Hard Rock International To Launch Santo Domingo Resort In 2017

by Brian Major
Last updated: 10:00 AM ET, Thu January 14, 2016

PHOTO: The Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Santo Domingo will be located in the city's downtown district. (Photo by Brian Major)

Already the operator of a signature resort in the Dominican Republic's Punta Cana district, Hard Rock International officials announced Tuesday the company is partnering with the All Inclusive Collection to open the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Santo Domingo, a 400-room resort in the historic Dominican Republic capital.

Scheduled to open in late 2017, the property will be located in Santo Domingo's cosmopolitan downtown district and feature a 23,000-square-foot casino, a film screening room, and a nightclub that opens onto the resort's main pool.

The resort's casino will offer guests two bars, a race and sports book, 400 slot machines and 40 table games. A private gaming room on the exclusive suite floor will also be available to guests with select access. The property will also feature 33,000 square feet of meeting space, a Rock Star suite and an entire floor of Rock Royalty level accommodations.

In addition, the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Santo Domingo will feature branded amenities including a Rock Spa and a Body Rock health and fitness center. The property's main pool will include a bar and grill and private cabanas; premium resort facilities will also include a cigar lounge and a celebrity-chef specialty restaurant. Hotel guests will enjoy convenient access to Santo Domingo's newest upscale shopping center, the Blue Mall.

"The Dominican Republic is the region's most visited country and continues to be the top performing destination in the Caribbean," said Nelson Parker, vice president of casino development, Hard Rock International. "The decision to bring a full service hotel and the brand's second Caribbean casino to the Dominican Republic is a testament to the country's remarkable strength in tourism."

Hard Rock International's existing Dominican Republic property, the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Punta Cana, has emerged as one of the country's most popular resorts. Unlike the existing Punta Cana resort, the new Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Santo Domingo will not be an all-inclusive property.

"We've had overwhelming success with our resort in Punta Cana, and are thrilled to continue our collaboration with Hard Rock International and introduce Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Santo Domingo," said Frank Maduro, vice president of marketing for All Inclusive Collection.

The new resort will add another hotel brand familiar to American travelers to historic Santo Domingo, a UNESCO world heritage site whose Colonial Zone is undergoing extensive renovations as part of a government program to expand tourism success beyond the Punta Cana district.

A new highway between Punta Cana and Santo Domingo has reduced travel time between the two cities from four hours to two, enabling resort guests to visit both areas within the same visit. The Dominican Republic hosted 5.14 million visitors in 2014, number one among countries tracked by the Caribbean Tourism Organization.

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