A bed bug infestation is one of the worst problems to have in the hospitality industry. If your hotel guests discover bed bugs in your establishment before you do, you could be in for loads of negative reviews, a significant decrease in traffic, or even a temporary halt of business. If you’re looking to prevent these things from happening, your safest bet is to work with local bed bug exterminators. However, if you want to conduct your own bed bug prevention, our team at Heron Home & Outdoor has put together some advice for hotel owners and managers in Central FL. Read on to learn how to properly check your hotel rooms for bed bugs!

Why Do Bed Bugs Love Hotel Rooms?

There are a few different reasons that bed bugs find so much success in hotel rooms—these are the main three:

• Hotels are full of different people. Busy hotels see many guests coming in and out every day, each of which is a new opportunity for bed bugs to feed.
• People bring luggage and clothing in and out of hotels. When guests leave their belongings on the floor or in drawers, they give any bed bugs living close by the opportunity to crawl inside and travel to a new location.
• There are more hiding spots in your room than you think. Bed bugs will hide in even the most seemingly unlikely places, and most hotels have loads of opportunities for seclusion.

5 Spots to Inspect for Bed Bugs in Hotels

It’s important not to miss any areas during your search for bed bugs in your hotel. These pests rely on their ability to hide, so they could be living all over the place without you knowing. Here are the 5 most important places to look for bed bugs in a hotel room:

1. Mattress, box spring, and bed frame: Bed bugs often hide in the seams and creases of mattresses, but they’ll also live along the joints and slats of mattress frames.
2. Furniture: Bed bugs will look for the same types of places to hide in your furniture. Lift up pillows and look in the gaps between cushions in chairs, couches, ottomans, and more.
3. Wardrobes, dressers, and baseboards: Dresser drawers and wardrobe doors can both open up to tons of bed bugs.
4. Nightstands and wall fixtures: Anything in your hotel room that touches the walls could be housing bed bugs. You will even want to peer behind pictures hung on the wall!
5. Closet items: When guests leave their bags in the closet or on fold-out luggage stands, bed bugs can move from their belongings into your room.

Click here for our full guide to hotel bed bug inspections.

Professional Bed Bug Control in Central FL

If you want to be completely sure that there are no bed bugs in your establishment, your best bet is to hire your local pest control company. At Heron Home & Outdoor, we train our bed bug removal team to conduct efficient inspections, poring over every inch of your room to find activity. If we do find bed bugs, we have the equipment and strategies to handle them, no matter the size of the infestation. For a free quote or to learn more about our bed bug extermination services, contact us today!