40 floor hard rock hotel to be built in SD

[keepcoming]

Having family that stays at many of the hotels here in Santo Domingo these hotels attract more of a "business traveler" as opposed to a tourist. Santo Domingo does offer culture, cuisine, etc..however it will never become a "mecca" for tourists seeking culture. Many times it is a starting off point or ending point for travelers. These "newer" hotels are not cheap and when you add on food costs, etc.. it does not actually fit the budget of "tourists". It fits more of the business traveler.

 

[NALs]

Those isolated tall buildings look very stupid to me. (Like silver sun gallery, torre Caney, the new buildings on Anacaona). But maybe 30 years from now Downtown SD will look like a real downtown.

Downtown SD?

Does Tokyo has a downtown? Maybe Mexico City does? Perhaps Buenos Aires? Rio? Lima? Paris? Rome? Barcelona?

 

[windeguy]

What are the occupancy rates at these expensive business traveller hotels in Santo Domingo?

 

[dv8]

not sure what you mean by expensive? miesposo frequently travels to SD and stays in hotel playa naco or in barcelo and most of the time they were full. last time i was in SD i stayed in embajador and they were full too.

 

[Mauricio]

Hotels linke Jaragua , Marriott courtyard, Hilton, Nicolas de Ovando are in the 150-175 per night range. JW Marriot maybe 200-225. I think it's expensive but for the business traveler not that much. I think the occupancy rate is not bad, when I have to make reservations it happens hotels are full even two weeks ahead.

 

[dv8]

they offer corporate rates too so business travelers do not pay full price.

 

[CG]

Regressing a bit... WHERE on Lincoln is this 40 floor tower going ?, it wasn't mentioned in the link

 

[SKY]

Regressing a bit... WHERE on Lincoln is this 40 floor tower going ?, it wasn't mentioned in the link

It will be just past Feb.27 heading from the Malecon on your right.

 

[keepcoming]

3 days @ the JW Marriott at the end of March taxes included is $814.08. My brother booked a room at the end of March and that was the lowest rate. 4 days at the Embassy Suites was just under a $1000 for some friends. Good thing about the Embassy Suites was that breakfast is included. You can get some decent rates at the Barcel? Santo Domingo on their website. One thing I have noticed is the taxes really drives up the price. For most "tourists" those prices are not "tourist friendly" especially when you add on meals. Business travelers normally have an expense account where it is "on the company" so it is more doable.

Doesn't mean though that non-business travelers do not stay at these hotels however the majority of the people I came across were business travelers. Most of the non-business travelers seem to be staying there while visiting family.

 

[leromero]

3 days @ the JW Marriott at the end of March taxes included is $814.08. My brother booked a room at the end of March and that was the lowest rate. 4 days at the Embassy Suites was just under a $1000 for some friends. Good thing about the Embassy Suites was that breakfast is included. You can get some decent rates at the Barcel? Santo Domingo on their website. One thing I have noticed is the taxes really drives up the price. For most "tourists" those prices are not "tourist friendly" especially when you add on meals. Business travelers normally have an expense account where it is "on the company" so it is more doable.

Doesn't mean though that non-business travelers do not stay at these hotels however the majority of the people I came across were business travelers. Most of the non-business travelers seem to be staying there while visiting family.

I usually stay at the Courtyard Marriott when visiting family in SD. The only difference is that I use my Marriott Rewards points that I accumulate during work travel. Using points even taxes are not assessed. On my next trip I will try the JW and see if the difference in points is worth it.

 

[Natu]

it's just following your own philosophy. you are equally obsessed with a forum you don't enjoy and you equally spew hate on others.

I do enjoy the forum in general, I just don't like the few hateful people in here. Which is actually why I don't participate that much in this forum. If you feel identified, well im sorry, i never specified names, i just read comments that seemed like they actually wished all the buildings in Santo Domingo collapsed due to an earthquake, like if they enjoyed tragedy and bad things happening to people here. If you don't feel that way, then im not talking about you.

I actually appreciate criticism, but well intentioned criticism or when it's actually true (like police corruption, insecurity, con artistry, etc) but everything has a limit. If you read dominicanwatchdog.org you would know what i'm talking about. It has harmful intentions, they just want to harm our tourism industry, but it seems like everytime someone tries to boicot dominican tourism, the opposite happens, which is why they say that when you wish bad things to someone, it comes back to you multiplied.

 

[Virgo]

No one has yet told me whare the **** from 5 million people goes in santo Domingo.

Not sure if you are serious or not. First, where do you get the 5 Mill figure? Population in entire SD METRO area (not just the National District) is about 3-3.5 million (depending on the source you check).

Second, most parts of SD depend on Septic Tanks. The tanks normally have a rudimentary treatment system. They also have a system to connect the NON-SOLID overflow to the DEEP underground water system (see image below).

In case you are wondering, septic tanks (if done right) are a reasonable engineering solution, whose use extends far beyond the DR, including the 'developed' world. For example, per EPA, over one in five households in the United States depend on individual onsite waste water systems involving a septic tank.

 

[chic]

wow big companies have money to spend...hard rock is one of them it doesnt matter ...it will be passed on in ten years and re furbished and sold again

 

[PICHARDO]

Back to topic...


People here seem to forget the DR is posting record number of visitors year on year.
These numbers need a place to rest on their trips here!

Hotels are doing brisk biz in the country. No just Punta Cana.

I told a many here that Santo Domingo will become a serious attraction to tourists visiting the country.

The DR will eventually post monster sized numbers of tourists coming to the country, be it by plane, cruises or private aircrafts (boats too).

Real State will be the name of the game as more and more non-Dominicans buy at the current prices.

Gentrification will take care of clearing the economic classes/areas.

Hard Rock will do brisk biz in SD.

They will hardly be the last and only ones to seek SD.

Biz follows the profits, and there are plenty in the DR now with more coming in year to year.

 

[SKY]

wow big companies have money to spend...hard rock is one of them it doesnt matter ...it will be passed on in ten years and re furbished and sold again

Hard Rock is not spending one dollar on this project. Mr. Roberto Chapur is funding the whole thing. He owns it and HR is giving the name for a commission. Franchise deal period.

 

[Virgo]

Hard Rock is not spending one dollar on this project. Mr. Roberto Chapur is funding the whole thing. He owns it and HR is giving the name for a commission. Franchise deal period.

I don't doubt your statement about funding.

However, it may lead a reader to believe that HR just allows anyone who pays to use their name, for any purpose without any standards. If they acted like that, the HR name could quickly become a worthless synonym of "anything willing to pay us for our name", and may in fact repels customers as opposed to attracting them.

Any reasonable franchise operator should have high standards concerning the physical facilities, as well as the way they are operated. This is necessary to prevent bad franchisees to devalue the name of the chain and all the properties operating under it (company-owned or franchises).

 

[IslandDreaming]

Years ago I asked about waste in DR and was told it was very difficult to install sewage systems 9or septic systems) due tot he rock the island is comprised of I have no personal knowledge but how does the majority of these new buildings handle waste I remember years ago seeing "fresh" waste rushing out pipes into the sea on the Malecon, I hope that has changed

 

[SKY]

I don't doubt your statement about funding.

However, it may lead a reader to believe that HR just allows anyone who pays to use their name, for any purpose without any standards. If they acted like that, the HR name could quickly become a worthless synonym of "anything willing to pay us for our name", and may in fact repels customers as opposed to attracting them.

Any reasonable franchise operator should have high standards concerning the physical facilities, as well as the way they are operated. This is necessary to prevent bad franchisees to devalue the name of the chain and all the properties operating under it (company-owned or franchises).

They certainly do have standards that have to be met. I never said otherwise.

 

[Virgo]

Years ago I asked about waste in DR and was told it was very difficult to install sewage systems 9or septic systems) due tot he rock the island is comprised of I have no personal knowledge but how does the majority of these new buildings handle waste I remember years ago seeing "fresh" waste rushing out pipes into the sea on the Malecon, I hope that has changed

I have no idea who gave you the answer you refer years ago, and ignore the basis for your allegation of raw sewer getting dumped in the sea.

I already gave you the answer to how waste water is handled in SD in most cases (see my previous post on this). Is excavating difficult? Perhaps. But for crying out loud don't you know that to make the FOUNDATION of a tall building they already have to make a lot of excavating (in rock or whatever)? The towers may also include large underground useful areas, such as for a parking garage, which also require excavating. Why would they find excavating for a septic tank a lot more complicated than doing so for the foundations or the parking garage, or anything else?

And more importantly, why would the investors shelling out (tens of) millions of USD for a major construction be stupid enough NOT to demand a reasonable engineering solution to the waste water problem? They should know that failing to include such solution would reduce significantly the value of their investment, and may potentially make it completely worthless. They can't be that STUPID and stay in business, can they?

Finally, the allegation of raw sewer dumping in the sea is probably a confusion between WASTE water and RAIN water. A city has typically a system to handle rain water (alcantarillado pluvial) which is different from the waste water system (alcantarillado sanitario). It is perfectly reasonable to design the RAIN water system in such a way the rain water goes to the sea, since that it precisely what NATURE intends.

Dumping waste water into the sea is a totally different matter, which should lead to strong protest by those more directly affected, which may include deep-pocket business interest such as major hotels by the shore, and many involved in the tourist business, which have a strong financial incentive to prevent such practice.

 

[Kipling333]

One of the main problems I have with the postings from Virgo is the inaccuracy of strongly made statements . There is not the slightest doubt that most homes in SD do NOT have a sceptic tank system for the very simple reason that they have nowhere to put them ..a simple tour of SD would quickly prove this point .
Island Dreaming is 100 % correct in what he says ...there were huge complaints about the hotels along the Malecon disposing of all their water into El Caribe in front . ..The lack of sewerage planning in Naco and in Piantini has been the subject of much controversy for a decade .
Also, Natu, is probably much more correct with his population figure than Virgo ...If you count in all the people that the census people missed , all the itinerent workers in the city, all the Haitianos and others ,it is easy to get to a figure over 4 million in the city .
This new hotel will , as the President of the Hotels Assoc has said already, bring forward a whole host of problems, including water use , water and sewerage disposal and traffic problems. SD had water restrictions last year and the traffic in that area is the worst in the country.. the hotel will make things worse...in my opinion