Bed Bugs
All staff should be trained to identify bed bugs and sign of bed bugs. Quickly treating bed bugs will greatly reduce the risk of Bed Bugs from spreading throughout the hotel.
Bed bugs are transient and transfer on people, luggage, clothing, etc from place to place and can end up even in really nice and well maintained properties.
The information from this page is from ECOLAB who take a science-based approach to bed bug solutions. To go directly to their page about Bed Bugs, click HERE.
NOW THE FACTS - VIEW PDF
What Are Bed Bugs?
They are blood-feeding parasites
They are a light tan color, but turn dark-reddish brown once they have fed on blood. They can survive for several months between blood meals.
The adult bed bug is about 5-7mm (1/4 inch) long and flattened. Once engorged with blood, it swells in size.
Bed bugs can easily be seen with the naked eye, but typically stay hidden in the day.
They can be found in hotel rooms any time of year, and will often go unnoticed until the population size is large.
Where Do Bed Bugs Come From?
Bed bugs can’t fly. They crawl or are carried from place to place.
Bed bugs and their nymphs are known to hitchhike in suitcases, clothing or used furniture.
The offspring of one pregnant female bed bug can quickly infest a room and other rooms nearby.
Bed bugs live in bed frames, headboards, and bedside furniture. Also behind pictures, switch plates and skirting boards, plus under mattress seams, box springs and within other cracks and crevices.
What Do Bed Bugs Do?
Bed bugs usually feed at night and spend the day hidden.
They feed about once a week, usually for several minutes on a sleeper’s exposed skin.
Bites are generally painless.
Some people do not react to bites, but others may develop a red bump with an itchy pale white center.
Bed bugs can survive 6-12 months without feeding.
Although bed bugs consume blood like other human parasites, there has been no evidence that they spread diseases.
What To Do If Found:
Notify hotel management that bed bugs were found or their presence is suspected. When notifying management make sure to do so discreetly away from guests and also staff should agree on a code word for bed bugs so as not to damage the reputation of the property or to frighten other guests. Some hotels will say "Elvis is In the Building" or "We need a special treatment" as a discreet way to say that Bed Bugs were found.
Quarantine all linens. Do not take any linens from a bed bug room out of the room until inspected and treated. After you have been cleared by your pest specialist to remove the linens, keep them separate from all other linens and first dry them on the highest heat possible by your dryer, then wash the linens, and dry again. The heat from the dryer should kill off any potential bed bugs.
If the housekeeping cart was inside the room, do not remove it.
If room was vacuumed, keep the vacuum in the room for inspection by your pest professional.
Do not allow occupancy until you have been given an approval by your pest professional.
If staff or guests locate a bed bug, a piece of tape can be used to secure the bed bug to a post card for inspection by the pest professional.
What To Do If Bed Bugs Reported By Guest:
Let the guest know that you are thankful they reported this potential issue as your hotel takes any reports of bed bugs very seriously.
Ask the guest what they saw and where, and if they took any pictures. If possible ask the guest to send the picture so your pest professional can review it.
Collect guest contact information and inform hotel management.
Most hotels will compe a guest room for the night and if staying an additional night move the guest to a different room.
Offer the guest free use of your guest laundry facility and inform the guest they should first dry their laundry, wash it, and dry again to ensure that nothing transfers home with them or to their next room as the heat of the dryer is to kill the bed bugs.
Let the guest know that you are immediately contacting your pest professional so they can inspect and treat the room immediately to resolve the issue.
Inform management and follow any other procedures as required by your hotel's policies.
Acting quickly and communicating clearly to the guest of what is going to be done will help them to know that your hotel will fully resolve the reported issue.
For Further Information about Bed Bugs here is a link to the EPA's page about Bed Bugs. Click HERE.
