Bed Bugs 101: There's no such thing as a bedbug-free hotel. Every day, every hotel is at risk of a guest bringing bed bugs into the hotel in their luggage. That being said, not all hotels are proactive and thorough with their bed bug detection and elimination procedures. We recommend checking out hotels on tripadvisor.com and bedbugregistry.com prior to booking to make sure there have not been any recent reports and taking the nececssary precautions with the products listed above.

Inspecting a hotel room for signs of bed bugs is an essential step. No one should sleep in a room that has visible signs of bed bugs since this means the infestation is pretty severe already. However, just because you don't see any signs of bed bugs around the mattress, that doesn't mean they aren't there in small numbers. Early infestations are very difficult to detect by visual inspection...kind of like looking for a needle in a haystack. Therefore, we highly recommend using BugZip encasements or contractor bags to protect your belongings in a hotel room at all times. It only takes one stray bed bug to crawl into your luggage and come home with you and start multiplying. After bed bugs feed at night, they retreat off the bed to find a dark place to lay eggs and sleep and have been known to travel up to 30 feet in one night. Therefore, no location inside a hotel room is totally safe from bed bugs.

Most people who are aware of bed bugs in hotels are only worried about avoiding getting bitten during their hotel stay. This is actually just a minor inconvenience compared to the major life upheaval that can occur if bed bugs come home with you. Using encasements while travelling and monitors at home is a great approach to be as proactive as possible at keeping bed bugs out of your belongings and home. No one approach is foolproof as bed bugs are very clever and resilient. Never assume that you are free from bed bugs just because you do not notice any bites or did not see any signs in the hotel. Always assume they are hiding and trying their best to come home with you. With bed bugs, it is better safe than sorry.