U.S., June 23 -- The Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in the Dominican Republic is removing liquor dispensers from guest room minibars at its resort in Punta Cana the general manager said after media including t his publication asked if the hotel was slowly poisoning their guests.

The hotel wanted to make sure their decision to remove the dispensers was made independently and not as a result of the deaths that happened at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino at Punta Cana The decision follows a series of American tourist deaths in the Dominican Republic, some of which may have involved liquor.

At least nine American citizens have died during or after stays at Dominican Republic resorts over the past year, according to information from the U.S. Stat...