My husband's entire company is attending a conference in San Diego and the company has paid for blocks of hotel rooms at the hotel where the conference is being held. He drives a company van daily and is driving 6 people from his department in the van. I looked up the hotel last night and there are several reports of bed bugs on the online registry and on trip advisor, yelp etc. We stay in hotels frequently so this is my "thing" that I freak out about and always check the mattresses etc... and would never book a hotel if it had reports on the bed bug registry. The reports sounded like the infestation was pretty bad as the people saw actual bugs on the sheets, not just speculating over bug bites in the morning. I called the hotel and the lady got all defensive and brought up a case about a little girl saying that they never proved it was bed bugs that bit her... so obviously the situation has arisen there. The hotel can't be changed, obviously, because there are roughly 40 people from his company going to this conference and they are all staying there. So I thought about just booking him a different hotel but then I realized that those 6 people will be getting back in his car to make the 2 hour drive home, with all of their luggage. My concern does not lie as much with him being bitten but with him bringing them home. I have looked online and evidently there is no real good way to get them out of your car if they do get in there because they hide and can go months without eating. So I am just sick over this and not sure what to do. Spending the money to book another hotel seems pointless when my fear of them coming home on a suitcase will not be quelled by doing this anyway, because of the other people. I thought about renting a van for him to drive down there rather than his own, but this would be about $500 (which just might be worth it????) and the only place to rent one is like 30 miles from here so it will be a huge hassle. If it was me I would force everyone to put their luggage in huge ziplock bags before it entered my car but my husband is NOT like me and I know he could never ask people to do that. What the hell do I do (besides taking a xanax)....
ETA There are 7 different reports online of reported bedbugs for this hotel, all with different dates, 3 of them being within the last few months. 5 of them are on the Bed Bug Registry and that is actually the most reports I have ever seen for the same hotel and I have checked a LOT of hotels :/
I understand, I get the creeps at the thought of head lice. It happens all the time and you can pick up from any seat. You just have to deal with it as it comes. Try vacuuming the bags when he gets back in. I usually start the washer as soon as I walk in the door from traveling and leave the clothes downstairs.
Hello. I worked in the hotel industry for 10 years in San Diego. Thought I would provide some insight.....My first question would be is this a large, reputable hotel? Is is part of one of the big national chains like Hilton or Sheraton? Those companies take this very seriously and when a bed bug infestation hits, you often hear about it in the news. To me, it would be much more unlikely to be true if it was this type of hotel....I don't mean to say it can't happen, but the huge downtown hotels take every precaution to take care of it because it is their lively hood. They lose thousands, tens of thousands of dollars if bed bugs are reported.
Much more likely in smaller motel type places. PLaces off the radar if you will.
Also, I have a severe distrust of yelp reviews and the like. Yelp itself has been investigated for listing negative reviews when companies don't pay for advertising on their site. (I think it was yelp...it was one of the BIG ones). And I don't want to sound like a jerk but after working in some pretty big popular hotels, it never ceased to amaze me what people would post on these sites. Sometimes it was an outright lie, designed to get a free room. Sometimes it was a lie published as punishment because they didn't get what they wanted and quite frankly, sometimes people are idiots and just don't know what they are talking about. For example.....I have these little bites all over me, I noticed them at the beach yesterday but they are worse today so you (hotel) must have bed bugs. No sir, those are sand fleas. Bug bites, sunburn etc. People are very quick to jump it up to bed bugs.
Bed bugs often spread to huge infestations very quickly so if it is one of the SD thats 1000+ rooms and theres been 3 reports of bed bugs over 6 months, it is most likely a lie or just an error on customers part.
Again, I don't mean to say it couldn't happen or you shouldn't worry....please take whatever precations you feel best about.....I just wanted to give you some perspective in terms of the hotels and such. Hope it works out.
What was the date of the reviews on trip advisor, yelp?
I would buy 2 plastic drop cloths and cover the van where the luggage will be stored then once the luggage is in the van secure it with another drop cloth.
My husband travels internationally so I understand your fear.
Maybe the company got a great deal on those rooms - and maybe that's why!
Bed bugs are a rational fear. Tell your husband to tell everyone he will be driving about this situation. If *their* wives and husbands find out about this stuff, I bet they'll all be on board with taking as many precautions as possible. (And then, ziplock bags, dropcloths, etc, might not seem silly to anyone!)
No one wants to have to really worry about bringing those bugs into their home! You are not alone!
You're supposed to put your stuff in the bathtub while you check the mattress, etc.
Since it seems like he cannot go somewhere else you need to take precautions at home. Don't let him bring his suitcase in. Leave it outside for a day if you can. Then wash all clothing in HOT water.
There is also spray you can use on the suitcase.
I went to New York last year and had the same fear. My dad had booked that place and in the bed bug registry there were several posts so I was freaking out! What I did was put my bags on a metal suitcase rack. I see lots of suggestions for the bathtub and that would work great as well. Then I totally looked under the sheets on the mattress and moved the mattress and looked under there, under the bed and on the walls. I didn't see anything but when I got home, I didn't take my bags inside for a couple of days, and used outside for a staging area for laundry and such. As far as your husband and the car. Have him change in the garage and If you vacuum the car out thoroughly when he gets home, you should be fine. Good luck and relax! Enjoy San Diego!!
I'm a bed bug fearing person too, so I know what you mean. I check that web site sometimes. I freaked when my DH had a business trip to NYC to stay a hotel with many awful bed bug reports. We also travel quite a bit as a family. Here is what we do, and so far, so good.
Leave all luggage in the hall, or bathtub when you arrive. Lift up the mattress, especially the bed and the side furthest away from the window. Pull back the fitted sheet and look at the mattress, both top and pull up to inspect the bottom. Look for the black dots or little blood. I pull up all the corners of all the beds. Yes, I practically destroy the nicely made beds, and my family gets annoyed, but I insist. I've educated DH enough now so that he checks too when he is on business.
Like I said, so far, so good, and we have stayed in some places with bed bug reports, but we haven't seen one yet. Just be cautious and check before settling in and accepting the room.
Wow....I'm sorry you're having to deal with this. It's a genuine concern, and as seen from people who've had them before, it's a difficult, time/energy-consuming, and expensive problem to correct.
If it were me, the expense and trouble of getting a rental car would be worth it. Your husband can do a check of the room when he gets there. If there are signs of infestation, he can leave, tell his company why, and get another room at a nearby hotel. (I'd have a back-up hotel lined up beforehand).
If there are no signs of infestation, he should still take precautions: suitcase up on the suitcase rack or in tub. Keep clothing items in ziplock bags, etc. When he gets home, suitcase stays in garage until it's cleaned thoroughly and laundry stays outside in garage in ziplock bags until it's all done.
Good luck. This is an on-going concern of mine as my husband travels several times every month all over the country, Europe, Asia, and South America. Our daughter is also in Africa right now so we hit pretty much most points on the globe. I don't want to jinx myself, so I'll just say that we have been lucky so far.
Good luck with this and hope he stays bug-free!
J. F.
Maybe you can treat the car with a repellant before he leaves, then do the drop cloth like JC mentioned. In the off chance that they DO transfer during the ride, maybe they won't want to leave the drop cloth onto a treated area. I would also get the cheapest seat covers you can find for your vehicle, and put plastic sheeting underneath that... Have hubby toss them in a dumpster somewhere on his way home after dropping the others off.
When he gets home, straight into the shower, leaving his baggage outside. You can wash and dry everything, then go over the baggage itself to make sure nothing is in it. (If you still feel paranoid, maybe seal it in a plastic bag for a few weeks.) heck, treat the bag with a repellant before he leaves too! He can seal individual outfits into ziplock bags, so he doesn't have to worry about wearing something with the stuff on it.
I have a friend that travels all the time. She put her bags, coats, etc. in the bath tub.
I went thru a bed bug nightmare last June at Disneyworld. They even called an ambulance for me because I looked terrible with hundreds of bites.
FYI there isn't any sprays, it's a sales gimmick!!!!! And I do believe every single hotel has had bed bugs. Did you know that you can get bed bugs from a movie theatre seat?
Have him put suitcase in bathtub.
Buy hooks to hang towels and clothes
If he notices any tiny black specs, tell him to run
If he notices any red specs like a spec of blood from a small cut, tell him to run
With a dark room, lift the mattress for any live bugs
Put all clothing in large zip lock or space bags and either toss the luggage or thoroughly check it 100 times
That's all I got for you, best wishes
Is there really only one report as the hotel said? If there were bed bugs there would be multiple reports all around the same time, well at least I would think. If they transport that easily I can't imagine them attacking this room this day and only that room that day when bedding is thrown in a big hamper.
I am just saying it would be a shame if you are getting all worked up because scammers used bed bugs to get a free room and the hotel is actually fine.
Have him take a sleeping bag to sleep on after pulling the sheets off. He can hang the do not disturb thing on the door and they won't clean his room.
He can keep his suitcases closed when he's not getting something our or packing. Tell him to put his suit case in the top of the closet....
There are a lot of things one can do to keep from getting them or at least so many of them.
I don't have any solutions, but I would be going crazy too. Every time I stay at a hotel, I worry about bed bugs. I can only imagine it would be a nightmare to get rid of them. I'm sorry!
