Dominican Republic - Suit Filed by Jewish Travelers Against Hotel for Holiday from Hell

Dominican Republic - Jewish travelers, mostly New Yorkers, looking for a kosher-style holiday in the Dominican Republic in January 2004, got a holiday in hell, according to court papers just filed. Hotel security even pulled a gun on one of the rabbis, according to the tour company owner.
The Jewish tour group, Club Kosher, claims that a Dominican hotel agreed to accommodate 800 travelers, mostly families, and their dietary needs for a winter vacation, but its accommodations were completely unorthodox.

They filed suit in Manhattan federal court against the hotel's Spanish owners, Occidental Hotel Management, for more than $2 million.
Club Kosher co-owner Charles Rosenay said that the hotel agreed to allow the tour company's eight mashgiach two days to "kosher the kitchen" and prepare for the holiday package. It also requires that all kosher food and dishes be kept separate from non-kosher food.
The tour group brought all their own plates and food, said Rosenay. They were supposed to have exclusive access to the resort, he said.

But soon after they arrived, outside guests checked in. "They paid their money. They wanted cheeseburgers and they wanted to drink booze," Rosenay said.
At one point, fed up with the staff's indifference to kosher rules, a mashgiach smashed a plate after he caught the staff using it for non-kosher food. Soon the entire security staff showed up with billy clubs in hand and one of them pulled a gun, Rosenay said.

The tour company gave "substantial" refunds to vacationers, but Occidental never came clean for their foul-ups, said Club Kosher owners.