Spot Bed Bugs in Hotels Before They Check In With You

With thousands of people in and out each year, it is inevitable that hotels, yes even the five-star, luxury ones, are subject to the possibility of a bed bug infestation. These unwelcome guests can easily hitch a ride on the clothes or bodies of travelers and be transported anywhere they go. That being said, whether you’re traveling for work or leisure, it is very important to thoroughly check your hotel room upon arrival for signs of bed bugs, so that you can avoid bringing home an unwanted house guest. 

ALWAYS Check Online Reviews

For the first step of checking for signs of bed bugs in a hotel, you do not even have to be in the actual room yet. Get a jump start during the planning phase of your trip by checking out online reviews of the hotel before you book. If you didn’t have a choice in the location of your stay, you can easily Google your hotel’s name plus bed bugs and see recent reviews pop up. If any search queries do show up, pay attention to the date they were posted because it is very possible that the hotel management may have already eradicated the bed bug infestation issue. Recent reviews mentioning signs of bed bugs might be a red flag to stay away.

What to Look for

You’ve been traveling all day and finally checked into your hotel. You get the keys and open the door, now what do you do? Don’t immediately unpack. Instead, bring your luggage to a clean area, perhaps the bathroom, where fabrics and upholstery are not located. Grab your phone with a flashlight and a prodding tool such as a pen or credit card and get to work. While you’re looking, keep your eyes peeled for small, crawling insects that are about the size of apple seeds. Other signs of bed bugs can include what looks like discarded insect skin, small rusty blood stains, or black dots of fecal matter from the bed bugs.

Where to Look

Bed bugs are expert hiders, so make sure you check everywhere you can think of, so that you don’t overlook anything.

Mattress, Blankets & Linens

The most obvious place to start when looking for signs of bed bugs is the hotel bed. Pull back the sheets and take a good look at the mattress. Using your flashlight from your phone, take a good look at the joints of the bed frame, crevices of the mattress, and even underneath the mattress itself. Check the sheets, duvet, inside the duvet cover, and the pillow seams. If all is clear, you will want to move on to other parts of the room because unfortunately the bed is not the only place where bed bugs can live.

Upholstered Furniture

Quite often in an infested room, signs of bed bugs can be found beyond the mattress and headboard. These creepy crawlers love to hang out on any soft, upholstered furniture such as the plush chair in the hotel room or in the cracks of the sofa. Be sure to inspect the seams, inside the slip covers, and along the zippers of any decorative piece of furniture or pillows. 

Curtains & Closets

The curtains are another soft, fabric place to look for signs of bed bugs. Give the curtains a good ruffle and flatten out any seams or wrinkles so you can see the entire curtain. Last, but not least, check the closet. Since bed bugs often catch their free ride on the clothes of their hosts, the closet is a popular living place for these bugs. Make sure to shine your bright flashlight in the crack where the flooring meets the wall because closets are dark.

Do You Suspect Bed Bugs?

Bed Bug BBQ can help you!  We are a company based out of Cleveland, OH. Our experts can help you, whether finding signs of bed bugs or exterminating them, we can help with it all! Check out our website or call us at (216) 400-5411 for a free estimate!