Mattress bugs invade Bloomington lodge

It was a family business that sent a man from the southwestern suburbs of Chicago to the Twin Cities in August.

Shawn Booth said he checked into the Econolodge on the 400 block of Brock Drive in Bloomington on Aug. 12.

“At the time, it was all about my budget and what I could afford. I needed a room and I knew I stayed there a few years ago,” said Booth.

He said everything was fine during his previous stay, so he felt comfortable being there again.

He booked a room with two beds so that his children, who are eight and twelve years old, could sleep in one and have the other to themselves.

When it was time to go to bed, they found they had uninvited guests.

“Years ago I had a family member who had bed bugs and I experienced it back then and at that time I had welts and I didn’t understand what it was until I could do more research and know what it was than I did felt the same burning sensation it felt really familiar, “said Booth.

Booth said he didn’t want to believe there were bed bugs so he lay back.

“I don’t give it in the same bed for more than 30 minutes and I bit again. It was on my wrist and it burned again and then I bit my leg so I was okay that something was going on in this bed. “”

He saw nothing and decided to try again, but was bitten again.

He went to the other bed where his children slept.

“I’m like what’s going on, you guys have it on your bed too and I couldn’t see it. It’s about five or six in the morning. I couldn’t see it. I was looking for my phone for it.”

A few minutes later he saw a bed bug.

Booth told Jessica Cook he knew he needed evidence and started taking photos and videos.

His children also had bites.

“Good night, don’t let the bed bugs bite, his mom tells him and he tells me, ‘Dad, I didn’t think they were real’ … It was so bad for him.”

Booth said he told management about the bed bugs and asked for a refund.

He got $ 50 back for the night, but was told he would be billed for a second night.

He told them he would not stay here again.

Both said he spoke to someone at Corporate who told him he could have points instead of the other $ 50.

“If it had been me, I would probably have been in a hot mood and then just went my way and said that you know what I know, that I won’t stay, but to know that my child feels like that he cannot go home and sleep peacefully, that is another step for me as a parent. “

Choice Hotels owns Econolodge.

A spokesperson sent this statement to Jessica Cook:

“The safety and wellbeing of guests who choose to stay with our brands are always paramount, and such matters are taken very seriously. Best practices for prevention and remediation are given to all franchise owners and their employees. We got ourselves Endeavored at this hotel for more information and we also reached out to the guest directly to offer a sincere apology and a refund and an acceptable solution. ”

-Pearl Amaechi, PR coordinator for Choice Hotels

Booth told Jessica Cook that he had been contacted by someone from the company and was considering legal action.