NATIONAL REPORT – Bed bugs don’t discriminate – a five-star luxury resort can be just as easily hit by a bed bug as a roadside stop. It is advisable to add weekly bed bug inspections to the cleaning staff’s to-do list to uncover an issue before guests are exposed.
The aim of the inspection is to find bed bugs and / or signs of activity. Remember that bed bugs like to rest in small, narrow spaces. So don’t forget to examine them carefully. The headboard and bedspread are two very important areas to check as none of these areas will be disturbed while maintaining the room. Consider adding the following steps to cleaning staff responsibilities:
- Start with a gentle exhale along the top corners and sides of the headboard. Bed bugs are attracted to gently applied carbon dioxide found in a person’s breath.
- Use the flashlight to look at the edges of the headboard a few times during the inspection to check for moving bed bugs.
- Slide a credit card along the headboard and attached wall to see if you are collecting signs of bed bugs such as eggs, feces, and exoskeletons. Remember, if a credit card can slip, a bed bug can slip too.
- Bit by bit, pull the bedding back from each of the two corners at the head of the bed and look again for any signs of bed bugs.
- Check the mattress edges at these two corners, focusing on the rolled edges, tufts, and any labels or handles attached to the mattress. Lift the top corners of the mattress and inspect them underneath. Look at the top of the bed skirt under the mattress.
- As you pull back the mattress, examine the top of the box spring or platform. Inspecting the underside of the box spring, while important, is likely a two-person job that is not routinely done during laundry changes.
While identifying signs of an infestation quickly is vital, a solid, field-proven program of bed bug prevention can keep the infestation from occurring in the first place. It will surely keep a bed bug incident from becoming an expensive and embarrassing situation.
Proactive bed bug prevention saves hoteliers a lot of money, preserves the brand’s reputation and reduces the legal risk. A 2017 research report, titled “Behind the Cost of Bedbugs: The Hospitality Industry Report,” found 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 an online review site can cost a 300-room hotel that serves 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.
Studies show that prevention more than pays off and leads to savings. Savings come from direct and indirect costs associated with an incident. potential legal and insurance costs; and there’s also the option to save face and protect your brand and reputation in the marketplace.
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.
More tips on bed bug prevention and early detection of infestations can be found online at www.hotelbedbugprevention.com
