How To Handle Bed Bug Complaints In Hotels

Do you have a bed bug plan? In this modern age of social media, you can’t afford not to. All it takes is one bed bug incident to keep potential guests away. Three or more complaints could leave you with a publicity nightmare–not to mention a possible lawsuit. Don’t let bed bugs take you by surprise. Get proactive and develop a written plan that will protect your business from bad press and potential liability. The following are guidelines established by the National Pest Management Association to help you get your plan started.

Your plan should:

• Explain how guests should be treated. Bed bugs cause a significant amount of fear and anxiety in many people. All bed bug reports should be taken seriously, and guests should be made to know that dealing with this issue is of the highest priority.
• Show how employees should calm guests. Let your guests know that you have a plan, and that these bugs are never left untreated. Explain that bed bugs are hitchhikers that are carried in by other guests, but that your staff is trained to recognize them and deal with them quickly.
• Teach employees to manage public relations. When bed bugs are found in a room, at the very least, offer to move your guests to a new room and provide something complimentary. Assure them that these bugs are an isolated incident that will be dealt with promptly.
• Be known by all employees. Your staff should know how to respond when guests ask what your hotel’s practices are, concerning bed bugs.
• Show employees how to perform regular inspections. Each of your staff should know how to look for blood stains on sheets, black feces on mattress, discarded bed bug casings and the bed bugs themselves. Employees should also know what bed bug bites look like, and that they usually appear in a row.
• Explain bed bug biology and habits. Your staff should know that these bugs travel in on guests and that they can nest in mattresses, upholstered furniture and hide in electronics. And they should be able to clearly explain to guests that bed bugs don’t only infest dirty hotels, they can be found in 5-star luxury hotels. These are bugs that eat blood, and they live anywhere humans sleep our lounge. They can even feed on a fully awake human without detection.
• Explain containment practices. If bed bugs are found, it is important to check rooms above, below and adjacent to the infested room. These bugs are able to pass through wall voids.
• Outline a schedule for preventative inspection. A bed bug plan should always include routine inspections from a professional pest management company.

Bed bugs should never catch your business by surprise. Be prepared to protect your brand from these bugs and the bad press they can create. Contact Holder’s Pest Solutions today to learn more about our Houston bed bug solutions.