The Best Way To Check For Bed Bugs In A Hotel

Bed bugs are everywhere in the US. There are two common species - Cimex lectularius and C. hemipterus – which are dark reddish-brown insects about the size of an apple seed.

Given that they often top out at 5 mm in size and rarely come out except during nighttime, they can be hard to spot. What’s worse, bed bug bites may not show up for several days due to chemicals in their saliva, so you may not know what’s going on for several nights.

How to Check for Bed Bugs in a Hotel

The first thing to do is to read reviews before you book a hotel. Bed bugs can be present in the best of hotels. There is a free site called - Bed Bug Registry - that will inform you about bed bug infestations at specific locations.

So, if you have any doubts, look for tell tale signs and check some of the usual hiding spots. For example:

1. First, place your luggage somewhere away from bedding, seating areas, linen closets and the bathroom. Maybe a flat luggage rack positioned in the middle of the floor, or atop a stone countertop? Perhaps the table if it doesn’t look too grimy or cracked.

 2. To check for signs, try the following:

• While the bugs are hard to spot when you are awake, look for tiny bits of shed skin – bed bugs shed often, especially when young.
• Look for black marks, these could be fecal stains. These black spots are typically on the walls around small hiding areas.
• Look for tiny smudges of blood on the carpet or bed – these could be the aftermath of a feeding or even squashed bugs after they’ve had their blood meal.
• Another sign that can emerge after a few days is the sight of raised red, itchy welts in clusters or a line in the upper part of your body. That’s a classic bed bug bite.

3. If you spot signs, or maybe even if you don’t, take a spotlight and check some classic hiding spots for bed bugs. They should definitely include:

• The bedding and mattress – Turn the bedding over, check between the mattresses, behind the pillows, look for cracks and crevices, check the frames. If there are bed bugs, chances are you’ll find them there.
• Check the linen closets in your living area – those are favorite hiding spots and a way for the bed bugs to travel with you.
• Check all the seating areas, especially cushions, throws and between padding.
• Check around the edges of the carpeting. If there are loose portions, raise them up.
• Check the bathroom, towel storage areas for example.

If there are bed bugs aplenty, chances are you’ll spot a few.

How Common are Bed Bugs in Hotels?

Bed bugs are exceedingly common in hotels, especially those in urban areas. Twenty percent of Americans have reported getting a bug infestation at their home or knowing someone who ran into a bed bug problem at a home or hotel – that’s many tens of millions.

When surveyed, nearly four out of five people list the fear of bed bugs as the #1 fear while staying in hotels. According to another survey, more than 80% of US hotels reported at least one bed bug incident in 2020.

Suffice it to say, bed bugs in even high-end hotels are a real possibility. According to some reports, the average hotel reports up to seven bug infestations over a five-year period.

Do Hotels Have to Tell You About Bed Bugs?

The laws are murky at best. While hotels are required to take reasonable steps to ensure their guests’ safety, there are no binding Federal or State laws that require hotels to disclose that they are experiencing a bed bug infestation.

In fact, only three states – West Virginia, Kansas and Nevada – formally require that hotels immediately sequester rooms where bed bug infestations have been noted. Otherwise, it’s left up to individual hotel chains and worse still, individual site managers and staff in most cases.

What to Do if a Hotel has Bed Bugs?

The first and foremost thing to do is to call hotel staff and/or management over and show them whatever evidence you spotted. At the very minimum, they should move you to a new room. When you get there, the staff should conduct an investigation alongside you to ensure that there are no bed bugs in that room.

Next, if you have unpacked your luggage, ask the hotel to launder all the clothes in the hottest setting possible – assuming of course your clothes will stand that treatment.

In the worst case, leave and go to a different hotel.

You need to possibly buy new clothes and should consider buying new luggage. That’s how bed bugs travel between hotels and homes – you definitely don’t want to bring some back with you if you can avoid it.

If you must bring some of your clothes back, try to seal them in plastic bags. When you are home, store them at sub zero (like 0 degrees Fahrenheit) for several weeks, then launder them at the hottest setting. Otherwise, leave them sealed in a hot area for a couple of months – then launder thoroughly.

Can You Get a Refund? What Else Should You Do?

This is where the rubber may meet the road, if you are unlucky enough to encounter bed bugs in a hotel. Yes, you may ask for a refund and most sensible hotel managers will give you one, but know that your options are manifold if you go about things the right way.

Here are some steps you could take:

• Document everything – including who you talked to. Check the bedbug registry to see if the location has a history of infestations.
• Call county health services, before the cleaning crew comes in – the hotel may always say that you brought the bed bugs in.
• Do not get involved in a back and forth with the hotel and their insurance agency – this leads to a ton of hassle with plenty of upsides for the hotel but not much for you. The quid pro quo is always to drop any future claims, which in severe cases you may not want to do.
• Consider legal action – There is, in fact, a whole class of “bed bug lawyers” who are experts at systematically presenting a case (especially if there was prior knowledge on the part of the hotel about an infestation) and collecting flat compensation amounts which could run to tens, or even hundreds of, thousands of dollars. Your case gets less attractive if you get bits and pieces of compensation along the way.

Final Thoughts

Besides everything else, take care of yourself. In general, OTC itch-creams, pain relievers and antihistamines may do the trick. But if any symptoms persist, see a doctor.

If you feel that you have carried bed bugs back home, there are a variety of DIY tools and/or professional help you can seek.

Whatever you do, do not ignore bed bugs. The infestation will only get worse!