Clematis good again!!! City place is tough and has about three good places to eat. It also has the worst Blue Martini (crowd wise)that I have been to. Boca, Orlando, Vegas, Ft. Lauderdale way better. I had fun at hotel and my first night in Monarchy I ran into a guy with his hood sweatshirt on his head and he was wearing it like a cape??? Great crowd control there!! Good layout however. Feelgoods is the monkey club with two stripper poles and a motorcycle. Honestly Forte is coolest place design wise and Roccos is just great.
I just want to say thank you to the amazing staff I had for the 13 months we were open! We all had our hearts in what we did day after day. It was all of you that MADE lobby! I wish the very best to all of you and your families. It was a pleasure spending the time we had and looking forward to more good times in the future. Best, Matt
Jose….
I’m not sure what to make of all of this…. I was a patron several times, and have to admit… what was Mr. Finneran was thinking bringing Josh Sagman back into the spot. It was clear that his treatment and policy’s are what hurt Resort!
This is a small town… I have lived in many cities around the world… I travel allot, and I see this town has a reputation….
I hear through a friend that Josh is opening a new lounge where Forte’ is on Clematis… Really? After the direct smack he has talked about the street and its crowd? I just hope that this guy Tommy is smart enough to not go on that with him!
I’m not a close friend of Josh, just know him from around…. but I have seen what the scene reacts to his stuff. I have seen him fall off a bunch of walls, cars, and stages…. when will it end for us?
We all like to communicate on face book, but we are inundated with his drama and parties…
f-me
f-us!
This is a small community, I see it when I’m in town at my house…. and fore someone like this to talk smack for 5 years about a street, its people, its life… then to fail and run back to it?
I hope the community shows you what you were missing Josh!
Ill be back in town in 3 months.. So we will see what prevails!
We spent monry on tables at Resort, and at Hotel, but I’m don’t till I have a new guru to look to… Monarchy rocks… and I can’t wait to return next season to prove it!!!
-Phil-up
Definition of the word CHECK: It supposed to be as good as cash however, when working at lobby/hotel/empty parking garage, the checks seem to “bounce” more than the people do on the fake state of the art dance floor. I have seen better lighting in bathrooms on HGTV and the sound system sounded worse than the ghetto systems you hear at the 45th street flea market. For a couple of guys who have MONEY, they could of spent more time remolding than just painting the all new LOBBY in everyone’s favorite color WHITE. Ps. isn’t players club white??? And yes, i agree, douche bags!!!! HAHA
Jeison Garcia (door guy) was the best thing about this place.
Sagman never had money, and still doesnt. he is a leach, a loser, old, sideways hat wearing, douchebag. He needs to go on a reality show for on VH1’s show Tool Academy. Someone tell his hot gf to lose the zero and get with a hero.
[...] investors into Lobby, who lost an average of 75 Gs in the venture, were up in arms after hearing the duo took over the [...]
When is tommy going to get it through his head GET RID OF JOSH SAGMAN nobody likes him !!!!!! Then maybe u might stand a chance
Josh sagman loser!!!!!!!!!
If I had to guess these are probably other club owners and restauranteurs also known as haters in every city around the world.Tommy is a nice guy and Josh Sagman is actually one of the only people that puts a smile on my face every time I see him in West palm beach. Keep it up guys
wow - this is a joke - look at that moron “tommy” - what 50 year old spoiled coward calls himself that - he too was run out of manhatten along with sagjew - they steal from everyone - they both need a beating and i am sure sometime soon some boy or GIRL will give it to the perverts - go bag to the cesspool u two douches were found whirling in and give the area a break - jokers
TOMMY FINNERAN IS THE BIGGEST JOKE OUT THERE!
He was basically run out of NYC after he lost all his investors money at multiple flops. He opened FLOW in NYC and WPB, trading on a lie that he was the “owner” of small, successful bars on the Upper East Side. After he tanked BOTH Flows and lost all his investors money he was quickly BOOTED from Local (UES bar), Opal (another UES bar), & Tupelo (another disaster he tanked) and had to head back down to WPB to start over. The only reason his latest “venture” in nyc is still open is because he’s not allowed in! Not one of his “partners” have a good word to say about him and his incompetence is LEGENDARY. A real friend would tell him to hang up his cleats and stick to what he’s good at- sponging off his rich daddy and eating steaks at strip clubs. Look at that photo- he’s the goofiest man in FLA! Pictures speak 1,000 words!!!
It closed because Josh Sagman has to be one of the biggest losers of all-time. He lies about his age (which is 40), he never has told the truth in his entire life, and to top it off he steals from his partners/friends/anyone that will “lend him money”. He is a classless snake that probably should quit the business because I dont know any company that would want this peice of trash representing them.
Sagman is a broke gold-digging loser. He would sell his mother for $5 (which he prob needs by now. Tommy lose that idiot and start your own venture.
tommy was born in 1968……he is over 40 folks