Hotel worker issues stark bedbug warning to tourists

TikToker shares how to check hotel room for bed bugs

When you arrive at a hotel and get shown into your room your first thought is probably not what creepy crawlies might be lurking in corners.

But one hotel worker has explained why whenever staying somewhere new, it is the first thing you should look for.

Halee, who shares videos on her TikTok as @haleewithaflair, explained that bedbugs can ruin many guests’ stays and that there’s an easy way to look for them before your first night’s sleep.

It involves turning the lights off – which probably isn’t the first thing you’d think to do when arriving at a hotel all excited about your holiday.

Halee posted a video after seeing one of a couple who woke up covered in scars after being bitten by hotel bedbugs.

She said: “This is how I check my room before I unpack and get settled into the room.

“The first thing you’re going to want to do is make sure your room is dark. Turn off lights, close any shades and use the flashlight on your phone.

“While everything is off, you’re going to come up here under the covers. This one does have a mattress pad but you’re going to check under all the creases.”

Halee demonstrated how tourists should check under the creases at the corner of their hotel bed.

She said: “They usually like to hang out in the corners and the creases.”

She lifted the mattress to show how tourists should check under the mattress and under the mattress pad.

The hotel worker warned: “Even if you don’t see bugs, make sure you check for spots, like blood spots, because that’s not a good sign either.”

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Halee recommended that tourists check for bed bugs before they unpack as bugs can slip into luggage.

Tourists should never put their luggage on the bed. It’s best to leave it on a luggage rack or by the door of the room.

Some experts recommend tourists wash all their holiday clothes as soon as they get home to kill any stowaways.

The hotel worker also recommended that tourists check ironing boards and curtains for the bugs.

Bed bugs are nocturnal so turning off the lights may make them more likely to come out to search for prey.

Bedbug bites can be red and itchy and are often in a line or a cluster. Some people may have an allergic reaction to the bites.

The bugs can be dark yellow, red or brown and generally only about 5mm long while eggs are usually white in colour.

If tourists can’t see the bugs, they can look for red or rusty stains on the mattress which could be a squashed bug.

Dark spots could be bedbug excrement and may bleed onto the fabric like a marker pen would.

Bed bugs tend to hide in the seams of furniture including on any chairs and sofas that may be in the room.

The bugs can survive at low temperatures but will die when their body reaches 45 degrees.

Holidaymakers should inform their hotel immediately if they find any signs of bedbugs in their room.

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