Hotels get bed bugs from their guests. Unlike roaches and mice, bed bugs aren’t caused or attracted by filth, dirt or garbage. They come into a hotel in the luggage or on the clothing or person of a guest. During the guest’s stay, they take up residence in the hotel room and wait for the next guest to arrive.

Hotels provide plenty of comfortable places for bed bugs to live: mattresses, box springs, linens, bedside tables, behind headboards, under picture frames, behind loose wallpaper, under carpeting, in ducts, etc. Any quiet, dark place near a bed makes good harborage which makes hotel rooms prime real estate for bed bugs.

Hotels also provide a “moveable feast” for these tiny insects. Each night brings a new guest to bed, creating a smorgasbord for bed bugs which feed on human blood. Bed bug bites can raise itchy red welts but not all people respond to their bites. It may be days or even weeks before an infestation is discovered.

Bed bugs are a serious problem for hotels, motels and resorts. They are easily spread by guests and housekeepers. They can spread throughout a facility as guests move about or on housekeeping and laundry carts. As their numbers grow, they will seek additional food sources, spreading through wall voids, electric and plumbing conduits and air vents.

For information about bed bugs, visit the Stern Environmental website.