147 Tourists Report Getting Sick at Hard Rock Casino Punta Cana, Dominican Republic Since Start of June
Posted on: June 17, 2019, 07:21h.
Last updated on: June 17, 2019, 08:25h.
Some 147 tourists vacationing in the Dominican Republic have reported recent or historical illnesses while staying at the Hard Rock Punta Cana via the website iwaspoisoned.com in June alone. Of those, 128 were posted in just the past week.
The news comes amid a spate of suspicious fatalities of otherwise healthy US vacationers at resorts in the Caribbean nation.
At least two deaths have been reported at the Hard Rock Punta Cana, which is a franchised property within the portfolio of Hard Rock International, a company owned by the Seminole Native American tribe of Florida.
Iwaspoisoned.com is a consumer crowdsourcing website that tracks food-borne illnesses by offering a platform for people to report illness after eating meals at hotels or restaurants. Casino.org cannot account for the veracity of each post.
Violent Illness
Last week, the food poisoning website’s founder, Patrick Quade, told The New York Post that almost 70 tourists had reported succumbing to illness while staying at resorts in the Dominican Republic since March — that’s up from ten reported in the country for the whole of 2018. The vast majority were guests at the Hard Rock Punta Cana.
Since the publication of the Post article, more than a hundred more have left messages on the platform describing symptoms of vomiting, diarrhea, and fever while staying at the Hard Rock. Some claim they were hospitalized as a result of their illnesses.
After 2 days, my husband became violently ill with diarrhea, fever and nausea. A day later, I became ill with the same, including fever and chills,” reads one post. “These symptoms lasted the entire trip. I would estimate that over half of our group became ill as well, some with additional respiratory symptoms that mimicked influenza.”
While reviews on TripAdvisor vary — with many users rating the hotel highly — many others also report illness. A disclaimer on TripAdvisor currently reads:
“TripAdvisor has been made aware of recent media reports or events concerning this property which may not be reflected in reviews found on this listing. Accordingly, you may wish to perform additional research for information about this property when making your travel plans.”
Eighth DR Death Reported
The news comes shortly after the death of another US tourist was reported last week, bringing the number of confirmed fatalities to eight.
Leyla Cox, 53, an MRI technician from Staten Island in New York, died on Tuesday at the Excellence resort in Punta Cana, as her son Will Cox told NBC News.
Cox said the US Embassy in the Dominican Republic told him a toxicology test would not be performed, because the toxicology machine was broken.
Bootleg Booze, Pesticides May Hold Answer
The Post reports the FBI will take blood samples from American tourists who have died in suspicious circumstances in the country’s resorts, some after reportedly consuming a drink from the minibar of their hotel room.
According to Post sources, the federal agency is working with local authorities to discern whether bootleg alcohol might be the source of the spate of mysterious fatalities of hotel guests. Another theory is that chemical pesticides could be to blame.
Experts say the symptoms reported by victims — severe vomiting, diarrhea and respiratory problems — are consistent with exposure to methanol, which is highly toxic to humans and sometimes used to adulterate bootleg liquor – as well as to organophosphates, powerful nerve agents used in pesticides.
In extreme cases, exposure to some organophosphates could result in cardiac arrest, which has been identified as a cause of death in several cases.
In a statement last week, the Hard Rock Punta Cana said the safety of its guests “is now and has always been our highest priority” and that it was “confident that all operational protocols were followed to ensure the safety of our guests.”
Casino.org has reached out to Hard Rock International for comment and is awaiting the company’s response.
Potential DR Casino and Tourism Impact
The gaming industry in the Dominican Republic is closely linked to the country’s tourism industry, which accounts for some 11.6 percent of its GDP. There are around 60 land-based casinos — mainly for the benefit of the six million foreign tourists that visit each year — and these are generally esconced within large all-inclusive resorts, such as the Hard Rock.
Just over half of all tourists to the DR are from the US.
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Last Comments ( 12 )
hardrock vancouver in coquitlam is getting people sick on purpose I was there friday night I won some money this drink lady kept harassing me to have a 7up or coke so finally I took one ive been sick on my death bed for 5 days now cant even begin to tell you what type of discusting asain flu this is but its gross stomach pain every inch of my body hurts even myhead feels like a continuous migraine or anurism I dont know when ill be able to get out of bed buti swear that lady gave it to me on purpose
I just came back from punta cana and stayed at the natura eco resort. I had no issues other than stomach gti problems for a few days but that is normal while travelling. I have had the same type of issues travelling to other over seas places. the are was packed and no one seemed to be sick. my mom and I ate the same foods except I drank rum and she didn't. not sure if that is what gave me stomach problems.
I don't understand all of this Hysteria. I have visited Hard Rock and Punta Cana 4 times over the past 15 years and have only had 1 issue which was my own cause. Eat to much and Drink to much and many, if not most would also feel sick for a day or two. You are also in a country where they cook and use more oil and butters than they do in the USA. 6 of us just got back from the Hard Rock and not a one of us had an issue or saw or heard of anyone having any issues during our 8 day stay. We have heard from many that this could be something that other Caribbean Islands are doing to shift tourism being as the Dominican has seen a steady increase in their tourism while the other islands are seeing a decrease. Who knows? I went and had no issues, only a very wonderful time and will go back!
I wasn’t at the hard rock, but at the paradisus in punta Cana the last week of April and was very ill when I came back, and still have lingering symptoms which have not yet subsided, have reading this article I am very alarmed and starting to wonder what is going on with me!!!!!
My Wife, Son and I were there with another family of 4. We stayed at the Hard Rock from June 12-18 just got back Wednesday and none of us got sick. We spoke to several other people and one lady from a large group of around 35 or so and they indicated they did get sick and several of them were hospitalized and Hard Rock paid all medical bills. We drank only from US Branded Liquor and el Presidente the local beer. We stayed away from the mini bars and any questionable local drinks as well as local water. The resort only uses bottled water for the guest. We were concerned but we had a great time just be cautious if you are planning to go. This was our second time there with no issue 1st time in May 2017.
We stayed at the Hard Rock Punta Cana twice. There is a terrible smell at night of garbage burning. There is even a fog in the air in the early morning. I questioned management and they said the Island burns garbage at night. The second time I went I took a mask to cover my mouth and nose when this was going on. Also, people were putting towels under their doors to stop fumes. However, it probably still comes in through AC vents. Not sure if we should go back there?
we stayed at hard rock, 6/5/19 -6/10/19 there was 6 of us and one of us got violently sick and was in bed for a day, we just figured it was a combination of things , now wondering if it was something else! I am a nurse and had medications to keep him from going to the hospital
we plan to visit Hard Rock in august with 2 grand children and after sad news we don't know if we should go
My husband and I visited Punta Cana for the 1st Time last fall. Enjoyed our visit. We did not drink any water unless it was in a bottle. We brushed our teeth in bottled as well. I learned my lesson about 17 years ago when I went to Mexico, I brushed my teeth in the faucet water not thinking, wondered why bottled water was in the bathroom. I had sever uncontrollable diarrhea. Back to why I’m leaving a comment. I asked my friends to bring me back some of the DR drink called Mamma Janna that they serve as a shot. It was a different brand that we had but didn’t think anything of it. I opened it later that evening and had a shot of it, not even 10 minutes later I had severe vomiting. I threw it away. I didn’t tell her cause I didn’t want to hurt her feelings. She gave me 2 bottles. I will gladly turn the other one in for testing. I took pictures of it and sent it to our new friend in Punta Cana. He said a lot of people try to make it , but not successful. It has spices, roots and other ingredients in it. It tasted very bitter. We brought home the spices in a bottle and added the alcohol in it ourselves. I enjoy it. Please let me know if this bottle and brand can be tested. Maybe we can find out something about people getting sick. My friend said I probably had an allergic reaction to what was in it. I’m ok , thank God. I pray they find out something, we plan to visit Punta Cana again this year.
I was violently ill with vomiting and diarrhea while staying at the Hard Rock a couple of weeks ago. It started quickly at the Drum Pool before dinner, that I could not get to and continued on through the night. Better the next day but after a good 12 hours.
Half our group got sick at hard rock punta cana. Stay away for real.!! I believe all these stories no doubt about it after going Jun 13- 17...just got back and wife and sister in law still puking and diarrhea.
My son was a guest with three off his friends staying at hard rock in punta Cana !!!! He became very ill on Thursday evening... vomiting fever chills and diarrhea!!!! He couldn’t eat a thing for days .... and did arrive home late Sunday evening... still feeling very ill!!! He had the worse time on the entire vacation...: He will never ever go back to hard rock again.