Bed bugs are a common nuisance in hotels. As a hotel manager or owner, you might not be shocked to know that 68% of infestations occur in hotels. They can quickly spread from room to room and area to area without ever being seen by staff or customers. Thankfully, there are steps you can take to prevent bed bugs from spreading in your hotel. With the right prevention, you can protect your hotel against these unwanted pests.
The Spread of Bed Bugs in Hotels
Bed bugs in one room can quickly mean bed bugs in other rooms. They usually appear in hotels on the clothing or luggage of guests and make their way into bedding, carpets furniture, and other items. These annoyances travel in the vacuum cleaner and walk from room to room. They’ll also use the pipes as a transportation system or hitch a ride on clothing or luggage.
A small issue can quickly turn into an infestation as bed bugs have a quick breeding cycle which means an infestation can occur very quickly if it isn’t addressed. Hotel managers need to make quick decisions to minimize issues and damage.
Ways to Prevent Bed Bugs
Be Diligent About Inspections
Prevention can only go so far, so make sure your standards for inspections are high, and you understand how to properly conduct one.
Have mattress encasements for all the mattresses, including the top ones and box springs. While these won’t help with a current infestation, they can reduce the number of places these pests can reside. Make sure the cleaning staff vacuums the edges of the carpeting because these are notorious places for bed bugs to hide.
Train the Staff Well
Once you educate yourself, spread this information to your staff. Teach them about identifying bed bugs during all stages of life. Educate them on their most common hiding spots. Inform them inspections are a daily task and what steps they should take when they find bed bugs.
Have Open Communication Between Staff and Customers
Advise your staff to accommodate customers with problems, if they aren’t already. Inform them to hear customers’ complaints and concerns with an open mind. Teach them how to react when a customer suspects a room has bed bugs. The final step is to train them on how to respond to customers regarding a potential bed bug sighting.
Get Prevention from a Pest Management Company
You can prevent bed bugs in hotels by hiring a commercial pest management company to keep your hotel bed bug-free and guests happy. While you may take all the necessary precautions, a pest management company has a more comprehensive inspection process to spot them early on.
The pest management company also has effective treatments that can eliminate bed bugs completely and quickly, much more so than taking matters into your own hands. Plus, they offer prevention methods such as integrated pest management plans that can provide frequent maintenance to stop infestations from happening.
Preventative Bed Bug Pest Control for Hotels
Bed bugs can cause havoc on your hotel, guest, and staff. Prevention is key to maintaining and removing infestations. At ASAP Pest Control, our team of trained professionals have years of experience in understanding these pests and providing solutions to help you keep your hotel bed bug free.
We offer a preventative bed bug control program that is tailored to your specific needs and ensures that your needs are met. We provide fast response solutions for infestation outbreaks that may occur throughout your hotel, making sure that guests are always kept safe and comfortable. Contact us today to learn more about our bed bug services.