How do I protect myself from bed bugs in a hotel room?
Keep your stuff off the floor and the bed. Store suitcases on a luggage rack or other hard surface (away from the walls), and to be extra safe, carry along large trash bags to keep them in. Also pack your clothing and shoes in resealable plastic bags inside your suitcase, and keep them sealed when not in use.
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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.
The top three places where pest professionals report finding bed bugs are single-family homes (91 percent), apartments/condominiums (89 percent), and hotels/motels (68 percent).
“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.”
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.
Alert hotel staff to any issues: If you do find any evidence of bed bugs in your hotel room, report the issue immediately to a hotel staff member so they can investigate the room, as well as the surrounding rooms and common areas.
Some people think that bed bugs are no more common in hotel rooms or vacation rentals than anywhere else. According to recent NPMA data, however, 80% of pest control companies surveyed reported that they had treated hotels and/or motels for bed bugs infestations within the past year.