How to Inspect Your Hotel Room to Avoid Bed Bugs

This year is expected to see record travel numbers as people start to enjoy vacations and visit family around the world once more after the pandemic. These travels will also mean that bed bug infestations will be on the rise as these challenging pests begin hitchhiking in luggage, on bags, and in clothing
between homes and commercial properties.

Because having a bed bug crawl into your luggage is one of the top ways to bring back an infestation of bed bugs to your home, taking precautions when you get to your hotel room will help you avoid acquiring any hitchhiking pests.

Where to Look for Bed Bugs in a Hotel Room

Hotels are far from the only place you will come in contact with bed bugs. Bed bugs can survive in almost any type of property. But the large number of people coming and going from hotels and the hundreds of good hiding spaces for bedbugs make it common to pick up these biting pests while you are staying overnight in a hotel, motel, or any short-term rental.

When you check into a hotel, this routine for a brief inspection can help you spot bed bugs. If any are present, you can change rooms before they get into your suitcase:

• Know the Signs of Bed Bugs – With most bed bug infestations, you will not actually see the bugs. They spend most of their day hiding and generally only emerge at night to bite. Instead of the bugs, you are likely to see shed skins, pearly white eggs often in groups of 10, dark bed bug excrement, and blood stains if a bug has been smashed.
• Inspect the Bed – The bed is a top location for bed bugs since it is close to human hosts. You should pull back sheets and look for any signs of bugs in the folds of linens. Also, check the headboard of the bed and all of the corners and crevices in the bed frame.
• Check Furniture – Bedside tables and wardrobes can be a hiding spot for bedbugs. Open any doors and inspect the space around handles and inside crevices. Look for bugs around the base of furniture and behind the furniture if possible.
• Check Sofas and Chairs – If your hotel room has upholstered chairs, these spots make it easy for bed bugs to feed. Look over all the seams and crevices, and pull out cushions and look underneath.
• Check and Protect Luggage – Even if you do not see any bedbugs, it’s possible they came home with you. Before you place your luggage on the provided stands or inside wardrobes, put it in the bathroom first and do a thorough inspection of clothes storage areas. Look at the underside of any luggage stands and again pay close attention to crevices and gaps where bed bugs could squeeze in.

A few careful measures when you arrive at a hotel can be valuable for preventing an infestation in your home later on. But bed bugs are also extremely good hiders and even with a careful inspection, there is always a risk that you will bring bugs back home. If this happens, you will need a pest control company in NYC to get bed bugs back out of your home. Stay aware of the signs of bed bugs in your own home as well, and contact 24-Hour Pest Control if you suspect you may have some on your property. Call us today (800) 456-8400