What was supposed to be a dream vacation in paradise quickly turned out to be a vacation from hell, and former Miss Massachusetts USA Whitney Sharp (@whitneyrose617) was horrified by her experience and even more… I was even more perplexed by the reaction when I tried to share my experience on TripAdvisor. A widely trusted travel review platform.
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In a TikTok video uploaded on Nov. 21, Sharp detailed the disturbing incident at the Majestic Mirage Resort in Punta Cana and TripAdvisor’s decision to withhold her review. The video has since racked up more than 79,000 views.
“So, I was there for a wedding, and I think we all try our best to make sure that our friends who are getting married have a really great time (…), but… It was a nightmare vacation,” Sharpe explained.
What happened at Majestic Mirage?
“It was very dangerous,” she continued. “We’ve all had things stolen. People have had nightmares of burglars coming into their rooms while they were sleeping.”
While the experience was traumatic, it was TripAdvisor’s response that ultimately pushed Sharp to breaking point. She began posting on TikTok to share the harrowing details of her ordeal and what happened next.
“But that’s not why I came here either. I came here because I wrote a scathing review on TripAdvisor and it wasn’t published,” Sharp said. spoke. She then shared a screenshot of an email she received from TripAdvisor.
The email said: “Unfortunately, we can’t publish your post because it doesn’t meet our review guidelines. Please see our unique and recent experiences policy for more information.”
TripAdvisor’s Unique Recent Experiences policy requires users to write a review within one year of the experience and prohibits posting the same review on multiple listings.
Majestic Mirage Blocked TripAdvisor Reviews
After TripAdvisor rejected her review, Sharp took to TikTok to share what happened during her stay. She shared a screenshot of a lengthy review accusing the resort of multiple problems, including theft from her and other guests’ rooms. Items stolen included a CPAP machine, laptop and her $4,000 Van Cleef necklace.
The investigation even claims that wait staff took wallets and cell phones from customers’ bags. The review also criticized the resort for its foul-smelling rooms, inedible food, extended check-in times, and aggressive verbal abuse from employees.
Sharp followed up the screenshot with a clip showing the hotel room door barricaded with chairs and other furniture. “We had to barricade the door like this,” she said. “Because if you didn’t stop and read my review, people would be breaking into your friend’s room while they were sleeping. Like, really scary.”
Sharp plans to leave her $4,000 Van Cleef necklace behind, but she’s not yet ready to recover from the ordeal. “We have already communicated everything with our lawyers,” she said. “We’re trying to figure this all out because I’m not the only one affected this time either. It wasn’t an isolated incident. There were 90 people at this wedding. But the majority of our guests were the same way.”
Mr Sharp added: “I don’t care about the necklace. It’s fine. I feel even more humiliated that something was taken from me.”
Does Majestic Resorts have a history of safety concerns?
Just a few years ago, another Majestic resort made headlines, and not for the right reasons. In May 2019, 6abc Action News reported on the brutal attack on Tammy Lawrence Daley, a Delaware woman who was vacationing at the Majestic Elegance Resort in Punta Cana.
The incident, which occurred in January of that year, left Ms Lawrence-Daley with serious injuries, including a fractured orbital bone, a fractured hand, nerve damage and other injuries. Since then, she has undergone six surgeries and medical procedures. Authorities have not identified the suspect, but he was wearing a Majestic Elegance uniform at the time of the attack, according to Lawrence Daily.
The resort has since released a statement on X (formerly Twitter) about the incident, explaining the events that occurred and the steps the resort took to provide support for Lawrence Daley and her husband following the attack.
The assistance included payment of hospital expenses for victims, free long-term accommodation, and special meals. The statement ends by claiming that Lawrence Daly had requested $2.2 million in damages, but the resort has denied this request.
The comments section revealed mixed reviews, with most of the top comments reflecting negative sentiment towards Majestic Resort and Punta Cana.
“I was on this trip!!!!!!!!!!!!” I can attest that everything she said is 100% true,” one commenter admitted. She went on to say, “I was so scared the whole time that I actually used my clothes to tie the door to my room even tighter.”
Another commenter wrote, “(I) went to the Majestic for a wedding in 2022 (and) I had a similar problem. Someone trying to get into my room at 5 a.m. So I (had) to barricade the door to my hotel room.”
“I will never go back to Punta Cana… ever again,” someone else declared.
However, amidst the growing number of negative experiences, some spoke of their own positive stays and defended the resort.
“I go to Punta Cana multiple times a year (many times). Nothing like this has ever happened, and I always leave the resort. It’s very safe! I also hitchhiker.” one person wrote.
“I’m sorry you all went through something like that. We went to (Majestic) in October and never had an experience like this. This is crazy!” another comment read.
@whitneyrose617 Trouble in “Paradise” @MajesticMirage #Scam #Danger #TravelNightmare ♬ Original song – Looking Sharp
“I have been to this resort many times and have received nothing but great service and always feel safe,” someone else added.
Sharp did not immediately respond to the Daily Dot’s request for comment. We also requested statements from TripAdvisor and Majestic Resorts.
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