Aloft Santo Domingo Piantini — Hotel in Santo Domingo

2nd Stay (Apr 13-14) 3 Stars: Front Desk clerk sees me as soon as elevator doors open, doesn’t grin, smile, or nod, but keeps eye contact as I walk to the check-in desk. Still doesn’t greet me and waits for me to say hello (apparently its an unwritten rule in DR that whoever shows up has to greet first). Its 11am and I’m not allowed to check in because there are “no rooms available” but the clerk offered to give me a room if I paid an addtl $50 for early check in (but how if there are no rooms available?) I had to wait in the lobby for an hour and a half. I know policy is to check in at 3pm but I had an early flight and have always been allowed to check in to other hotels. Front desk clerk was just unpleasant and subtly defensive/passive aggressive for no reason. Almost 2 hours later, I had to go back to the desk, when I was told I would be informed of a room. Apparently, I was checked in during my wait, but the clerk didn’t make the effort to go to the lobby to inform me. I was finally able to get a room on the 4th floor with a huge view of an empty outdoor walkway with a high fence. Overall bad check in experience… The stay was great, pool was beautiful, views on the 21st floor are amazing, food was very tasty! Anabel in the restaurant was super friendly, professional, and attentive. The rooms are very modern and everything was clean! Staff was nice. My check out experience was awesome, Moises smiled at me as soon as the elevator door opened, asked me if I was going to check out, and was very welcoming. The front desk clerk that checked me in was right next to him, but I preferred to walk to Moises due to his welcoming professionalism. He asked how my stay was and when I would be staying again. He did a great job and increased the possibility of my return visit. 5 stars for Moises and Anabel, 1 star for front desk clerk #1, average of 3 stars.

1st Stay (Jan 6-7) 4 Stars: Staff was super friendly! Great service! Rooms are modern and cozy. Food was pretty good. Pool view is amazing! Would...

Probably a nice hotel to stay in if you don't look visibly Dominican.

This hotel was only 10 days old when I checked in but that is no excuse for how I was treated as they should uphold the Marriott standard even from their opening day. I have stayed in hundreds of Marriott's around the world and ironically in my own country I am treated the worst. Just to go into the parking lot their are cones to close off the space, and they only opened it up when I told them I was a paying guest. Then there was a worker in front of the elevator that had to look me up on a paper list to see if I was checking in before I was allowed up the elevator into the Lobby. This profiling kept on happening even after I had checked in and had a key.

The only time this changed was when I brought a friend to the Lobby of the hotel who visually looked foreign. That night my friend was being addressed by the staff and treated very nicely while they barely talked to me, the actual guest with gold status. I was emailed because they thought I had abandoned my room for not staying there for 1 night out of my 3 night stay and they wanted to check me out early. The hotel room was already paid for, so I don't doubt they just wanted to sell it to someone else and double dip.

The rooftop pool was nice but the bar was not ready to make cocktails and the system was down. At check out the system was also down again.

In summary, if you visibly look like a foreigner I'm sure you will be treated nicely and be questioned less. But if you are Dominican or look Dominican be prepared to...

This recently opened hotel is undergoing some fine-tuning, evident in various aspects of its operation. Despite being in the learning phase, the staff is commendable, efficiently managing tasks. The culinary experience is exceptional, prompting us to dine exclusively on the second and top floors. The elevators, though intriguing, are still undergoing improvements. We navigated the language barrier, thanks to Google Translate, as some English to Spanish translations posed a challenge. The hotel is connected to the upcoming Marriott, and ongoing work on the entry and facilities is noticeable. However, the two levels of security for lobby access provide a reassuring touch. The stringent room key requirement for accessing different floors adds an extra layer of safety. Despite the ongoing adjustments, we look forward to staying here again, appreciating the overall...