How to Check Your Hotel Room for Bed Bugs |

How To Check Your Hotel Room For Bed Bugs

Planning a trip? Whether it’s a summer vacation, a holiday getaway, or a business trip, travel should be stress-free. But unfortunately, one of the easiest ways to bring home an unexpected pest problem is by picking up bed bugs from a hotel room.

These tiny hitchhikers don’t care how clean or upscale the room is—they’ll go wherever people go. The good news? A quick check when you arrive can make all the difference.

Here’s how to inspect your hotel room for bed bugs and what to do if you accidentally bring them home.

Why You Should Always Check for Bed Bugs

Bed bugs spread by crawling into your luggage, clothing, or personal belongings. Once inside your home, they hide in cracks, mattresses, and furniture—and they multiply quickly.

By inspecting your hotel room as soon as you arrive, you can catch a problem early and avoid a costly, stressful infestation.

What Do Bed Bugs Look Like?

Adult bed bugs are small (about the size of an apple seed), reddish-brown, and flat. You might also spot:

Tiny white eggs the size of a pinhead
Molted skins that resemble the bugs but are translucent
Dark or rusty stains on fabric—evidence of droppings or crushed bugs

What To Bring For a Bed Bug Inspection

A few simple tools can make your room inspection easier:

A small flashlight or phone light to help you check dark crevices
Plastic trash bags for sealing your suitcase if needed
Hard-sided luggage that offers fewer hiding spots for pests

Step-by-Step: How to Check Your Hotel Room

Don’t Set Luggage on the Bed or Floor Right Away

When you enter your room, leave your bags in the hallway with a fellow traveler. If that option isn’t available, put your bags in the bathroom on a hard surface until you’ve completed your inspection.

Start with the Bed

Bed bugs are most often found around the mattress and headboard. Here's where to look:

Pull back all bedding and check the mattress seams, corners, and tags for small dark spots or shed skins.
Inspect the box spring and bed frame, especially where materials join or have cracks.
Look behind the headboard if possible.

Check Nearby Furniture

Nightstands, chairs, and upholstered benches near the bed are common hiding spots:

Shine your flashlight into drawer joints and creases in furniture.
Look along seams and under cushions of chairs or sofas.

Look Around the Room

Inspect curtains, especially folds near the bed.
Check behind wall hangings and along the baseboards for signs of activity.

What to Do if You Find Bed Bugs

If you see signs of bed bugs:

Alert the front desk right away.
Request a new room in a different area of the hotel. Bed bugs can easily spread through wall voids and hallways. If you’re not comfortable remaining, secure new lodgings and repeat the process.
Do not unpack until you're confident the new room is clear.

What To Do If You Brought Bed Bugs Home

Even with precautions, bed bugs sometimes tag along. Here’s what to do to avoid a bed bug infestation in your home:

Unpack With Caution

Unpack your bags in a garage, on a tiled floor, or outside if possible. Immediately wash and dry all clothing on the highest heat setting.

Vacuum and Inspect Your Suitcase

Use a crevice attachment to vacuum the suitcase, especially seams and pockets. Seal and dispose of the vacuum bag outside your home.

Watch for Signs

Keep an eye out for bites, specks on your bedding, or live bugs near your mattress and headboard.

Call got bugs?

If you suspect bed bugs, don’t wait. DIY methods rarely work, and bed bugs reproduce quickly. Professional treatment is the fastest way to stop an infestation before it spreads.