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Forgive me, but seeing the headline above almost made me chuckle. Shutting down a hotel because of ONE case of bed bugs? What a world that would be. We’d have hotel closures on a daily basis, across the state and the nation!
Hotels are businesses, and businesses struggle to make money when their doors are closed. So if you think a measly round of bed bugs is going to force a hotel to shut down – keep dreaming.
Bed bugs are an extremely common problem throughout the lodging industry, affecting hundreds of different places every year. So it would be wise to take precautions whenever traveling.
- What kind of precautions?
A room inspection is the first order of business. As soon as you arrive at your hotel, place luggage in the restroom or on a luggage rack – we need to keep it safe until we have cleared the room.
Now, go through the linens carefully. Inspect the pillows, mattress, box spring and headboard as well. If you see any small, reddish and/or black dots, rust-colored smears or even bed bugs themselves, those are glaring red flags. Alert the front desk immediately and get your stuff out of there.
- How do I know if a hotel has bed bugs?
Unfortunately, you probably won’t. Many places are accused of having bed bugs, and some have even experienced documented cases. But just because bed bugs were in one room doesn’t mean they were anywhere else. Bed bug problems commonly spread throughout buildings (especially if there’s carpeting), but isolated incidents can happen. Or maybe a guest mistakenly brought bed bugs with them, on their personal items. It’s all a little murky.
- So what should I do?
Always check online reviews, at least for peace of mind. And remember to take this reviews with a grain of salt; those with negative experiences are more likely to comment.
You can also check the Bed Bug Registry website, which tracks user-submitted bed bug incidents throughout the US and Canada. However, the website is not affiliated with any government or health agencies, so keep that in mind.
