Raw sewage and possible food poisoning reported by holidaymakers at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Punta Cana
Author: Guests returning from the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic have reported that they suffered from a gastric illness during their stay in February, with some guests reporting the rooms were flooded with raw sewage in January.
The Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic
The Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Punta Cana is located in the exceptionally popular Punta Cana region of the Dominican Republic and advertised by UK tour operator Thomas Cook on an all-inclusive basis. The Hard Rock Punta Cana is touted as including everything that you would expect from a Hard Rock resort, but from reports made by disappointed holidaymakers, it appears that some of these expectations have not been met.
Reports of potential food poisoning and raw sewage
Recent reviews for the Hard Rock Punta Cana on TripAdvisor are quite positive, with many reviewers praising the Dominican Republic resort for making their stay special in similarly written reviews that highlight the positives of the hotel and bestowing it with a 5/5 rating. There are also less favourable reviews of the Hard Rock Punta Cana, where holidaymakers have reported issues with hygiene standards and illness.
‘Steve M’ stayed at the Hard Rock Punta Cana this February, and he says that he “was genuinely excited about the food“, but found that the “quality [was] exceptionally poor” and meals were “often served lukewarm.” He says that the “numerous guests [that he] travelled with got sick from the food,” and reports that he “woke up sick nearly every day,” suffering symptoms that “made it difficult to enjoy [his] time at the resort.”
‘J D’ was a guest at the Hard Rock Punta Cana in January, and in her review titled “Raw sewage flooded my room, awful customer service“, she says that she “woke up around 9 am due to a strange gurgling sound coming from the bathroom,” and after getting “out of bed to investigate, [she] quickly realized [that she] was standing in about half an inch of squishy, foul sewage water” that ruined many of her possessions.
‘Brad A’ also stayed at the Hard Rock Punta Cana in January, and he says that while he “had a good experience“, he “was a part of a large group” who found that “the food during breakfast and lunch buffets was often cold“, and he comments that another guest he knew who was staying there “woke up to her entire room in a half inch of raw sewage.”
Possible cause of food poisoning
Food poisoning can be caused by improper training or not allowing food handling team members the time they need to adequately prepare food. The hygiene errors that can result from these practices can include meals not being cooked thoroughly enough to kill off harmful bacteria or parasites, or being served cold, increasing the risk of a holiday ruining infection spreading to guests.
High risk of infection from raw sewage
More concerning are the reports of problems with the sewerage system at the Hard Rock Punta Cana. If the sewerage system is inadvertently spewing raw sewage into guest rooms, then it’s possible that very same sewage is contaminating the hotel grounds, which could cause other guests to suffer the symptoms of Gastroenteritis.
Raw sewage can be home to a concoction of hazardous pathogens, including Salmonella, E. coli O157, Campylobacter, Cyclospora and more, meaning that if you directly or indirectly come into contact with it, you could be running the risk of suffering a holiday ruining illness.
Claim holiday illness compensation
If you’ve suffered an illness caused by food poisoning or poor hygiene standards while on an all-inclusive package holiday, then under The Package Travel Regulations 1992 you could be entitled to claim compensation from your tour operator.
As part of a complimentary no-obligation consultation, we can advise you of your consumer rights and assess your case to see if you could claim under The Package Travel Regulations 1992 and the amount of compensation that you could be able to claim. If we represent you we can do so on a ‘no win no fee‘ basis.