Bahia Principe clarifies incidents involving Americans have ‘no correlation’
Press release by Bahia Principe Hotels & Resorts
In response to the information that has been circulating in different media outlets regarding the two unfortunate events in the Dominican Republic, Bahia Principe Hotels & Resorts would like to clarify the following:
In regard to the passing of Mrs. Schaup-Werner on May 25th, a guest of Luxury Bahia Principe Bouganville:
On the same day Mrs. Schaup-Werner arrived at the hotel she was found unresponsive in her hotel room. Following established protocols, the hotel’s medical team was contacted immediately and coordinated her transfer to the hospital. Unfortunately, Mrs. Schaup-Werner passed before this transfer could take place.
The case was placed in the hands of local authorities while we provide our complete support to her husband, Mr. Werner. According to statements from the National Institute of Forensic Sciences (INACIF) and the National Police Investigations Unit (DICRIM), Mrs. Schaup-Werner’s cause of death was determined to be a heart attack, aligning with official statements provided by Mr. Werner, who confirmed she had a history of heart conditions.
During the event and in the days that followed we provided our complete support to Mr. Eerner in collaboration with local authorities and the U.S. Embassy.
We once again express our condolences to Mr. Werner and his family and friends on the passing of Mrs. Schaup-Werner.
In regards to the May 30th incident involving Mr. Holmes and Mrs. Day, guests of Grand Bahia Principe La Romana:
Mr. Holmes and Ms. Day had been guests of Grand Bahia Principe La Romana and scheduled to check out on May 30th, 2019. After missing their scheduled check-out time and following our established protocols, the staff entered the room and found both bodies unresponsive.
There were no signs of violence. We immediately contacted the local authorities and have been collaborating completely with them throughout the investigation. As it remains ongoing, we are unable to provide further information.
We must clarify:
- That these two events took place in two different hotels.
- The case of Mr. Holmes and Ms. Day remains under investigation by the authorities with the results of toxicology and histopathological tests still pending, thus the cause of death has not been determined. We disapprove of any speculation and conjecture on the possible causes of death and urge all to respect the families while the investigation is ongoing.
- To date, there are no indications of any correlation between these two unfortunate incidents.
- In both circumstances, established security protocols were followed, and we have maintained open communication with the authorities to provide information and clarification for each case.
As U.S. Ambassador to the Dominican Republic Mrs. Robin Bernstein stated to local Dominican media yesterday, these events should be considered isolated cases. “We have 2.7 million Americans that visit this country every year, making the statistics surrounding this event very rare. They come to visit the beautiful beaches and enjoy a great culture. Unfortunately, sometimes these things happen to people,” said Bernstein.
At Bahia Principe Hotels & Resorts providing a safe and welcoming environment for travelers stands at the heart of our company values.
We are the hotel brand with the largest number of rooms in the Dominican Republic, accommodating approximately 700,000 guests per year. We hold some of the most prestigious certifications within the tourism industry, including Travelife Gold Certifications in all our hotels in the Dominican Republic. To achieve a Travelife Gold certification, hospitality brands must meet a stringent list of 163 environmental and social criteria, among which include environmental standards for energy, water, waste, and hazardous substances.
In response to the information that has been circulating in different media outlets
regarding the two unfortunate events in the Dominican Republic, Bahia Principe
Hotels & Resorts would like to clarify the following: pic.twitter.com/Pg8QFmaq1L— BahiaPrincipeHotels (@BahiaPrincipe) June 5, 2019