How to Report a Hotel with Bed Bugs

Reporting Bed Bugs to Hotel Management

Notify the front desk immediately and ask for a manager. As soon as you spot a bed bug or notice you’ve been bitten, call or go to the front desk. Ask to speak to the manager and tell them you suspect your room has bed bugs. Aside from seeing small red or brown bugs, you might wake up to find itchy red bumps or welts. Other signs of bed bugs include tiny red or brown stains on the sheets and shed exoskeletons, which look like translucent bug-shaped flakes.

Request a refund or other form of compensation. Even if you decide not to check out, you'll still need to switch rooms. Ask the manager to compensate you for the inconvenience. If they don’t offer a full refund, ask for a discount, a meal or room service on the house, or another perk. If you decide to switch hotels, you should demand a full refund.

Ask for the results of their professional inspection. When you tell the manager about the bed bugs, ask if and when a pest professional will inspect the room. Look for another hotel if they don’t call a professional or don’t appear prepared to the handle the situation. In many locations, hotels are legally required to have a pest professional inspect the room as soon as possible. The manager should offer to share the results with you. If they don’t offer, tell them you want a copy of the report. You’re entitled to know whether or not the pest professional found an infestation.

File a complaint with the hotel’s corporate headquarters. If you stayed at a chain hotel, you might have better luck dealing with their corporate office. Look online to find their corporate customer service number. Tell them that you found bed bugs in your room and describe any issues you had with the staff’s response. Ask the corporate office for a refund if the manager didn’t give you one or if you’re not satisfied with the compensation they offered.

Moving to a New Room

Check your luggage and other belongings for bed bugs. Use your cell phone’s flashlight feature or ask the hotel for a flashlight to check your luggage, shoes, purse, and other belongings. Look for bugs on your suitcase’s exterior and inspect inside if you’ve opened it. If you’ve already unpacked, ask the hotel staff for plastic bags to store your clothing. If you’re comfortable with it, you can ask the hotel staff to vacuum your luggage and launder your clothes in hot water. You might not want them to touch your stuff if they act nonchalant about your complaint or don’t seem to have an action plan to deal with bed bugs.

Request a new room far away from the first room. As you inspect your belongings, gather them and prepare to change rooms or check out of the hotel. Ask the manager for a room on the other side of the hotel. Don’t accept a new room that’s next door, across the hall, above, or below the room you where spotted bed bugs. If the hotel is sold out and no other options are available, look for openings at another hotel. If there's one available, check out, ask for a refund, and switch hotels.

Inspect the new room thoroughly. When you get to the new room, check the luggage rack for bugs, place it in the bathroom, and set your suitcase on it. Look for evidence of bed bugs under the mattress, in the sheets, around the headboard, and under the bed. Check upholstered furniture, in and around the nightstand, and behind wall art. The bathroom is the least hospitable environment for bed bugs, so it’s a good place to set your stuff while you inspect the room. If you do find bugs in the second room, get a refund and book a room at another hotel.

Alerting Other Authorities

Find out which government agency has jurisdiction. The right agency to call depends on your location. For instance, in New York City, you’d contact the Department of Housing Preservation. In many states, you’d call the local health department. You can also dial 311 to report bed bugs in many locations in the United States. Find the right agency and information about state bed bug-related laws here: https://npic.orst.edu/reg/state_agencies.html. For locations outside of the US, look online to find the appropriate government agency.

Provide the agency with the hotel's information. Give them the hotel’s name and location, your room number, and the date that you stayed. You’re not legally required to notify any agencies, but doing so is a good idea if you don’t think the hotel is taking the situation seriously. After reporting the hotel, an official will inspect the premises. If they find an infestation, the agency will make sure the hotel deals with it properly.

Report the hotel to online consumer hotel registries. It’s a good idea to let others know about your experience, especially if you’re unsatisfied with the hotel’s response. You can post a review on Google, Facebook, or Yelp, or report the hotel to bed bug-related registries. For example, post a review on https://www.bedbugreports.com.

Take legal action if you believe the hotel was negligent. Consult an attorney if you don’t think the hotel took the proper steps to deal with the infestation. You might be able to file a lawsuit to seek compensation for any expenses you incurred. Expenses could include booking a room at a new hotel, medical bills if you had an adverse reaction to bites, property that was damaged or destroyed, or pest control costs if you had to treat an infestation at your home. You’d need evidence of negligence, such as failure to have the room professionally inspected or treated. Laws vary by location but, as of 2018, 21 states impose regulations on hotels and landlords regarding bed bug infestations.