Dominican Fiesta Hotel & Casino

This lively hotel doesn't have many surprises, which is a good or bad thing depending on why guests find themselves here. It's fairly traditional and straightforward, despite a nice selection of features. Inside, sharply dressed businesspeople crowd the lobby bar and curl over laptops at the coffee tables that line both sides of the massive space. You're likely to see even more corporate types steadily streaming out of the restaurant at the far end of the lobby. The hotel has a traditional, classy feel, though it is mostly dated. Chandeliers hang from the dark-wood ceilings hanging low overhead. Furniture is done in wood and brown tones, and combines with creamy marble to create a lobby that's reminiscent of the late '90s -- it's not unpleasant, just not remarkable either.

It makes sense that businesspeople are so attracted to this particular hotel. It offers nine official function rooms in addition to countless informal meeting spots, as well as a large fitness center and humongous swimming pool. It's also an easy drive the city's financial district, meaning that the hotel is frequently the site for corporate functions and events. It does attract its share of tourists as well, as the price-to-feature ratio is a decent value when compared to hotels closer to the ocean and downtown.

The hotel stands tall on a side street in the Renascimiento neighborhood of Santo Domingo. This is the western edge of the sprawling city, and the hotel sits just across the street from lovely Parque Mirador, the city’s first ecological park. The immediate area is safe, but there’s nothing much within walking distance of the hotel except for Arrozsal, a restaurant with lake and park views that’s two minutes away on foot. Those willing to hop in a taxi or drive will find other popular dining options within a reasonable commute, like El Meson de la Cava (five minutes) and El Agave Restaurante (15 minutes).

The historic district, otherwise known as the Ciudad Colonial, is a UNESCO World Heritage site and is the city’s most charming and tourist-friendly area. It’s about 25 minutes away in a car, and is home to sights like the Catedral Primada de America, Fortaleza Ozama, and many museums. Expect trips to the airport to take around 35 minutes depending on traffic.

Rooms at this hotel are a bit of a mixed bag. While they are spacious and get a decent amount of light -- especially when compared to the dark common areas downstairs -- many look dated, and more modern rooms are simply pleasant. There isn't really any rhyme or reason as to which rooms look nicer, as the pricier Executive Room that we visited was less updated than the Deluxe Room that we saw. In any case, the more dated rooms have emerald green carpets, chunky cherry wood furniture, and muted maroon tones in textiles and upholsteries. Wall art adds a little color, but is mostly generic landscapes and streets scenes. The relatively nicer rooms have dark wood furniture with clean lines, long statement headboards, sharp tan seating with classic lines, and nicer tan carpeting. Still, even in these units the patterned bedspreads don't do much from a style standpoint. 

Amenities, at least, are universally up-to-date, and include minibars, flat-screen TVs, coffeemakers, safes, air-conditioning, and telephones. Rooms come with pillow menus, giving travelers the option of choosing between six different pillow types, a perk that’s thoughtful enough to overlook the fact that two on the list are actually decorative cushions, not pillows. While Wi-Fi seems to work perfectly throughout the rest of the hotel, in the rooms it can be a bit too slow for Skype or other streaming services. 

Bathrooms match the style of the rooms. More dated rooms have tan marble vanities and wall tiling, while modern room bathrooms have funkier two-tone tiling. All come with bathtub/shower combos plus scales, slippers, and plenty of counter space. The more modern bathrooms have portraits of local artists on the walls. 

Pool-facing rooms have the best views from the balconies, though it might be worthwhile to request a room on a higher floor to avoid any potential noise from the street. Interconnecting rooms are the loudest of all -- the doors that separate them are quite thin, so guests might end up hearing their neighbors’ every move. The hotel also features a smoking floor, a rare offering nowadays.  

First things first: While the hotel's name implies the presence of a casino, there is in fact nothing of the sort to be found here, though signs in the lobby vaguely imply that one is "coming soon." Aside from that, the hotel does offer a range of other features, mostly geared toward business travelers -- like the business center, which has a handful of computers, printing, and some couches for informal meetings. There are also nine event rooms, all of varying sizes and capacities, in addition to the informal lounges sprinkled throughout the hotel. Wi-Fi and parking are both free. 

One of the lounge space is La Azotea, a bar on the top floor with stunning panoramic views of the capital city below, and live jazz shows a few times a week. There’s also a chic lounge they call the Wine Cellar here. It’s a tiny, glass-enclosed room surrounded by endless wine bottles and fancy-looking cigars. The piano bar in the lobby offers another place to enjoy live music, with performances several times a week.  

There are a number of dining options at the Dominican Fiesta. The hotel's main restaurant, El Mercado, is quite classy and priced accordingly -- it's expensive even by American standards. Regardless, the a la carte and buffet options are diverse, offering vegetarian options as well as a range of meats and seafood. The breakfast buffet is free, with a pleasant variety of international and Dominican dishes. There's also a cafe with sandwiches and light snacks, a sports bar, and La Azotea also serves light tapas.  

The hotel’s spa offers beauty treatments, massages, and a steam room and sauna, separated by gender. The gym is on the ground floor too. It's large and has an impressive array of modern cardio and weight machines, plus free weights and an exercise room where guests can take weekly classes. There’s an indoor hot tub here too, which is somewhat strangely placed on a raised platform, with a frosted glass divider granting a bit of privacy. Just outside is the massive half-Olympic-size pool with plenty of lounge chairs, palapas, and shaded daybeds, as well as two additional hot tubs. The swim-up bar and poolside snack bar are welcome perks.