Imagine yourself on a relaxing vacation. You are exhausted after a long adventurous day, and all you want to do is crash to sleep. But wait, what are these pesky little bloodsucking creatures biting you?
Well! It is time to wake up to reality. Those critters are bed bugs who also love to travel.
With global travel on the rise, thousands of travelers pass through the doors of various stay-ins, which tends to be a popular hotspot for bed bugs. This makes the prevalence of bed bugs an inevitable problem for the hospitality sector. Even luxury hotels, like New York City’s Ritz-Carlton, are vulnerable to these uninvited visitors.
So, irrespective of where you check-in, a premium hotel or average motel, make it a point to inspect your hotel rooms for any bed bugs. The bed you will be sleeping on has a high chance of bed bugs or any other germ left behind by previous travelers.
This blog has listed out some simple checks to ensure your room is free from bed bugs.
Let’s explore.
Scanning Bed Bugs in Hotel rooms
Here are the top five tips that savvy travelers can use to inspect their rooms.
- Mattress and bed frame
The bed is always an ideal hotspot for bed bugs. So, inspect the headboard thoroughly. You can check behind and underneath the bed by moving the bed away from the wall. Make it a point to check all corners, crevices, joints, carvings, and small cracks or holes on the bed frame. Inspect the bedding by checking the pillowcases, duvet covers, and the fitted sheet both inside and outside.
- Bedside cabinets
Nightstands, bedside cabinets, and other bedside furniture items also act as a bed bug hiding spot. You can inspect for bed bugs by looking inside drawers, their joints, and the handles. Also, check for bed bugs behind and underneath the bedside cabinet, lamps, picture frames, and other ornaments.
- Wardrobes
Bed bugs also love to visit the other areas across the room, such as skirting boards and wardrobes. You can also inspect behind, beneath, and on top of wardrobes, drawers, and other remaining furniture. You can also check its joints and handles. You can also inspect the gaps between the walls and the skirting boards, just to be extra sure.
- Sofa & Chair
The CO2 we produce acts as a bed-bug magnet. You will find the presence of bed-bugs in places with high levels of human interaction such as a sofa, chairs, bed. So, it is best to remove the cushions and check below and above the sofa and chairs. You can also look in between crevices and joints.
- Luggage
Luggage is the flag bearer of bed bug infestations. The best practice is to place your luggage in the en-suite. Also, check your luggage before you leave the hotel to make sure that you don’t pack bed bugs on your way back home.
Final Words
Bed bugs are unwelcomed guests in hotel rooms, treated as a piece of classified information, a secret kept in the closet. These aforementioned tips can help you get a pest-free room and a worry-free vacation. If you come across any signs of bedbugs, notify the hotel staff immediately if you find them. If you think that you have brought bed bugs home along with you, call a professional pest-management service for a comprehensive bed bug inspection.
