Can you bring bed bugs home with you from a hotel?

This shows how common these pests are in the hospitality industry. So how do they get from the hotel room to your home? By hitching a ride on your clothes, luggage, and other personal items. Once a few bed bugs make it to your home, it's just a matter of time before you have a serious bed bug infestation.



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Despite the statistics, the chance of encountering bedbugs in any given hotel room is “pretty darn unlikely,” said Michael Potter, a professor of entomology at the University of Kentucky.

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Just because you think (or are even positive) the hotel had bed bugs does not necessarily mean that you brought them home with you. Granted, bed bugs are notoriously difficult to eradicate on your own, so it's a good idea to act as if you may have picked up a hitchhiking bed bug or two.

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Request a new room far away from the first, and ask for a refund or other form of compensation. If you're unsatisfied with their response, check out and look for a new hotel. Contact the local housing or health department, and report the hotel to online bed bug registries.

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“It may surprise you that bed bugs are a common problem in hotels,” says Jordan Foster, Pest Management Expert at Fantastic Pest Control. “Infestations of bed bugs have nothing to do with sanitation or cleanliness. Bed bugs are not uncommon in hotels or motels of any star rating, from one-star to five-star.”

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Chances are that you won't see any bugs at all, but if you see their poop trails, you know they are present. For a thorough bed bug examination, use a flashlight to look around the headboard, under the sheets and mattress pad, under the mattress and box springs, and around the base of the bed.

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Just as they work their way into bed crannies and nooks, these pests can easily crawl into pockets, zippers, and hidden sections in the bag. Having light-colored luggage makes your work relatively easier.

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