<p>OK, so stayed at a reputable hotel last weekend and I came home with red swollen bites all over my legs and feet…over 35 of them. I looked it up and I’m quite sure I was attacked by bed bugs!
The bites have been itchy and keeping me up at night.
But I’m far more concerned that I may have brought those little critters home with me.
Anyone have any experience with this? I googled it but the advice is all over the place!
I spoke with the hotel manager and she said they never had reports before (yeah, right). The general manager was supposed to call me but never did. I’m thinking I should post a review on tripadvisor…this was a horrible experience.</p>
<p>
And so you should! Yuck.</p>
<p>From Harvard School of Public Health:</p>
<p>[Bed</a> Bugs](<a href=“http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/bedbugs/]Bed”>http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/bedbugs/)</p>
<p>What might you do when returning from a visit to an infested residence?
Travelers increasingly encounter bed bugs during their stays away from home. If signs of bed bugs were observed or suspected, consider the possibility that you may have unwittingly transported bed bugs or their eggs in your luggage and other personal effects. Clothing should be laundered in a manner to kill bugs and their eggs before or as soon as these items are brought back into the home. Suitcases should be carefully inspected, scrubbed with a stiff brush, and thoroughly vacuumed. Leaving such luggage for several hours in a closed vehicle in full summer sun may render the items bug free.</p>
<p>Or let bed bugs loose in your car :eek:</p>
<p>I have recently become paranoid about bedbugs. Maybe it’s the constant warnings around schools in Boston. I guess they have an ongoing problem. Kids are not allowed to bring any of their own furniture to the dorms. When I stay in hotels I am careful to place my luggage on a piece of wood furniture - not on the floor, not on the bed. </p>
<p>In your case I would be very worried about bringing them into my house via my luggage.</p>
<p>Just one more thought - - I am allergic to flea bites, and they sound similar… Maybe you are “lucky”, and someone just let their flea-ridden pet sleep on the bed. But you probably need to proceed with the bed-bug extermination anyway.</p>
<p>Honestly, I would throw out anything you aren’t dearly attached to from that trip and keep the rest in double or triple layers of plastic bags away from the rest of your stuff. I’ve heard bedbug infestations are nightmarish and extremely hard to get rid of.</p>
<p>Oh heavens! We had some young friends who were trying to economize, DID stay at a budget rate hotel and brought them home with them!! Here is what they ended up having to do to get rid of them.</p>
<ol>
<li>Hire an exterminator who came 2 or 3 times to spray their apartment, luggage, etc.</li>
<li>Purchased boxspring and mattress enclosure cases that I believe you have to leave on a year or two! This is really important!</li>
<li>Took everything on their bed to the local laundrymat and washed it - twice! If it wasn’t washable (down comforter, bed pillows, decorative pillows, etc.), they just put it through cycle after cycle of a hot dryer.</li>
</ol>
<p>This is not your case, but they said that staying at a lower rate hotel to save a little money ended up costing them hundreds of dollars in the end!</p>
<p>OK…guys…this is helpful.
But how do I know when/if I need to call an exterminator?
Both my H and I always leave our luggage up on racks. We washed everything when we got home.
I haven’t been getting any new bites.
This was NOT a cheap hotel. Yikes. I really do hope they were fleas! I’ll have to check to see if they allow pets.<br>
Ewwww…I hate this.</p>
<p>Get a refund too.</p>
<p>^^^
Trying to, we’ll see. I wrote a letter to the CEO today. This is a big well-known chain.
It’s amazing to see (after Googling) that this is hitting some top hotels and resorts.
oh…and they don’t allow pets except for service dogs. Fleas are unlikely…</p>
<p>OMG, this is one of my greatest fears, outside of awful things happening to my loved ones</p>
<p>Ugh, bed bugs. I also woke up at a “reputable hotel chain” with bites and the culprit on the pillow next to me! I had never seen a bed bug before and googled to verify what I found. You can bet I mashed it and showed it to the manager.</p>
<p>If you put your luggage on the luggage stand you are probably ok. Not ok if you put it on the bed or upholstered chair (or floor) </p>
<p>Now whenever I stay in hotels I am careful where I put my luggage and I check the mattress and wall behind the bed for any signs of infestation.</p>
<p>Bad news is that cost does not assure one of having bed bug free accommodations.</p>
<p>What did the manager do when you showed him/her the bed bug?</p>
<p>When I stay at any hotel now (no matter what grade) I pull up the sheeting to check the mattress for signs of bedbugs. Bedbugs don’t discriminate…they have been found at pricier hotels as well. </p>
<p>[Worried</a> about bed bugs in your hotel room? - Tips- msnbc.com](<a href=“http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11877871/]Worried”>http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11877871/)
[Bedbug</a> Registry - Check Apartments and Hotels Across North America](<a href=“http://bedbugregistry.com/]Bedbug”>http://bedbugregistry.com/)</p>
<p>The Bedbug Registry is not an official site by any means but I did check it before my daughter signed the lease for her apartment in New York in the hope that if there had been a past infestation someone reported it.</p>
<p>I can assure you that I have sprayed myself from head to toe, and everywhere between with RAID, for 5 continuous days and once a week for 2 additional weeks for a case of scabies (human mange). This is in addition to the prescription cream of the same stuff.</p>
<p>Consult your health physician/provider/health insurance.</p>
<p>OMG…human mange…I had no idea. My dog had that when I was growing up and suffered terrribly.
BTW, I threw out two pieces of luggage (mine and my h’s). I’m ordered a bed bug mattress protector…for the mattress AND the boxspring. Washed and dried everything. And I’m hoping for the best.
Reading the stuff on a google search is just making me more paranoid! Horror stories of folks treating bed bugs for months! The entire house! I’m thinking we need to fund some research on these awful critters. Anyway, I’m happy to have this board because I’m too embarrassed to tell my friends!</p>
<p>Eeeewwww,
I had to google to see if just 2 weeks in plastic works like when kids get head lice. No such luch, but this sounds like good advice:
[Bed</a> Bugs: How to Eliminate and Control Mild Infestations - Associated Content - associatedcontent.com](<a href=“http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/18031/bed_bugs_how_to_eliminate_and_control.html?cat=6]Bed”>http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/18031/bed_bugs_how_to_eliminate_and_control.html?cat=6)</p>
<p>I’d rather freeze my clothes than wash them in hottest water!</p>
<p>I was looking forward to an upcoming vacation with 5 nights of hotel stays, but now I think I will stay home in my nice bedbug free house… Not really, but ick.</p>
<p>Consider posting the information about your hotel at these sites:
[Bedbug</a> Registry - Check Apartments and Hotels Across North America](<a href=“http://www.bedbugregistry.com/]Bedbug”>http://www.bedbugregistry.com/)
[Report</a> a Bed Bug Incident](<a href=“Bed Bug Reports - Check Hotels and Apartments Before You Stay”>Bed Bug Reports - Check Hotels and Apartments Before You Stay)
Always check the mattress when you stay at a hotel:
[Bed</a> Bug Hotel Information](<a href=“Bed Bug Reports - Check Hotels and Apartments Before You Stay”>http://www.bedbugreports.com/)
The only mattress encasements which have been tested and recommended by entomologists are these:
[Mattress</a> Protectors - Mattress Covers - Mattress Pads](<a href=“http://www.protectabed.com/]Mattress”>http://www.protectabed.com/)
Encasements need to be left on for 18 months – apparently that is how long bedbugs can remain dormant and live without a host! Also, leaving suitcases on a rack won’t necessarily help – bedbugs live in walls, bed frames and hard surfaces as well as soft ones.
The NY Times has been running informative articles. Infestation is a big problem in NY, even in million-dollar condos:
[Bedbugs</a> News - The New York Times](<a href=“Bedbugs - The New York Times”>Bedbugs - The New York Times)</p>