The region’s tourism sector immediately blamed the shuttering of the hotel- located at Playa Grande, Maria Trinidad Sanchez province- on sagging activities, the lack of incentives and unfair competition with Punta Cana’s (east) hotels.

In that regard, the spokesman for the hoteliers and business leaders grouped in Asonahores revealed that around 15 hotels in the zone have closed in the last two years.

Asonahores vice president Arturo Villanueva said the public and private sectors need a joint effort to deal with the situation.

He said the area’s tourist zones not only have a problem of promotion, but also unchecked sprawl, which in his view also led to the decrease in cruise ship arrivals to North coast ports.

Dominican Watchdog Note: This hotel has been a "NO GO" for years, in 2007 it was involved in the huge scandal below:

500 tourists will receive compensation from Salmonella in Dominican Republic

Hundreds of holidaymakers, including honeymooners, have won compensation totalling more than £2.5million after they fell ill when sent to a dirty Caribbean hotel.

Thomas Cook and its subsidiary MyTravel have been forced to pay one of the biggest compensation sums ever made following a landmark class action legal case.

More than 500 tourists will receive compensation after their holidays were ruined by a major outbreak of illnesses including Shigella  and Salmonella at a Dominican Republic hotel.

Holiday companies continued to send UK families to the four star resort, the Bahia Principe hotel, in 2007 despite the fact that a succession of travellers contracted serious illnesses.

The case included 12 couples whose honeymoons were ruined by sickness.

The 514 strong  group all fell ill while at the hotel in San Juan with a range of illnesses including  Shigella, Giardia, Salmonella and E Coli.

Many of them needed medical treatment,  29 were hospitalised - five after they got back to the UK - and more than 200  still suffer long-term effects two years after flying home. 

The problems at the Bahia Principe Hotel - which has a history of illness among guests - began  in early 2007 and continued throughout most of the year as more guests arrived  from the UK.

The Dominican  Republic Minister for Public Health, Bautista  Rojas, confirmed in August that year that tourists had become ill due to contaminated foodstuffs....... read full story