Travelers will want to make sure to check hotel rooms and rental properties extra well when vacationing this summer, because bed bugs are officially back. And we have a potential record travel season exacerbated by nationwide hospitality staffing shortages to thank for the pest resurgence.
In a Memorial Day weekend travel forecast, AAA estimated that more than 42 million Americans would travel 50 or more miles from their homes—a seven percent increase from last year. For many, the itch to travel—no pun intended—is finally bouncing back since the pandemic.
"This is expected to be the third busiest Memorial Day weekend since 2000, when AAA started tracking holiday travel," Paula Twidale, Senior Vice President of AAA Travel, said in a statement. “More Americans are planning trips and booking them earlier, despite inflation. This summer travel season could be one for the record books, especially at airports.”
Already, Honolulu’s Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Oahu was forced to shut down its Terminal 2 twice over the holiday weekend and sanitize multiple gates after bed bugs were found. The affected gates were treated using a high-temperature carpet cleaning and application of a nontoxic spray.
"Experts believe the recent increase in bed bugs in the United States may be due to more travel, lack of knowledge about preventing infestations, increased resistance of bed bugs to pesticides, and ineffective pest control practices," reads a message on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's website.
On top of increased travel plans, the other component is a housekeeping shortage. According to a new survey by the American Hotel & Lodging Association, 82 percent of hotels are reporting staffing shortages—with 26 percent saying that the problem is severe enough that it impacts the hotel’s ability to operate.
Not surprisingly, the most critical staffing need is housekeeping, with 40 percent of hotels ranking it as their top hiring need.
Halee Whiting, owner of the hotel sales support company Hospitality with a Flair, told USA Today that a surge of travelers combined with the housekeeping crisis is essentially a recipe for disaster.
"I think it's concerning, especially with a lot of the brands keeping rules where you have to ask for housekeeping now," Whiting said. "That's a way for them to trim costs, trim hours on housekeeping. That is concerning for me because I think it's just a recipe for things to get missed."
Over on her popular TikTok account, Whiting posted a video educating people on how to check your accommodations for bed bugs. Before getting unpacked and settled, Whiting says it's a good idea to turn off all the lights in your room and close any shades, then use the flashlight on your phone to inspect the bed.
She says to get into the corners and creases of the mattress, which is where the bugs like to hang out. And if there's a mattress pad, you'll want to pay extra attention to that as well. "If you don't see bugs, make sure to check for spots, like blood spots, because that's not a good sign either," Whiting adds.
@haleewithaflair #stitch with @Matt & Abby Bed Bug Hotel Hacks #hotels #hoteltiktok #traveltips #bedbugs #hotellife
♬ original sound - Halee-Hotel & Travel Expert
Adult bed bugs are approximately five millimeters long and are brown in appearance, with a flattened, oval-shaped body. Their bites may appear as smallish raised bumps, large welts, or red rashes. Symptoms can vary greatly from person to person, with some people experiencing itchiness, while others don’t exhibit any symptoms at all.
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