Hard Rock’s Dominican Republic resort, where two U.S. tourists died, pulls minibars from all rooms
June 26, 2019“Today, June 21, 2019, the Ministry of Public Health in the Dominican Republic has released further information on the American tourists who passed away in 2019, including autopsy findings that reveal these deaths were unrelated and from natural causes and pre-existing conditions,” the resort statement said. “We are deeply saddened by these unfortunate incidents, and extend our sincerest sympathy to the families of those affected. We will continue to respect the privacy of our guests and their families.”
“The safety and health of our guests is now, and has always been, our highest priority,” the statement continued. “Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Punta Cana follows internationally recognized regulations regarding guest health, sanitation and security.”
DOMINICAN TOURISM OFFICIAL VOWS ‘DISCIPLINARY ACTION’ IF U.S. TOURIST DEATH PROBE FINDS NEGLIGENCE
Questions have arisen about whether the tourists who died after consuming a beverage actually drank bootleg or counterfeit alcohol, where sometimes a legitimate brand of alcohol, or water, is mixed with a lesser grade and sometimes deadly substance such as methanol and other indigestible alcohol compounds and chemicals. Safeproof.com says that methanol, “a common additive to solvents, antifreeze and other industrial products is deadly for human consumption.”
The Hard Rock statement said the resort implements “rigorous food and beverage protocols, including purchasing products from U.S. licensed and reputable vendors, as well as daily inspections of all products served throughout the hotel.”
“Additionally, our team members are trained to inspect all supplies, equipment and products that enter the property,” it continued. “The property employs more than 70 security personnel per shift and has hundreds of cameras on property to provide the utmost safety for guests and team members.”
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Two of the known 12 U.S. tourists who died fell suddenly ill while at the Hard Rock resort.
Robert Bell Wallace, 67, of California, became ill almost immediately after he had a scotch from the room minibar at the Hard Rock resort, his niece, Chloe Arnold, told Fox News. Wallace, who died on April 14, was in the Dominican Republic to attend his stepson’s wedding.
Arnold said her uncle, an avid traveler, had been in relatively good health and just the month before had been skiing in Lake Tahoe.
“He was fine,” Arnold said of her uncle, who owned a construction business and whose obituary page was filled with comments about his generosity and compassion. “He and his wife arrived there at around midnight on April 10. On April 11 he had scotch from the minibar. He started feeling very sick, he had blood in his urine and stool right afterward.”
In July 2018, David Harrison, 45, became severely ill in his room at the Hard Rock resort and died at a hospital.
His widow, Dawn McCoy, said that it took nearly a half hour for a doctor to show up at the resort room, where her husband’s condition had been deteriorating quickly. A funeral director came over to her at the hospital to tell her that Harrison was dead. Like many relatives of the other U.S. tourists, McCoy said she was repeatedly pressured to cremate her husband’s body.
On Saturday, McCoy said on “Fox & Friends” that she does not trust what Dominican authorities told her about her husband’s death.
The Hard Rock statement noted “All of the alcohol on property will continue to be brand name and sourced from the U.S., with the exception of a Dominican Republic specialty, Mama Juana, and local beer, Presidente, that we carry to support our community.”
The resort also noted that while it has been inspected by the Ministry of Public Health, it nonetheless has contracted a U.S. third-party testing lab “to provide inspections and laboratory testing of all food and beverage products and public spaces.”
The Nickelodeon Hotel & Resort in Punta Cana, which has not had any reported U.S. tourist death, meanwhile, is purportedly scrambling to find out what made former “Bachelorette” star Melissa Rycroft severely ill during her stay at the resort recently.
Page Six quoted a representative of Rycroft as saying she was still very ill, battling “major stomach issues” even after being back in the United States.
TMZ, the celebrity gossip site, reported that its sources say “the Nickelodeon Resort is freaking out and lots of people are canceling their reservations, though it’s unclear if news of Melissa’s mysterious illness is the reason for the cancellations, or simply the general hysteria involving tourist deaths on the island.”
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