Hotel Shops & Bed Bugs

I was just curious if anyone has noticed the increase of bed bug stories nationwide? I am wondering if it will affect us as Mystery Shoppers. I know I always read reviews before I sign up for a hotel shop, and will not consider any hotel that has ever been rumored to have them (only one of the hotels, a couple of hours away, so far). Anyone else re-thinking their hotel shops because of this?

MSPA Gold Certified. Shopping Appleton, Northeastern WI and Door County WI

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I hear alot about this on the news, and recently stayed in a hotel, no problem. Would there be a list of hotels that have this problem. I would say it's not going to harm business regarding shoppers. I'll be staying at the Sheraton in Chicago next month (not a shop), and haven't given it a thought (till now). Wpuld the hotel be responsible for an uncomfortable stay?

Live consciously....

Funny that you mention this - I am on a hotel shop right now... right before I leave, my mother calls me freaking out about all the bed bug stories on the news and warning me.

Here you go:

[bedbugregistry.com]

Eww! The hotel I'm scheduled to check in to on Tuesday has BB reports. Time for a very thorough room inspection!

Seems to be a more east coast problem as the hotels in LA that have them are less than 3-star properties, but I looked at the list in NYC and have shopped at least 10 of the hotels with reports there.

Never had a single problem with bugs in over 200 hotel evaluations, though.

As far as not believing what you read on the internet goes; I found this report for a problem at the Four Season interesting in that the afflicted person is reporting bugs in 2 different rooms that the Four Seasons management claim do not even exist at the hotel:

[bedbugregistry.com]

While the hotel I am currently shopping is not on this list, the one I am scheduled to do next is... great...

Thanks for the link to the registry. While ignorance is bliss, it is probably better to know.

Here is a website that explains how to check a hotel room for bed bugs.

[membracid.wordpress.com]

While I'm not necessarily afraid of getting bitten on a shop, I dread the idea of bringing the bed bugs home with me. I have read that it is a lot of work, time and money to get rid of them.

MSPA Gold Certified. Shopping Appleton, Northeastern WI and Door County WI

Yes, they get into the lining of suitcases and such so you do have the threat of bringing them home. I was advised years ago that if I suspected I might be staying a place with them to not bring the luggage into the house until it had been thoroughly fumigated and put all clothing and such into the washer immediately. We never had a problem but we may not have stayed in places that had them. With the washer in the garage, clothing was unloaded directly into it and the bags were sprayed thoroughly and put in tightly closed plastic garbage bags. After a two weeks, they were sprayed again just in case there had been eggs that hatched.

We used to have to do the same when there were outbreaks of head lice in the schools with items of the kids that would not stand up to hard washing or time in the dryer on hot heat. Both bed bugs and head lice were virtually eliminated by DDT, but that chemical has been banned, so both are back in force and becoming a greater and greater problem.

I had them once, many years ago -- and they came from a piece of furniture bought from a high-end department store! Extermination wasn't expensive, but not being a fan of chemicals, I hated doing it.

If you've never seen a bed bug in person (which I hope most of you haven't!), they're deceptively harmless looking, like tiny black ladybugs. Their bite may be small, but they pack a punch! The welts itch like h***.

Can anyone tell me where I can find out about hotel shops?

Search "hotel" here and you will be off to a good start.....

Made it through my trip free of bedbugs, BTW

Current hotel has hardwood floors and no bug reports online, so I'm sleeping a lot better here!

I just went on vacation. After reading all the news articles about bedbugs, We took the sheets and mattress cover off and inspected the entire bed.

It is not just low end hotels, it is upscale as well. I read you can even pick them up trying on clothes in department stores.

I am very sensitive to any type insect bites and get allergic reactions, so I have to be really careful.

This past weekend, I made it through three hotel evaluations with nary a bedbug in sight. Don't ask me about the experience I had in Honolulu many years ago with Periplaneta americana. That was altogether a different story.

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