Hotels: prepare for summer travelers! Bed bugs are hungry and want to eat your guests and customers

by Tommy Underhill
May 9, 2021

Congratulations: your hotel or motel survived the pandemic! You’re ready to spring back to business and thrive again! Don’t let bed bugs threaten to devour your reputation and suck your future dry.

Part 3:
Where to find bed bug infestations

This is the third in an 6-part series on bed bugs in the hospitality industry, how to identify them, and ways to combat them and protect your reputation.

• Part 1: Not just a problem for travelers
• Part 2: Don’t wait for bed bug complaints to make a plan
• Part 3: Where to find bed bug infestations
• Part 4: Get the equipment for discreet 1-day bed bug eradications
• Part 5: Eliminate bed bugs in the room today and prevent their return for up to a year
• Part 6: World-class equipment and training backed by empirical results from university studies

A single breeding pair of bed bugs will create an infestation numbering well over half a million hungry, breeding bed bugs in just ten months. Anything less than 100% success is a failed treatment... and any bed bugs that survived your last treatment are ready to repopulate your hotel.

Bed bugs continue to be one of the most difficult pests to control and are commonly reintroduced by hotel guests. These insects are expert hitchhikers, easily making the journey into or out of your facility by hiding in clothing, bedding, electronics, and luggage. Bites can cause irritations ranging from itching to a rash to blisters. Severe cases can result in infection or allergic reaction and may need medical treatment.

The problem is more widespread than just finding bed bugs in guest rooms— these insects can infest all areas of a hotel property. Prudent property managers and maintenance teams are always on the look out for multiple problem spots, including...

• Laundry facilities and laundry carts.
• Common areas including waiting areas and the lobby.
• Luggage carts.
• Dining areas.
• Business centers.
• Meeting rooms.
• Convention and ballroom spaces.
• Workout rooms and fitness facilities.
• And, of course, guest rooms.

Don’t assume it’s common knowledge that your staff will know where to look for bed bugs every time they clean or inspect a guest room, or any other area of the property. The best rule to follow is to look in tight places by where humans sit, stand, walk, or sleep. This pie chart shows the most common harborages found within a sleeping room.

The best bed bug to respond to is the one that hasn’t yet bitten a guest or employee. Make sure your team knows the signs to look for, and make it a policy for them to proactively report infestations.

Be prepared for when your guests arrive... any bed bugs that survived your last treatment are excitedly looking forward to your guests this spring and summer! When properly applied, GreenTech Heat is 100% effective in killing all stages of bed bugs—including eggs, 100% of the time. Our ePro electric heater packages can discreetly treat a hotel room in a day. Our Titan direct fired heaters can effectively treat the same-sized area in much less time. When applied following a thorough heat treatment, GreenTech Prevent can continue to prevent recurrent bedbug reintroduction reinfestations for up to a year. GreenTech Heat Solutions can certify your heat treatments when combined with GreenTech Prevent to help mitigate the potential of recurrent bedbug infestations.

GreenTech Heat technology is 100% effective for all life stages of bed bugs, lice, cockroaches, and all other insects that might infest your property. Heat kills microbes, viruses, and bacteria that can cause allergies and odors. GreenTech Heat equipment allows you to self-treat with heat on your schedule and as your needs demand. Our certified training lets you do it right and do it safely the first time. Heat safely kills insects and microbes everywhere they may be found in a single one-day treatment. Call us at 888-699-3944. We have bed bug heaters for sale to get started with heat today.