How to Check for Bed Bugs in a Hotel: A Guide for UK Travellers

Hotels, guesthouses, and short-term rental properties are among the most common sources of bed bug infestations in UK homes. With travel volumes at record highs and bed bug cases rising across the country, knowing how to check a hotel room could save you from bringing an unwanted problem home with you.

Bed bugs don’t discriminate by hotel star rating. A five-star hotel in central London is just as capable of harbouring bed bugs as a budget guesthouse. The critical factor is guest turnover — the more people coming and going with luggage, the higher the chance that an infested bag or piece of clothing introduces bugs.

Once established in a hotel room, bed bugs are notoriously difficult to eradicate without professional intervention. They can hide within mattress seams, behind headboards, inside bedside furniture, and even within the walls. Housekeeping routines don’t disturb them, and they can survive for months without feeding.

Before you unpack — and ideally before you even put your luggage on the floor — take a few minutes to inspect the room. Here’s what to look for:

Step 1: Put Your Luggage in the Bathroom

The bathroom is the safest place to leave your bags while you carry out your inspection. Bed bugs rarely infest tiled surfaces as there are fewer harbouring sites.

Step 2: Check the Mattress

Pull back the sheets and examine the mattress closely, paying particular attention to the seams and piping around the edges. You’re looking for:

• Live bugs (small, flat, reddish-brown insects about the size of an apple seed)
• Dark brown or black spots (bed bug excrement)
• Small reddish-brown stains (blood spots from crushed bugs)
• Tiny pale yellow eggs or shed skins

Step 3: Check Behind the Headboard

If possible, lift or tilt the headboard away from the wall. The back of the headboard and the wall behind it are prime hiding spots. Use the torch on your phone to inspect the gaps and crevices.

Step 4: Check Bedside Furniture

Open the bedside table drawer and look along the joins and edges. Check underneath lamps and along the base of the furniture.

Step 5: Check Upholstered Furniture

If the room has a sofa or armchair, check along the seams and underneath the cushions.

If you spot anything suspicious, don’t stay in the room. Request an immediate room change — ideally on a different floor and not adjacent to the original room, as bed bugs can spread through wall voids. Inform reception clearly of what you’ve found.

If the hotel is unhelpful, document everything with photographs and consider leaving a review to warn other travellers.

Even if you didn’t notice anything during your stay, it’s worth taking precautions when you return home:

• Leave luggage outside or in a garage if possible while you unpack
• Wash all clothing at 60°C — even items you didn’t wear. Tumble dry on high heat for at least 30 minutes
• Vacuum your suitcase thoroughly and dispose of the vacuum bag immediately
• Store luggage away from your bedroom if possible

Don’t wait and hope the problem goes away. Bed bugs reproduce quickly — a single female can lay up to 500 eggs in her lifetime. The sooner you act, the easier and cheaper the treatment will be.

Midlands Bed Bug Heat Treatment Limited provides fast, professional heat treatment for bed bugs across Birmingham, Coventry, Leicester, Nottingham and the wider Midlands. If you’ve returned from a hotel stay and are concerned, contact us or call 0121 751 3341 for advice and same-week appointments.