Dominican Republic resort's business plummets after Delaware woman claims she was beaten there

The Dominican Republic resort where a Delaware woman says she was beaten unconscious is temporarily closing due to low occupancy.

Majestic Resorts says it has lost thousands of visitors since stories of American tourists dying or being seriously injured while visiting the island started becoming public earlier this year.

Tammy Lawrence-Daley, a 51-year-old from Wilmington, was one of the first to share her story, doing so via Facebook in May. She posted that she was beaten and strangled multiple times to unconsciousness at Majestic's Punta Cana resort in January. 

That resort, the Majestic Elegance Punta Cana, announced the temporary closing in a letter to travel agencies. Majestic Resorts said it will close on Aug. 15 with plans to reopen on Nov. 7.

"Majestic Resorts is going to offer even more services and more quality than ever before to gain our guests back," reads the letter, signed by VP of Sales and Marketing Ricardo Espinosa. 

Lawrence-Daley said in an interview Tuesday that it was never her intention to cost anyone their jobs, even temporarily. 

“I feel really bad because I wouldn’t want anybody to be out of work or anything like that," she said. "I wouldn’t wish anything bad against the resort.

"But we did read that they were closing due to low occupancy, which I believe is due to the viral nature of my posting on Facebook. People were very upset about how Majestic handled the situation.” 

After weeks in the national spotlight, Lawrence-Daley filed a lawsuit against Majestic Resorts in July. She is suing for $3 million to compensate for "permanent, life-changing injuries," according to her lawyers.

Update:Woman suing over attack at Dominican resort shares details in new video

LAWSUIT: Tammy Lawrence-Daley sues Dominican Republic resort for $3 million

"I think it speaks volumes to the public's reaction to the resort's mishandling of this situation," said Victoria Kurtz, one of the lawyers representing Lawrence-Daley. 

Majestic Resorts did not immediately return a request for comment. 

Occupancy at Majestic Resorts' three Punta Cana locations was expected to dip below 60% in the second half of August, September and October, according to the letter. It blames "thousands of cancellations" on negative media portrayals of "isolated issues."

"We have taken this issue as an opportunity to rethink and improve for the future," the letter reads.

The company said it is closing the resort because it doesn't want guests to have a sub-par experience in an empty resort.

Guests who have trips booked will be given a room of the same or better quality at the Majestic Mirage Punta Cana. The company intends to make small upgrades while the resort is closed.

TRAVEL TIPS: Countries — including the Dominican Republic — you should be cautious traveling to

Kurtz said the resort has had little contact with her team since the lawsuit was filed. A preliminary hearing is set for Aug. 22 in the Dominican Republic.

"It would be ideal to get this settled and move on, but if the resort feels that fighting this is in their best interest we will prove them wrong," Kurtz said. 

Lawrence-Daley was taken into a closet at the resort and "left for dead in a drainage area" by one or two people she believes were workers at the resort, according to her lawyers. 

"I was kicked in the head, I was beaten with a club," Lawrence-Daley wrote in her original Facebook post. "And then strangled again for the kill."

She said she was found eight hours later, only after her husband and friends asked the front desk to search for her three times. 

Lawrence-Daley then spent five days in a hospital, where she was treated for multiple abrasions and bruises and had surgery to repair her gum line. She says she is managing several physical ailments including nerve damage and "permanent disfigurement."

An earlier statement by the resort shed doubt on Lawrence-Daley's telling of the events, saying it was waiting for police to explore contradictions in the "strange and unusual case."

FULL STATEMENT: Dominican Republic hotel says Delaware woman requested $2.2M before going public with attack

Lawrence-Daley's complaint is the only known grievance at the Majestic Elegance Punta Cana. At least 10 tourists have died while visiting the Dominican Republic this year but officials say the number of deaths are not alarming and actually lower than in some previous years.

But Lawrence-Daley said the deaths and attacks have never been publicized like this before. 

“It’s scary, you go to these resorts thinking you’re going to have a great time. It’s paradise, and all of these horrible things are happening," Lawrence-Daley said in an interview Tuesday.

"You're not expecting it, you’re not planning for something like that to happen. And then you hear of all the tragedies that are going on and how difficult it is to deal with the country to even get the bodies returned back to the United States, and I would never wish that on anybody.” 

Contact Brandon Holveck at bholveck@delawareonline.com or at (302) 324-2267. Follow on Twitter @holveck_brandon.