The Marien Coral by Hilton in Puerta Plata, Dominican Republic has been named as the global winner at the 1st Annual Check Safety First Awards. The awards recognise hotels that have achieved the highest levels of hygiene under the Cristal programme, Check Safety First’s hygiene standard developed in accordance with guidelines from the World Health Organisation and national and international law.
Check Safety First CEO, Steve Tate, believes that the awards will help demonstrate to holidaymakers the lengths that some hotels go to in order to protect them from illness: 

“This is the first year that Check Safety First has held the awards and I am delighted that The Marien Coral has won. The hotel has consistently scored over 98% on the Cristal programme over the last couple of years, which is virtually unheard of.”

“The Dominican Republic has been blighted in the past by high rates of food poisoning amongst tourists,” comments Tate. “A few years ago, over half of all tourists to the Dominican Republic contracted food related illnesses but this has now dropped to around 20%, demonstrating that the country is really addressing its underlying problems. The Marien Coral has reduced its illness rates to virtually zero proving that good hygiene standards can be achieved anywhere in the world.” 

Luis Liriano, general manager of the Marien Coral sees hygiene as playing a key role in improving the business:

“Working with Check Safety First has not only significantly reduced cases of illness at the hotel, but has also improved our bottom line by substantially reducing the number of complaints and compensation claims received, and boosting repeat visits and occupancy rates.”
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