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The Moon Palace complex, a hotel project planned by Mexican businessman José Chapur, is set to become the largest complex in the Dominican Republic (DR) in a small space of land. Comprising several towers, it is due to be operational in 2024 and will be visible from many places in the Punta Cana-Bávaro destination. Despite its positive reception among visitors, the project has a controversial history.
When the announcement was first made that hotel towers were going to be built, a great controversy arose in the world of tourism, specifically among the most powerful businessmen in the Dominican Republic and those attached to Inverotel with the Mitur of Francisco Javier García and with the promoters of Cap Cana. Asonahores and Inverotel fought to defend the hotel model of the East zone, with no more heights than that of the palm trees, against the heights planned by the promoters of the towers. The fight had political and personal repercussions and brought with it a strong controversy that led to great feuds and clashes that still persist. However, with the storm of adulterated alcohol and the COVID-19 pandemic, the fight on both sides has considerably diminished. Today, the Moon Palace complex stands as the only beneficiary of the controversy.
The hotel project by José Chapur marks his debut as a hotelier in the DR, and it has generated a lot of interest in the tourism sector. The project’s progress can be seen in photos of the state of the works that have been published recently. Although the project has had a controversial history, it is a tourism model that is at stake above personal interests and will continue to give rise to talk.
The size of this complex is an assault on the environment and *peaceful enjoyment of life in local communities. How long will the natural environment be able to supply the demand for water for this complex and those resorts nearby? The complex will bring jobs and also a need for more local housing for workers. The government needs to supervise this demand and regulate growth so that it does not injure the environment. What it needs to do is seldom done?
*too much traffic and its noise on the narrow streets of La Ceiba & El Salado.
This is exactly what Punta Cana should have been. The current tourism model is not sustainable and is eating up the entire coastline. Building low density and taking up so much space is not good urban planning. Plus this building is being built far away from the coastline to not affect the scenery and is also not in an area where it is populated by a lot of palm trees like Bavaro. We need high-moderate density up to 20 floors, and about 300-600 meters away from the coast, and a green buffer zone on the beach. Not massive resorts taking up so much space like we have today.