Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic has announced plans to remove liquor dispensers from guest room minibars in a bid to provide its guests with more tranquility.
News about the property’s decision arrive after a series of deaths of tourists in the Dominican Republic, some of which reportedly involved alcohol. Two of those deaths occurred at Hard Rock’s casino resort.
Commenting on their recent decision, Hard Rock Punta Cana’s General Manager, Erica Lopez, told media that it was due to the property’s hopes to “provide more tranquility for guests.” Ms. Lopez went on to explain that the move was not prompted by the two above-mentioned incidents of guests dying during their stay at the hotel and casino complex.
The Dominican Republic is a popular tourist hub among tourists of different nations. The Caribbean nation welcomed about 6.5 million tourists last year, more than any other nation in the region, according to stats released by the Caribbean Tourism Organization. Of those 6.5 million international tourists, about 2.2 million were from the United States.
Gaming and hospitality company Hard Rock International debuted its Punta Cana property in January 2011. The 121-acre hotel and casino resort was the first all-inclusive property in Hard Rock’s portfolio.
Hard Rock Punta Cana features a 1,800-room hotel, a casino with a high-limit poker room, VIP lounger, race- and sportsbook, 457 slot machines and 40 gaming tables, multiple food and beverage facilities and nightclubs, an 18-hole Nicklaus golf course, more than 10 expansive pools and a number of other facilities.
A Series of Deaths
According to the US State Department, at least 10 American tourists have died during or after their stays in the Dominican Republic over the past 12 months. Dominican Republic authorities do not believe the deaths were connected.
The Tourism Minister of the Caribbean Nation, Francisco Javier Garcia, has told media that “it’s not true that there has been an avalanche of American tourists dying in the country and it’s not true that we have mysterious deaths.”
The FBI has been tapped to assist with the toxicology tests of three of the American tourists who have died in the past year.
Carlos Suero, a spokesman for the Dominican Republic’s Ministry of Health, has explained that authorities always take “extensive collection of samples” when a guest dies in a hotel room. Minibars as well as water from showers and sinks are thoroughly tested for bacteria, Mr. Suero added.
The first of the two recent deaths that have occurred at Hard Rock Punta Cana involved a man dying in his room in July 2018 after a snorkeling excursion. His wife said that the morning after that excursion he was sweating and unable to leave bed. According to local authorities his death was caused by a heart attack.
The second incident of a patron dying at the hotel involved a 67-year-old man who became ill at the property this past spring. His son-in-law told media that the man died after drinking scotch from the minibar in his room.
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