Hard Rock Hotel in Dominican Republic removes liquor from minibars
The Hard Rock resort in the Dominican Republic said it is removing all minibar dispensers from its guest rooms.
There is no official word that tainted alcohol is to blame for a series of mysterious deaths but the hotel is taking no chances.
Two Americans died at the hotel and at least 11 have died in the past year while on vacation in the country.
Hard Rock said it is also instructing a U.S. healthcare operator to look at its on-site clinic to ensure it ‘is complying with all international and U.S. standards of care.’
"Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Punta Cana follows internationally recognized regulations regarding guest health, sanitation and security," it said in a release.
Last week Steve Harvey announced his third annual Sand and Soul Festival, due to be held at the resort later this year, is being canceled due to growing concerns.
Tourism minister Francisco Javier Garcia said news reports have not been objective and are ‘exaggerated.’
Reports of an ‘avalanche of deaths does not correspond to reality.’
A US State Department official agreed, saying that deaths recorded there in 2019 is generally in line with previous years.
"Over 2.7 million US citizens visit the Dominican Republic each year, and we have not seen an uptick in the number of US citizen deaths reported to the department."
Still, there has been an avalanche of cancellations in the past few days which will likely continue until there is a definitive cause of death for every case.
As scrutiny intensifies several other travelers have been speaking to the media about their own bouts of illness staying at the affected hotels on vacations dating back several years in some cases.
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Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
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