Hotel bed bug inspections

Mel Whitson, Senior Field Technical Service Manager, Zoëcon Professional Products

The busy travel season is here — bringing with it a greater risk for bed bugs in hotels. While this is the most common non-residential site for treating bed bugs, the focus tends to be on hotel rooms and beds. However, it’s important to remember other areas of the hotel that need to be considered when treating for bed bugs, including:

• Coat check: A bed bug population can quickly explode here, thanks to the frequency of coats coming in and all of the available hiding spots. Remove and treat all articles of clothing, and inspect all potential hiding spots, such as dark corners and shelves or where carpet meets the wall.
• Lobby seating areas: Hotel lobbies are high-traffic areas, conducive to spreading bed bugs. Make sure to thoroughly treat all areas of the furniture, including the seat fabric and under the frames, as well as the carpet.
• Fitness center: If the fitness center offers a locker room or other shared storage space for users to hold their belongings, bed bugs can quickly move from one person to the next. Treat these areas with a strong residual product to prevent them from returning.