Found bed bugs in your hotel room? Here’s exactly what to do

Bed bugs are a fact of life in accommodation — the busiest, best-run hotels get them because guests carry them in. Finding them is unpleasant, but how you respond in the next hour decides whether you take them home with you.

1. Confirm what you are looking at

Before raising it, get evidence. Pull back the sheet at the head of the bed and check the mattress seams, the piping on the edge and behind the headboard. You are looking for small rust-brown spots, dark pinhead dots, shed translucent skins or live apple-seed-sized insects. Photograph anything you find with something for scale, such as a coin.

Bites alone are not proof — they can take days to appear and many people do not react at all. Physical signs on the bed are what the hotel will act on.

2. Tell reception straight away

Report it calmly, show the photos and ask for a different room. Ask for one that is not next to, above or below the original — bed bugs spread to neighbouring rooms through walls and services. A good operator will move you without argument, take the room out of service and book an inspection.

3. Protect your luggage before you move

• Keep your suitcase off the floor and off the bed — the luggage rack or the bathroom is safest.
• Do not unpack into drawers or wardrobes in the new room until you have checked that bed too.
• Put worn clothes in a sealed bag rather than back in the case.
• If you have already been in the room for several nights, assume your belongings may be carrying bugs or eggs.

4. What you can reasonably expect

You are entitled to a room that is fit to sleep in. Most operators will move you, and many will refund the affected nights or offer a goodwill gesture. If the hotel refuses to act, raise it with the booking platform or travel company if you used one — they usually have a complaints route — and keep your photos and a note of who you spoke to and when.

In the UK, services should be provided with reasonable care and skill under the Consumer Rights Act 2015; a room with an active infestation that the operator will not deal with is a reasonable basis for a complaint or a chargeback request.

5. When you get home

1. Unpack outdoors, in the garage or straight into the bathroom — not on your bed.
2. Wash everything on the hottest cycle the fabric allows and tumble dry on high for at least 30 minutes. The dryer heat is what kills eggs.
3. Anything that cannot be washed goes in a sealed bag for a few weeks, or through a hot dryer cycle on its own.
4. Vacuum the empty suitcase thoroughly, including seams and pockets, then store it away from bedrooms.
5. Check your own bed weekly for the next month.

If they followed you home

Use our free matching service to be connected with a vetted, insured specialist in your area. They will confirm whether what you have is bed bugs and give you a no-obligation quote.