PUNTA CANA — For the first time in the Dominican Republic’s history, Punta Cana’s top hotels and resorts have banded together to issue a promise to travellers to meet security and safety standards.

The eight-point ‘Punta Cana Promise’, announced yesterday, was made by a consortium of hotel ownership and management groups that represent over 50 properties in Punta Cana.

These include: AMResorts; Bahia Principe Hotels & Resorts; Catalonia Hotels & Resorts; Excellence Resorts; Grand Palladium Hotels & Resorts; Grand Sirenis Hotels & Resorts; H10 Hotels; Iberostar Hotels & Resorts; Majestic Resorts; Meliá Hotels & Resorts; Princess Hotels & Resorts; and RIU Hotels & Resorts.

As part of the promise, each hotel brand has made a pledge to ensure the highest levels of safety and service are not only met, but exceeded. The following eight points were made:

• “Our properties are self-contained and provide 24-hour security and medical assistance”
• “Our food and beverage offerings come only from reputable, trusted vendor partners and are all carefully checked and inspected before being served at any property in accordance with global food safety management standards”
• “Our employees all undergo rigorous background checks, screening and training”
• “Our high staff-to-guest ratios ensure that every guest receives the attention, service, and security they expect and deserve”
• “Our properties not only meet but also exceed tourism and hospitality regulations and guidelines”
• “Our hotel-affiliated vacation activities and excursions are provided exclusively by reputable partners who are all licensed and insured”
• “Our properties are each united in the oversight and delivery of the Punta Cana Promise”
• “Our hotels will provide safety information and phone numbers to all guests upon check in”

While the policies outlined in the Punta Cana Promise are certainly not new to the hotels – the safety guidelines outlined above have been in place for years – the creation of the Promise marks the first time these hotels have worked together to create such a comprehensive resource in one easy-to-access format.

Travel to the D.R. from the U.S. dropped sharply in the wake of media coverage of the deaths of several U.S. tourists earlier this year. The destination took a hit from Canada too, but not nearly to the same extent as in the U.S., and the recovery time from this market is proving much quicker. A media outlet in the U.S. reporting that the deaths were shown to be due to natural causes, confirming earlier statements from the D.R.’s Tourism Minister, has helped kickstart the destination’s recovery.

Speaking on behalf of the Punta Cana Promise resorts consortium, Encarna Piñero, President of INVEROTEL (Asociación de Inversores Hoteleros Españoles) and also CEO of Grupo Pinero, parent company of Bahia Principe Hotels & Resorts, said: “The Punta Cana Promise is our ongoing commitment to ensure that our guests will continue to receive the highest levels of service and security they have come to know and expect from us. The Punta Cana area has been home to our families and our properties for generations, and we are all focused on doing what it takes to reassure travelers that Punta Cana is and will remain a safe and wonderful vacation destination for generations to come.”

Participating hotels will display the Punta Cana Promise seal on their properties and websites indicating their commitment to the Promise.

For more information go to www.puntacanapromise.com.