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RESORTDEVELOPER.COMVACATION INDUSTRY REVIEW
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from a food and beverage procedures standpoint. Can it happen?
Sure. But we take every step possible to prevent it.”
In recent years, however, troubling stories of mysterious ill-
nesses and deaths at a few high-profile resorts in Mexico and the
Dominican Republic have raised concerns. The headline-grabbing
stories have spawned numerous investigations and wrongful death
lawsuits, and generally mushroomed into a tourism crisis.
Between 2010 and 2017, national health authorities seized
more than 1.4 million gallons of adulterated alcohol from bars,
hotels, and entertainment areas in Mexico, according to a report
by the country’s Federal Commission for Protection against
Health Risks. In 2017, the U.S. State Department added language
about the danger of tainted alcohol on its country information
page for Mexico.
And in the summer of 2019, after several airlines began work-
ing with passengers who wanted to cancel or change flights to the
Dominican Republic after mounting reports of illnesses and fatali-
ties, the Dominican Republic Ministry of Tourism introduced new
safety measures. Those included mandating more hotel inspections
and requiring operators to demonstrate detailed food handling pro-
tocols and provide information on all suppliers of food and drinks.
(It should be noted that in 2019, the U.S. Federal Bureau of
Investigation released toxicology test results ruling out tainted alcohol
in three of the deaths in the Dominican Republic.)
Erring on the Side of Safety
In an environment like this, social media can quickly spiral out of con-
trol, inviting lawsuits or tarnishing even the most respected brands.
After a majority of almost 70 complaints posted in a consumer
crowdsourcing website by guests staying at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic, between March and June
2019, the resort announced the specific measures it was taking to
improve guest safety. These included removing liquor dispensers from
rooms, allowing a U.S.–based healthcare facility to examine the on-site
clinic, and bringing in experts from a lab in the U.S. to inspect and test
food, drinks, and public areas.
Paradise Village Beach Resort & Spa chose to be proactive rather
than reactive to potential guest concerns by enacting protocols that
exceed CDC guidelines.
“All meals and drink productions are regularly inspected by three
different authorities and two different laboratories every single month,”
Huertas reports. In addition to keeping daily records of meals, tempera-
tures, and food safety practices, the resort guarantees all drinks are made
with alcohol that comes in sealed bottles from trusted providers. “We
never buy alcohol-spirits without the producer seal, constantly inventory
our liquor stock, and destroy every single empty bottle,” he adds.
Keeping Your Image Intact
Kinney agrees that it’s best to control what you can by exceeding gov-
ernment standards. MVW is proactive if grievances do arise.
“There are a lot of tools out there, and we certainly employ every-
thing necessary to monitor the media, both the traditional and social
media, blogs and otherwise,” Kinney says. “Technology today pretty
much captures 99 percent of everything that’s out there. By putting
keywords in and being able to have conversations and references to us
flagged, we’ll know about it almost in real time and we can get ahead of
the situation.” The company strives to address negative comments and
respond to individual grievances, case by case, out of the public forum.
“Whatever happens at one of our properties reflects on the com-
pany as a whole, whether it’s MVW or all the other respective brands,”
Kinney says. “We have an inherent obligation to make sure that people
can enjoy their vacation without something happening that they don’t
want to have happen.”
Joyce Hadley Copeland is based in Tucson, Arizona, and contributes regularly to
travel and hospitality publications and websites.
Precautions and strict protocols
for cleaning, water safety, and
food handling should be in place
to quickly contain the spread of
the illness, long before a guest
shows symptoms.