The answer unfortunately is "yes"
However, there are many steps you can take to help prevent you from bringing them home.
Take a decent flashlight with you in your baggage.
Don't bother looking up hotels, they all have them or have had them.
If you are a frequent traveler, they make suitcase encasements . These can help if used properly. (Mattress Safe)
If you can take some trash bags with you in your baggage - put your stuff in there. Seal it.
You can put your bath items up in the bathroom.
When you need something from your baggage unseal the trash bags and then seal it back afterwards.
Dirty clothes in a separate bag.
When you arrive at your room get your flashlight ready. Do not unpack yet.
Put your luggage in the bathtub.
Pull back the cover - look for bugs or excrement stains up near the head area.
Take off the corners and inspect mattress and seams - higher and lower.
Take the head board down or look behind it for bugs or stains.
Check any furniture seams in the room.
If there is an ironing board check that area.
This is what you are looking for. Notice the black stains. They don't have a date stamp but is a signal of activity or previous activity. The bugs are present so that is for sure a bed bug infestation. With many stains it indicates they have been there for a while.
A hotel or resort can't do anything to prevent a tenant from brining bed bugs into that room. If that tenant has bed bugs at their home they can easily drop some off in Room 207. If you stay in 207 a few days later you may not notice or see anything. Until someone sees something or has bites that are visible there is no reaction.
Once active bugs are found a treatment is needed. Any clothes close to the bed should be put in a dryer for 45 minutes and bagged.
When you get home leave your luggage in a garage or non-living area if you can. Put your clothes in the dryer, shower and you should be good to go.
The best way for these places to stay on top of things is to have Sensor Bed Bug Dogs inspections. They can find very small amounts of evidence. We do a lot if sweeps in Senior Living or any multi-unit living. Very affordable and accurate.
Comments