TENZER ATTORNEYS ARI TENZER AND ADRIANA BLANCO MAURISSET REPRESENT OWNER OF PLANNED HARD ROCK HOTEL & CASINO SANTO DOMINGO
Miami firm negotiated hotel license and casino management agreements for Dominican Republic
project
MIAMI, FL – February 15, 2016 – Tenzer PLLC Member Ari M. Tenzer and Associate Adriana Blanco Maurisset have completed the successful negotiation of a hotel license and casino management agreement on behalf of the owner of the planned Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic. Construction of the 400-room hotel and state-of-the-art casino commenced with a February 9 groundbreaking ceremony attended by Dominican Republic President Danilo Medina. Tenzer and Blanco Maurisset, who have extensive experience advising domestic and international clients in hospitality industry transactions, were the only outside counsel involved in the entire deal. The Miami-based law firm has represented the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Santo Domingo owner, a Cancun-based group with a vast portfolio of Hard Rock-branded hotel properties, in negotiating agreements for nearly all of its Hard Rock hotels in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Santo Domingo is the ownership group’s second property in the Dominican Republic. The group also developed and operates the 1,800-room Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Punta Cana, one of the largest hotel and casino properties in the Caribbean. Tenzer also represented the group in negotiating and closing a license and casino management agreement for the Punta Cana property in 2009.
“The Dominican Republic is unquestionably a very hot market for hospitality and gaming,” Tenzer said. “The ambitious Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Santo Domingo project underscores our client’s confidence in the market. Big international hotel brands are increasingly attracted to the nation as travelers realize Las Vegas and the Bahamas aren’t the only appealing options for upscale, non-cruise ship casinos with all of the popular gaming options.”
To complete the Santo Domingo deal, Tenzer and Blanco Maurisset negotiated five separate agreements, including the main hotel and casino agreements and three ancillary agreements for reservations, sales services and memorabilia. They coordinated with local representatives regarding compliance with regulatory requirements and entity formation, and negotiated protections against regulatory changes in the Dominican Republic that may affect the owner’s gaming license. They also ensured the hotel and casino agreements worked together while still separating the rights and obligations of the parties under each agreement.