Bed bugs can and will ruin your vacation. And, if you bring them home accidentally, it is an expensive fix to get them out of your home. But what is your recourse? Can you get a refund on your room? Will the hotel pay for your home’s treatment and other expenses related to the bed bugs? This happened to a friend of ours lately and we thought it was worth a second look. After all we are a pest control company!
How do I do a bed bug inspection after I check into my hotel room?
- Pull back the sheets and look for dark or rusty looking spots (that is bug excrement). There may also be spots on the walls too.
- Look for egg shells or skins on the mattresses or bed stands.
- Smell for a distinctive musty smell of the bed bug glands.
Performing a bed bug inspection upon arrival will help you with frustration, irritation and added expense later. If you find any evidence of bed bugs, ask to change floors immediately and get your luggage out of the room. If there are no other available rooms, ask for a refund. Know you may not get a refund, but documentation of the problem will help you later on.
Can you get a refund on your room if you find bed bugs in it?
Maybe. The option of giving you a refund on your room after finding a bed bug infestation is at the discretion of the hotel and varies by state. If you have booked your room through a booking agent like hotels.com, your chances of getting your money back decrease. A hotel cannot refund money that they didn’t receive. You will have to take your issue up with the booking agency or travel agent you paid. Be sure to read the rules and regulations (yes, the fine print) when booking to know your rights. A bed bug infestation may be a deal breaker for you but not for your booking or travel agent.
What can you do to protect yourself even if you do not see a bed bug?
- Keep you luggage off the floor, the bed or along the walls. You can even put the luggage in the bathtub to protect it
- Always inspect the bed and bedding
- Hang clothing in the closet farthest from the bed
- Place luggage on the folding rack
- At home, unpack in the garage and immediately wash all clothing
Hotels are not liable for expenses related to a bed bug infestation that is not properly documented and may not be liable at all depending on the laws that govern the county and state in which you reside.
If you suspect that you have picked up a bed bug and want to prevent a full blown bed bug infestation call a professional pest control company like Absolute Pest Control to rid your home of any bed bugs before you have a huge problem. Our technicians are trained to inspect and treat your home for a small or large bed bug infestation.
Call us at 615-220-1933 or 615-650-0070 for all your pest control needs in Nashville and the surrounding areas!
My sister lives in an apartment building in Manhattan.
She have a bed bug phobia. She had her place inspected and no bags !!
Ahhhh! Yikes!!.. I had never experienced this anywhere and I Pray that i never do.. that goes to anyone that I know… thank you so much for sharing this important information.. It’s very good to know when you are traveling and staying at hotels..
This is good to know as I travel extensively for my business. I must not have come across this problem as we don’t have them here at home. But, now for sure I’ll be checking my bedding before settling into my hotel/motel room.
This is such a useful info. Thanks very much! One time, there was this hotel we stayed over at that had bed bugs! It was crazy! Now, if it happens again in future, I can always fall back on your tips. Thanks again 🙂
Thank you for the great information and tips for dealing with them. These critters can be transported so easily.
Bedbugs are all over. My son is at the end of dealing with an infestation in his apartment in New York. Just heard they’re common in Tucson as well. My daughter head to deal with them when she was a counselor at camp.
If I have to put my luggage in the bathtub to protect it then I’m “definitely” not staying there!
I just got all itchy! Thanks for the heads up on this… i would not know what to do if this happened!
I am such a germ-a-phobe and do this exact thing
I have to say…I got the creeps reading the headline because this is something I know is there, but can’t handle thinking about!
This has got be a nightmare when it happens! I have not had the pleasure of dealing with them and I hope I never do!
Okay…I have to say the same….this is not something i want to think about. Good there’s people out there like you to write about it:=)
Great post! Never think of these things and assume all hotels are clean, but you never know. What great tips!
Great tips you here on how to deal with with bed bugs. Its really hard to avoid this
said pests since it can be transported so easily, its a good thing to know such
useful information.
Bedbugs are the worst! I lived in these apartments about 5-6 years ago and the upstairs apartment had them. They were coming from the ceiling. IT WAS THE WORST EXPERIENCE EVER! It took me awhile to figure out what was biting my daughter. I have never seen a bed bug before this so I was really puzzled! After several weeks, my grandmother told me to check our mattress and sure enough…bed bugs! We moved out of those apartments soon after and have never had any problems since. (I did have to get rid of all my furniture I had in that apartment.)
This is so scary! Thanks for sharing some remedies!
OMG I am so glad you posted this. I never looked for bed bugs but have heard some horrible stories. We are travelling soon and I will definitely check now.
I get unhappy just thinking about bed bugs. I have never been exposed to them and I hope I never am…. fingers crossed.
Bed bugs creep me out! Thanks for the tips on checking for the.
I am itching all over just thinking about this! I will look very closely each and every time I am in a hotel from now on…thank you!!!
Seems like this is a big topic lately. I hope I never need this. My daughter is a big phobia …. you name it she has it…. she lives in an apartment building and research bed bugs out the you know what. Thank you for the great information. Hope I can sleep now…. I’ll be itchy
That really is so scary to think of having bedbugs! Thanks for the tips about how to search for them:)
This is a very timely topic since it is peak season for traveling.Beg bugs? I never, honestly thought about that – really. Thanks for the awareness.