By New York Post (U.S.) | Created at 2025-03-31 23:12:43 | Updated at 2025-04-02 10:29:07
1 day ago
The tragic death of former Yankee Brett Gardner’s 14-year-old son at a plush Costa Rican resort has put a chill on the typically hot vacation destination with a wave of hotel cancellations, according to reports.
Just days after Miller Gardner was found dead at a resort in Manuel Antonio, hotels at the popular tourist spot began getting calls to cancel reservations, according to a report by The Tico Times.
Although Miller’s cause of death remains a mystery — and authorities have not implied there was any foul play or negligence — news of the teen’s March 21 death has slowed hotel bookings at the picturesque destination where the Gardner family stayed.
“Everyone is affected,” Lamia Funti, owner of Casa Lamia Restaurant & Lodge outside Manuel Antonio National Park, told US Weekly. “Everyone knows about the situation now. Right now, I’ve had 12 cancellations, which is huge. Normally, we hardly have any cancellations.”
Funti also told the outlet that new reservations are now “super low.”
Brett and Jessica Gardner and their two sons, Miller and Hunter, became ill after eating outside of the Arenas Del Mar resort on March 20, with Miller found unresponsive in his bed the next morning, according to officials.
Costa Rica’s Judicial Investigations Police, which released the teen’s body to his parents last week, ruled out initial reports that Miller may have died from asphyxiation due to food poisoning, but said toxicology results to determine what killed Miller could take months.
Meanwhile, resorts in Manuel Antonio and nearby Quepos have taken a hit.
The Gardners’ tragedy came as tourism had already slipped in Costa Rica by the start of the year, part of an overall dip in Latin American travel by Americans — due in part to the country’s exchange rate and a violent gang war in the country that has seen a spike in homicides.
Miller’s death hasn’t helped, and prompted tourism officials in the country to try to do damage control.
“So far, no cancellations or impacts on tourism activity have been reported as a result of this unfortunate event,” Shirley Calvo, executive director of the Costa Rican Chamber of Tourism, said in a statement to US Weekly last week.
“While various speculations have circulated regarding the possible cause of death, we believe this is an isolated and uncommon case in our country.”
Meanwhile, despite reports of increased cancellations, a rep for Arenas Del Mar, where the Gardners were vacationing, told The Post on Monday that that has not been the case there.
“Up to now, we have not experienced unusual cancellation activity,” the rep said.
