Having done this myself, my main tip is ONLY use a Dominican Architect, and one who works locally and has good connections with the Ayuntamiento. I made the mistake of using a foreign architect who spoke English, and I've had a nightmare with permissions ever since because he didn't have the right relationships in place. Secondly, before you buy the property, get your architect to talk to the Ayuntamiento and see whether they are going to be likely to give permission for change of use (Uso de Suelo). Important to do this before you buy, not after. There is so much for sale in Dom Rep, it's always a buyer's market and even if you wait 9 months or a year before you buy, chances are that the property will still be on the market. Final tip, study your market very very carefully. There are a lot of smaller hotels in Punta Cana which are seriously struggling. The big resorts are doing well, but the smaller ones are seriously finding it hard to compete with AirBnB. There are a lot of costs involved in running a hotel or hostel here and you must factor in the taxes that you will have to pay as it's very hard to run any sort of business without paying them these days.