Travel News

Ask Peter: Hotel Bed Bugs, Cuba Travel & More

Locations in this article:  Havana, Cuba Miami, FL Orlando, FL Phoenix, AZ

Sue from Phoenix, Arizona asked:  I’m flying to New York for my annual trip and I’m very concerned about bed bugs.  We’ll be staying at the Wellington Hotel, and I just want to know that all the hotels have been checked for bed bugs.

Peter replied: Talk about an overblown story.  If you don’t report this correctly, you’ll believe that the bed bug problem in New York has grown exponentially since 2008.  But, the problem of it hasn’t grown, merely the reporting of it has been growing.  That’s the difference.  Believe it or not, there’s a company that put up solutions about how to look out for bed bugs. They call themselves the Official Bed Bug Registry.  You know who owns the Beg Bug Registry?  An exterminating company.

It’s very simple guys. When you travel, you take the bedspread off and throw it to the corner, because hotels never clean then anyway. Then you lift up the mattress and look  between the mattress and the bedspring. If you see any red marks or blood that’s where the bed bugs are.

You know how the bed bugs get there? Courtesy of you.  They’re hitchhikers and like traveling in luggage, so you don’t want to put your luggage on top of your bed and unpack it there.  Other than that you can also wear slippers in the room because of possible bacteria on the carpet. Remember the one item with the most amount of bacteria is the TV remote control, so wipe that off before you use it, along with the handset on your telephone.  Also, avoid the glasses in the bathroom: maids often don’t replace them between guests. Assume that they didn’t wash them and run them under some hot water for about two minutes each, and you’ll be fine.

For more bed bug and hotel room advice, check out Battling Bed Bugs in Hotels and Beyond and Hotel Cleanliness and How You Can Improve Yours.

By Peter Greenberg for PeterGreenberg.com