A Dominican Republic Hotel Where Two American Tourists Died Is Removing Minibar Liquor Dispensers

The Hard Rock Hotel, the location of two American tourist deaths in the Dominican Republic, is removing the alcohol dispensers from minibars. While the deaths have not been confirmed to be related and so far no official report has linked the deaths to a specific cause, many of the tourists that have died in the Dominican Republic reportedly drank liquor from the minibars.

David Harrison, 45, and Robert Bell Wallace both died while staying at the Punta Cana resort. There have been a total of 10 confirmed US tourist deaths in 2019 in the Dominican Republic with some of those consuming minibar drinks shortly before dying.

The General Manager of the resort, Erica Lopez, tells CNN that she hopes the decision to remove these dispensers will “provide more tranquility for guests” and reiterated that the decision to remove these dispensers was made independently and not a reaction to the deaths that happened at the resort.

In one report from a physician at Rutgers University, Reynold A. Panettieri Jr speculates that tainted alcohol could be to blame for some of the deaths.