How to Check a Hotel Room for Bed Bugs

Hotels of every price level can have bed bugs, so a five-minute inspection when you arrive is cheap insurance. The goal is to catch a problem before you unpack, because bugs ride home in luggage and clothing. Here is a simple routine you can follow in any room.

Step 1: Keep your luggage out of the way

Before you inspect anything, do not put your bags on the bed or the carpet. Set them in the bathroom, on the tile floor or in the tub, since bed bugs rarely hide in bare, hard-surfaced rooms. A metal luggage rack is better than a wooden one, and should be pulled away from the wall.

Step 2: Check the bed first

Use your phone flashlight and pull back the sheets from the corners at the head of the bed.
Look closely at the mattress seams, piping, and tags. You are looking for dark specks (droppings), small reddish stains, shed skins, tiny white eggs, or live bugs that look like flat apple seeds.
Lift the mattress corner if you can and look at the box spring and the bed frame joints.
Inspect the headboard, which is a favorite hiding place. If it is mounted to the wall, check the gap behind it as best you can.

Step 3: Look at nearby furniture

Bed bugs stay close to where people sleep. Check the nightstands, including the drawers and the underside, then any upholstered chair or sofa. Look along the seams and cushions, and run a flashlight along the baseboards and behind picture frames near the bed. If you see signs anywhere, treat the whole room as infested.

If you find signs

Do not unpack. Take photos, then tell the front desk right away and ask for a different room.
Request a room well away from the first one, not next door or directly above or below, because bugs travel through walls and shared plumbing.
If you are not comfortable staying at the property, ask for a refund and move to another hotel.
Inspect the new room thoroughly using the same steps before bringing your bags in.

Protecting your belongings

Keep clothes in your suitcase, or in sealed plastic bags, rather than in hotel drawers.
Zip your suitcase closed when you are not using it.
Avoid leaving bags on upholstered furniture or against the wall.

When you get home

Unpack in a garage, entryway, or bathroom rather than the bedroom. Put all clothing, including items you did not wear, straight into the dryer on high heat for at least 30 minutes, since the heat kills bugs and eggs. Inspect the suitcase, vacuum its seams and pockets, and wipe down the exterior. Keep an eye out for new bites or signs on your bed over the next few weeks.

If you think a trip followed you home, act early. A small problem is far easier to fix. Get matched with local pest control companies for an inspection.