Are There Bedbugs in Your Hotel Room?
Q&A with a Pest Control Professional
Your routine upon entering a hotel room matters. Are you someone who immediately gravitates towards the adorable toiletries or enthusiastically tests out the bed's bounce, or do you start by inspecting for bed bugs? The last option might be the wisest. Christian Tweed, Service Manager at Anticimex Carolinas, a partner of Viking, has shared expert tips on how to identify bed bugs in your hotel room and prevent them from accompanying you back home. And in case bed bugs do manage to sneak into your vacation plans, remember that Viking is here to help!
How do bed bugs get inside hotels?
Bed bugs are primarily hitchhiking insects as opposed to foraging ones, meaning that they get carried around on people’s clothes and belongings. Someone with an active infestation in their home can easily bring bed bugs to their hotel, but they can also be picked up during travel (airplanes, taxis, and rideshare services) and brought to a hotel room.
What do people misunderstand about bed bugs in hotels?
From a probability standpoint, all hotels will deal with bed bugs at some point in time. If you think about a bed bug’s method of travel, there’s literally nothing a hotel can do to stop them from being carried in. What I have realized is that luxury hotels are more likely to have an aggressive response to dealing with a bed bug case once it’s identified as they tend to have a higher quality of service and a reputation to protect. While this isn’t always the case, it has been my experience more often than not.
Got bedbugs? Call Viking at 800-618-2847 today!
What do you recommend travelers do when they get to their room to check for bed bugs?
Most hotel headboards hang directly on the wall. I start my inspection here before even looking at the bed itself. I have found bed bugs, their exoskeletons, and the telltale black stains they leave behind around the edges of or in the crevices of headboards. If the headboard looks clean, move on to looking over the pillowcases and comforter for any signs or stains. You can dig into the bedding as deep as you want here, but I encourage people to look over the top layer of things at the very least.
What are some lesser-known signs of bed bugs in your hotel room?
The specifics of the black stains they leave behind, which as gross as it sounds, are just digested blood as that’s all that bed bugs feed on. If the stains are on a hard surface, they will be small dots as if left behind by an ink pen and will smear into a brownish gray when moisture is applied. If they’re on fabric, they will usually bleed along the fibers making a small diamond, square or X shape.
If there are bed bugs in your hotel room, can they travel home with you?
They absolutely can, however this is easy to prevent. While staying in a hotel, keep as much of your clothing and luggage off the beds as possible. Storing suitcases in the bathroom might sound odd, but it’s an effective method of prevention.
Don’t tackle bedbugs alone, call Viking at 800-618-2847!
What should you do with your suitcase if you suspect your hotel has bed bugs?
When arriving home from a trip, leave your luggage in the garage or on a porch and bring your clothes in one load of laundry at a time. If the clothes are dirty, wash them like you normally would, if they’re clean then run them through the dryer for at least forty-five minutes. Once your suitcase is empty, vacuum over it meticulously (don’t forget to empty the vacuum when you’re done), or if you’re in the right climate, expose it to heat for a few days by placing it in your vehicle (parked in the sun) or for a few weeks in your attic.
The Viking Solution
If you brought bed bugs back to you home, Viking Pest is here to help. Our Bedbug Control service is designed to eliminate bedbugs and create a safe, comfortable environment. Call 800-618-2847 today for more info and to schedule service.
