A comedian who was in town during MLS All-Star week in the Twin Cities said his stay at his downtown Minneapolis hotel was ruined by bed bugs.
Alexis Guerreros, who voices three characters on Netflix’s Bojack Horseman and has a web series on Complex, has been in town hosting events and performing stand-up comedy. His brief stay at the Hilton Garden Inn was documented on Twitter.
Guerreros said shortly after checking in, he noticed something biting his leg. He shared an image on social media showing what resembles a bed bug on his sock.
The Hilton Garden Inn says it found no traces of bed bugs in the hotel room after “third-party testing.”
In his Twitter thread, Guerreros wrote of the moment he saw the bug: “Obviously I’m freaking out. I hate bugs…HATE THEM nightmare: bed bug slap me.”
But things only got worse for Guerreros when he noticed 24 hours later that a red rash was forming on his leg where the bug was found.
After visiting a hospital, he said he had to take medication every six hours for seven days, prompting him to turn down job opportunities.
Guerreros says when he spoke to staff, they allegedly denied it was a bed bug and said it was a tick instead.
“First [the employee] tried to tell me it’s a tick but he had been checking for bed bugs on his phone and it’s the twin of the picture on his phone. It looks like this bug is looking in a mirror,” he said.
“I point it out and he nervously switches off his phone.”
Guerreros said he threw away everything he was wearing at the time and left the hotel. He claims the manager offered him another room which he declined.
“Please check your hotel rooms. I will from now on… stick to the most expensive room you can afford, but if that @HiltonGardenInn is downtown Minneapolis… good luck,” Guerreros said in a tweet.
The hotel issued the following statement to Bring Me The News on Tuesday, stating that no bed bugs were found in the hotel room:
“The Hilton Garden Inn Minneapolis Downtown was saddened to learn of this guest’s situation. The hotel responded quickly and conducted third-party testing, which found no traces of bed bugs in the room.
“It is our ongoing priority to provide travelers with a safe and welcoming environment by conducting proactive searches and treatment as needed throughout the year.”
Located off Interstate 35W and about a block from the Minneapolis Convention Center, the hotel has an overall rating of 4.5 stars on Trip Advisor with nearly 2,000 published reviews.
