9/25/2011 How To Avoid Hotel Bedbugs: 5 Tips To Minimize Risk

The creepiest thing about making a hotel reservation these days is worrying about whether you’ll be greeted by bedbugs at your destination soon after you slide the key card into your door.

Unfortunately, the more frequently you travel the greater the risk. An alarming new report from the hotel review website Raveable suggests that the odds of actually encountering bedbugs on a trip are 660 percent greater this year than last (based on data from January 1- September 1, 2011). The worst may yet be to come, warns Raveable CEO Philip Vaughn, because the highest number of bedbug reports are generally filed between September and November.

Of course, the problem isn’t confined to hotels. The critters are turning up in movie theatres, trendy shops, offices, moving vans, laundromats, public transportation, and yes, even in ambulances. But you’re more likely to think about bedbugs when you think about beds!

Here are some of the precautions you can take to help avoid them the next time you check into a hotel:

1) Search before you go

Before you book a room, check out whether your hotel has been cited for bedbugs by other travelers. Sometimes hotel reviews on Trip, Advisor, Yelp and IgoUgo include reports. The Raveable site specifically compiles bedbug reports from travelers. Bedbug Registry is a free, public database of 20,000 user-submitted reports covering 12,000 locations. Yes, user reporting isn’t always accurate but wouldn’t you rather stay at a property that isn’t listed?

2) Know thy enemy

Know what a bedbug looks like. The bugs are oval flat and brown — about the size of an apple seed (although size depends on life stage). Attracted to warmth and carbon dioxide, they tend to come out at night and can hide in the tiniest cracks and crevices. The health risks are minimal but the “yuk” factor is extremely high if you bring them home. Getting rid of them can be an expensive and time-consuming inconvenience.

3) Check out your room

Before you take off your shoes and get under the covers, do a cursory check of your room. It pays to look for reddish-brown specks on pillowcases, sheets, covers and the mattress (especially at seams and corners); this is a sure sign that the bugs have been feeding there. If you have a few extra minutes, check the bedframe and headboard.

4) Pack and unpack accordingly

Although bedbugs don’t fly, they are great long-distance crawlers hitchhikers who are adept at getting into luggage, shopping bags or shoes. Only take whatever clothing or personal articles you really need and use sealed plastic bags to pack. Try to avoid hotel drawers and leaving suitcases or other personal belongings on carpeted floors. If you are totally bedbug-phobic, wrap your suitcases in large plastic trash bags and store them in the bathroom. Don’t use your laptop in bed; the heat of the unit can attract bedbugs that will decide to stay behind the keys. Check for any signs of bedbugs immediately when you return home (preferably before you enter your house).

5) Pay it forward

If you find any evidence of a hotel bedbug infestation, report it both to the hotel management and to user sites like those previously mentioned. If you do find traces of them at home, don’t try to do-it-yourself. Hire a professional.

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