Picture it: you settle in to your comfy hotel bed after a long day of traveling. The pillows are situated just right and you drift off to a restful sleep. Then you wake up. Why is your leg itching? Is that a bite? Oh no.
It's the thing no one wants to think about but should when staying in a hotel. Bed bugs. Gross, we know. And even with enhanced cleaning measures implemented because of COVID, bed bugs still persist. That's because the bugs need to come into direct contact with the disinfectant, which is difficult anyway with regular cleaning products and even more so if you don't even know they're there.
Bed bugs love the dark and feed at night, so they're difficult to catch, even for the most fastidious of hotels. They're also good travelers (not a joke), capable of hopping onto luggage.
Bed bugs can also live for about a year without feeding. It would be impressive if it wasn't such a problem. The good news, if there is some, is that they don't carry infectious diseases. A small mercy. No one wants to wake up with bites and welts though.
What can you do?
Before you stay
Check reporting sites like
Bedbug Reports. These are user-submitted reports, so take everything with a grain of salt and check the dates on the most recent reports. We also provide recent reviews from our own guests and TripAdvisor. Give those a quick scan for mentions of bed bugs.
At the hotel
Always check the mattress before you unpack. Untuck the fitted sheet and check especially around the cording. They love heat (y'know like warm human bodies) so a little blast with a hairdryer should make them appear. Also look for small black spots, which will indicate bed bug nests. Because they're not always on the bed, avoid keeping your luggage on the floor. That's where the luggage rack comes in handy.
If you see them, let the front desk know right away so they can switch your room or, worst case scenario, find you a new hotel. Your health and safety take priority over any inconvenience it might cause.
