Toronto woman says she was asked to sign NDA after husband dealt with food poisoning at Dominican Republic resort

A day at the Royalton Punta Cana resort (left); Alexandra Tropea and her husband (right). (Courtesy of Alexandra Tropea)

A Toronto woman says that she was pressed to sign a non-disclosure agreement after her husband fell violently ill from something that he believes he ate at a resort in the Dominican Republic and on-site medical staff failed to provide any assistance.

Alexandra Tropea says that the ordeal happened during a week-long stay at the Royalton Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic earlier this month.

Tropea said that it was her family’s first vacation since the birth of their daughter about 10 months ago.

Nervous to travel with her little one, Tropea says she opted to book the Royalton Punta Cana because it was part of the Marriot Autograph Hotels, a big brand with reputable resorts.

The Etobicoke resident says she emailed the resort repeatedly ahead of their trip to ensure certain things like a crib, microwave and medical staff were on site.

“We were really looking forward to this trip that we booked in November,” Tropea told CTV News Toronto in an interview on Wednesday, adding they flew out to the Dominican Republic on Jan. 11.

“Nothing prepared me for an emergency experience and the sheer lack of accountability, responsibility, reaction from the hotel. That was the craziest.”

Tropea said that her husband started feeling unwell on the third night of their vacation and opted to rest in their room while the family ate at one of the resort’s restaurants.

“The guy’s a tank, I’ve never seen him sick,” Tropea said.

When she returned to their room after dinner, she says her husband was continuously vomiting – “like, projectile” – prompting her to immediately visit the concierge for assistance.

According to Tropea, the guest services manager assured her he would send their on-site medical staff over for assistance, and, per her request, bring over some towels and water to the hotel room—which was never brought to their door.

“An hour after I asked for help, still, no one has arrived with water, towels. (The guest services manager) said he was on his way, the walk was like maybe five minutes, still, he’s not there,” Tropea said. “I call back, ‘Yes, ma’am, I’m on my way.’”

But when her brother walked over to the concierge desk to see what the hold up was, Tropea says he was dancing behind the desk.

“I felt almost crazy because every time I would call him, I was like, ‘Please, you don’t understand. This is an emergency.’ I made it very, very clear that it was an emergency situation,” Tropea said.

Soon after her brother’s visit to the front desk, Tropea said that she received a call from medical staff at the hotel asking if she had insurance, which she did.

After some back and forth on the phone over a series of phone calls, Tropea said she was told that they would come to their room to treat her husband for US$200. She said that they also listed off what each additional service would cost if they had to administer it.

“‘OK, can you come and assess him?’ Like, you’re making a list of things but you don’t even know what you need—you have not seen the patient,” Tropea said. “At this point, I’m starting to think she is playing on my desperation.”

Tropea said that her husband had been vomiting for three hours at this point.

“He literally cried and said, ‘I feel like I’m dying. Please let our daughter know that I love her,’” Tropea said.

The resort’s medical staff never came, Tropea said. That is when she decided to call 911. Within a half-hour, paramedics hooked her husband to an IV and rushed him in an ambulance to a local hospital.

“They began him on antibiotics immediately before they took any tests. Even they assumed it was food poisoning, which they then did conclude that it was due to food poisoning and food handling, specifically,” Tropea said, noting later that her husband stayed at the hospital overnight and was discharged the following afternoon.

Sign an NDA to get a free hydrotherapy spa service?

Tropea said she contacted her booking agent – Costco Travel – to make them aware of what happened to her husband at the resort, who then contacted the Royalton to see if they would offer some sort of compensation for their medical scare.

“The hotel says to them via email, ‘We tried to contact the guest, and we left a note in her room telling her to come and find us,’” Tropea said, adding no letter was to be found.

Tropea headed to the front desk to ask about the letter and, after some back and forth with the resort manager, she said they offered late checkout and free hydrotherapy at the spa for all adults in her family as recompense and presented her with a piece of paper—a non-disclosure agreement.

In that document, reviewed by CTV News Toronto, it stated that to obtain their offer – valued at US$193 – the family would have to agree to release and “forever” discharge the resort, Costco Travel, and all potentially related entities of and from all actions with regards to the “inconvenience during (their) stay.”

“There’s no way in hell that I’m gonna write—that I’m going to sign this,” Tropea said.

Tropea said that the hotel manager told her that if she didn’t sign the agreement, they would still offer her and her husband complimentary hydrotherapy. But she said that didn’t feel sufficient after what they went through.

“I think that the trip was ruined. As far as I’m concerned, I was just scared the whole time after that. I was scared that what if I now got sick? What if now the baby got sick and I’m now stuck here having to eat this food,” Tropea said.

‘Unable to verify any medical request’

During, and since their family trip, Tropea contacted Marriott to lodge a complaint detailing her concerns to find resolution and accountability from all parties involved.

In an email from a Marriott Bonvoy Customer Care representative on Jan. 15, obtained by CTV News Toronto, the hotel chain apologized to Tropea for her experience at the Royalton Punta Cana.

“We pride ourselves on our exceptionally high standard of service and I do sincerely hope you will not judge us solely on the basis of this particular experience and we are grateful you brought this to our attention,” the email reads, adding Tropea’s comments were forwarded on to hotel staff.

Five days later, after Tropea and her family returned home from the Dominican Republic, a post-travel customer support representative for the Royalton emailed her, she said.

In the correspondence, reviewed by CTV News Toronto, the hotel representative said that they were “unable to verify any medical request based on our records and gathered information.”

The representative went on to say that the property’s “qualified medical staff is available around the clock to address any health-related concerns you may have” during a stay.

“We are truly sorry to hear your comments regarding the service and our staff, as we genuinely strive to create the best possible experience for all our guests,” the email notes. “Our team is well-trained to give their best assistance in every service provided, with the only purpose of meeting all our clients’ expectations. It has not been our intention to create any frustration during our mutual clients' stays, and we truly regret the impression they have had of our services.”

The Royalton Punta Cana, Marriott and Costco Travel did not respond to any of CTV News Toronto’s repeated requests for comment in time for publication.

Tropea said that she just wants accountability from both Marriott and the Royalton. She adds Costco Travel has been actively trying to find a resolution for her and her family.

“The main caveat that I have about this issue is that you can get sick anywhere, and I understand that you can get sick at any restaurant,” Tropea said. “It’s the response time, and it was the sheer lack of ability, willingness to help that has completely traumatized me.”

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