NATIONAL REPORT – Last month, Orkin, the Atlanta-based pest control services company, released its annual list of the Top 50 Bed Bug Cities. At the top of the list were Baltimore (for the second year in a row), Washington, DC, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Columbus, OH. According to orkin entomologist Dr. Tim Husen, the number of bed bug infestations in the US is still increasing.
Bed bugs are an expensive problem for the American hospitality industry. A 2017 research report titled “Behind the Cost of Bed Bugs: The Hospitality Industry Report” stated that hotels spend an average of $ 6,383 per bed bug incident. These costs include pest control costs, loss of room revenue during the inspection and treatment process, guest compensation, and soft goods disposal. The report goes on to say that over five years the cost of bed bugs could catapult hoteliers to more than $ 160,000.
Until recently, the added financial impact of bed bugs on the hotel brand’s reputation was considered an unmeasurable measure. However, a University of Kentucky study found that just one negative bed bug report on a traveller’s online review page can cost a 300-room hotel that provides business travelers with $ 274,000 in monthly revenue. When looking at a similar sized hotel for leisure travelers, the cost was $ 166,000 per month.
It doesn’t have to happen …
A single bed bug incident at an otherwise well-run hotel can create a public relations nightmare and have long-term detrimental effects on a hotel’s bottom line, brand reputation, and stakeholder equity in the property. For both cost and reputation reasons, bed bug prevention is far preferable to post-infestation treatment. There are several proactive steps hotel professionals can take to prevent the problem from occurring in the first place. The goal – to prevent the encounter between bed bugs and guests.
Start by designing your hotel room. The design choices you made for your room could create a welcoming environment for bed bugs. Consider these eight powerful modifications to make your hotel more bed bug resistant.
Increase your bed bug vigilance. Training your hotel staff is key to detecting an infestation early on, before your guests do. Fixing a bed bug incident soon after the pest has entered the room will keep your costs down and protect your hotel’s reputation.
Have a bed bug prevention program in place. Stop being reactive against bed bugs and take preventative measures. Prevention is key to keeping your hotel’s treatment costs down. Protect your hotel reputation from a guest discovering an infestation; Proof of your duty of care in bed bug complaints; and maintaining a bed bug free facility. Learn about active mattress covers and how they can stop bed bugs and turn an infestation into a mere incident.
Create a plan of action for bed bug complaints. Preparing your employees for a bed bug complaint could be one of the most important steps you take with bed bugs. With correct treatment, a bed bug incident cannot be an event. Mishandled, it could land your property on the nightly news, creating a public relations nightmare. Make sure your employees have a proven protocol. Keep these tips in mind to help you create your own bed bug discomfort plan of action.
Rethink your mattress protection. As bed bugs made a comeback, many hoteliers turned to mattress covers to protect their mattresses and box spring beds. Times have changed, as have bed bug prevention. Experienced hoteliers are now opting for more advanced mattress protection with active mattress liners such as ActiveGuard® mattress liners. Active mattress protectors not only protect the mattress, but also those who sleep in bed. Active mattress protectors kill bed bugs through contact and do so continuously for two years.
Realize the cost savings in bed bug prevention. Responding to bed bug infestations can be a costly endeavor. As a rule, it is recommended to treat not only the infested room, but also the adjacent rooms on both sides, as well as above and below. Think how much you can save by implementing a prevention strategy in your hotel instead of responding to the problem with this hotel savings calculator.
The incidence of bed bugs affecting the hospitality industry is well documented and is increasing daily. It’s unwise to realize that while your facility is being spared, the problem will only affect others. Hence, constant vigilance is required to protect your facility from infestation, negative advertising, and high treatment costs. Having a solid bed bug prevention plan can save a hotel significant money and protect its reputation. To find out more and start your prevention program today, visit www.hotelbedbugprevention.com.
About allergy technologies
ActiveGuard mattress liners kill bed bugs. These liners are easy to install on mattresses or box spring beds and offer two years of continuous prevention and control against adult bed bugs, nymphs or eggs. ActiveGuard has no warning signs or usage restrictions on its label. Only four sizes – single / double, double / full, queen and king – fit almost every available mattress or box spring bed and can accommodate up to extra-large lengths and 17 inches. in the deep. The basis is the formulation of ActiveGuard. A unique and proprietary delivery system that provides permanent bioavailability of permethrin for two years. Latest research shows that after a brief exposure of just 10 minutes to ActiveGuard, regardless of resistance, bed bugs show significant reductions in feeding (biting) and a dramatic inability to lay eggs. This causes a disruption in population growth, thereby stopping an incident from progressing to an infestation. If you are looking for a proactive preventive approach, ActiveGuard should be viewed as the centerpiece of your long-term solution to preventing bed linen from becoming infested. ActiveGuard mattress liners are covered by U.S. Patents 5,916,580, 6,214,365, 6,440,438, and pending patents.
Start Your Bed Bug Prevention Program Today: http://hotelbedbugprevention.com/hotel-prevention/
