Bedbugs....what should hotel do regarding compensation?

[Quilter]

This is first time with actual concern that bedbugs are present. The room looked clean when we checked in. Things started looking grim so I checked the bed further. Not good. It was a Residence Inn.

We’re moving to another property.

I have a couple personal special pillows that I won’t be taking out of the room. Going to Bed Bath and Beyond to replace them before meeting in room with manager.

Not sure what kind of settlement to ask for. Still shaken from the drama.

 

[presley]

They need to reimburse you for everything that you have to throw out. Did you get bit? If so, doctor visits should be reimbursed, too.

 

[Quilter]

Yes I believe I was bitten. I woke up one night and scratched an itch on my arm. It was dark but i was surprised by blood on my fingers. Didn’t think much more about connecting it with bugs until I did thorough bed check. There’s blood spots on mattress pad where I would have my arm.

 

[ilene13]

I always check the mattress when I check into a hotel or timeshare.

 

[bbodb1]

Document, document, document.
Take photos.

 

[easyrider]

Bedbugs are so common that many businesses do not compensate for them. This is mostly because it could be that the guest complaining brought them in and are using the bedbug as a way to get a free stay. Some places are worse than others and if you read reviews you can kind of tell if there is a bedbug problem. Many places are going with pedestals and foam mattress as bedbugs can't get into a foam mattress.

The good thing is these bites are for the most part just an annoyance unless you are allergic to them. Putting any of your belongings into a dryer for 10 minutes will kill all bedbugs and their eggs. Cold can kill them too but it takes alot longer.

Bill

 

[Quilter]

I did check the corner and upper bed. The sheets looked bright white and so did mattress pad. Mattress looked clean and new. I was disappointed it didn’t have a bug protector on it. I did not pull bed apart until feeling like i was being bitten during the night and then having bug cross floor when I went into bathroom this morning.

 

[Quilter]

Document, document, document.
Take photos.

We did and we met weekend manager in room. She had us send pictures to her email. Her bug company is on their way and they will get back to us on Monday when General Manager assesses everything.

Did wash yesterday but planning to wash everything again at TownePlace Suites when we get there.

 

[JanT]

I’m so sorry this happened to you. I can imagine you are feeling very unsettled after all that. They should compensate you for anything you have to throw out. Also, reimbursement for any medical treatment you might need or any OTC meds you might buy to treat the bites. Other compensation? For good will I think they should be offering something up like paying for however many nights you were supposed to stay with them. I’m not sure what they will do but they should do something.

Please write a review on Marriott and on Trip Advisor so people are aware of this problem with the property.

I have to be honest and say that I try to avoid staying at any property like Residence Inn, Townplace Suites, etc. There is something that inherently gives me the heebie-jeebies. I always question their cleanliness. I’m not sure what it is but I avoid them like the plague.

 

[PrairieGirl]

I have to be honest and say that I try to avoid staying at any property like Residence Inn, Townplace Suites, etc. There is something that inherently gives me the heebie-jeebies. I always question their cleanliness. I’m not sure what it is but I avoid them like the plague.

Hmmm, I have always found these properties to be as clean and sometimes cleaner than a JW. They are "ranked" lower on the Marriott property scale because they don't have all the "bells and whistles" (fancy restaurants on site, super fancy decor in the common areas) NOT because they are sub-standard properties.

I stay at them often, because I like having the convenience of a kitchen (or kitchenette) even just for a day or two. In fact, I just today returned home from a 2 night stay at the Town Place suites in Saskatoon while my husband was in the hospital for surgery. This property is newer (less than 10 years old) IMMACULATE, has fabulous Weber grills in their outside plaza (along with a beautiful fire pit) and I was able to do some grocery shopping and freeze my meat in the FULL SIZE refrigerator (complete with freezer) in my unit for the 2.5 hour drive home after his discharge.

I sent one of my friends to the Marriott Dessert (whatever) TS property in Palm Springs, and she was APPALLED at how dirty her unit was (hair in the bathroom, etc.).

Me thinks I sense some of the (I will leave the word out) attitude that I often see at high end Marriott properties........

 

[Andrearr]

Yeah I've found the residence inn to be great the few times i stayed there and only once at a ritzy higher end hotel did I experience bed bugs.

I was moved to another hotel with transportation.
Not much in compensation but i was so tired and stressed I was just glad to be gone

 

[sea&ski]

Quilter, of course we are all wondering your approximate location. I guess with covid being so front and center that I have "forgotten" to worry about this very issue. I used to look up potential hotels for bed bug reports. Haven't done it in a while. For everyone who is sure that these brands are always clean, bed bugs can occur anywhere. Just moved across the country with one of my kids, I thought more about fleas than anything, we had a couple cats with us.

 

[dougp26364]

I’ve had to think about this a lot in the last few months and this is what I’ve decided I’ll attempt to do should the issue ever arise.

1. I’m taking video. One continuous video that shows the evidence as well as the room and the hotel. I want to believe it will be harder for anyone to say the picture was from another room in another hotel. I’m also collecting and keeping the specimen for positive identification from a licensed exterminator so there is NO doubt it is a bed bug. I’ve seen people who think any bug in a bed is a bed bug. While I know one when I see one, I want an expert opinion.

2. I’m requesting reimbursement of any charges for the room

3. I’m requesting reimbursement for the cleaning or replacement of ALL the clothing that had entered the room

4. I’m requesting reimbursement for all suite cases that entered the room. I will be discarding these as bed bugs could hitch a ride to my house in them

5. For the inconvenience of having to rebook last minute I’m requesting reimbursement of any hotel expenses incurred for the remainder of the trip.

Will I get my requests? Probably not. But with the video and the opinion of a licensed exterminator, I feel I’ll have a better chance in small claims court if it goes that far. The video, posted on social media, will also leave little doubt, if it has to go that far. Recently friends of some of our family had this issue with w West Branson motel. The managers attitude and refusal to do anything is what caused me to rethink what my actions would be should this situation ever arise for me. While they were staying at a MUCH lower quality establishment than we would consider, it can happen anywhere. I’d rather be prepared with a plan than to have to think on the fly.

 

[dougp26364]

I should add that I will request large trash bags. All our clothing that entered the room will need to be double bagged with the bags securely tied shut. At this point we will take all clothing to be laundered on the hottest settings, both wash and dry. The temperature on the average dryer reaches a point that it will kill bedbugs after, I believe,30 minutes on the highest setting. A clothing that will be damaged or shrunk on this setting will need to be replaced.

 

[NboroGirl]

For anyone interested, this is the national Bedbug Registry.

 

[JanT]

You know what? You don’t know a damn thing about me. To insinuate that I have some sort of “attitude” shows something about YOU.

I never said those properties are subpar. But I will say that MY experience with them hasn’t been the best and because of that I avoid them. I don’t think that makes me some kind of snob who only stays at higher end Marriott’s. It makes me a person who hasn’t had the best experiences with Residence Inns and yes, recently (GASP) a Town Place Suites. I don’t think I’m any better than anyone who stays at those properties. They work well for a lot of people and I’m sure many are good properties. But my experiences haven’t been good.

I’m a pretty down to earth person actually. I don’t seek out fancy restaurants - not my style either. I don’t take 4 suitcases of clothes with me on vacation so I can “dress” for dinner every night. I could care less about fine wine or 100 year old scotch. In fact, I don’t drink.

I’m just a pretty relaxed, down to earth person that likes to bake for my friends, the local senior center, and am currently in old clothes covered in paint as I paint my daughter’s new home she just bought while she works.

So save your judgment. Or better yet, just don’t judge people at all. But I guess that’s just too much to ask of people anymore.

Me thinks I sense some of the (I will leave the word out) attitude that I often see at high end Marriott properties........

 

[frank808]

I can attest that Jan and her husband are some of the nicest people and friends I have. No sense of pretentious at all.

JanT is very humble when she claims she "bakes". Her baking skills are put of this world AWESOME. Have not had a better carrot cake, cheesecake or cookies yet!

Sent from my SM-N975U using Tapatalk

 

[Quilter]

Quilter, of course we are all wondering your approximate location. I guess with covid being so front and center that I have "forgotten" to worry about this very issue. I used to look up potential hotels for bed bug reports. Haven't done it in a while. For everyone who is sure that these brands are always clean, bed bugs can occur anywhere. Just moved across the country with one of my kids, I thought more about fleas than anything, we had a couple cats with us.

We're in Southern Pines/Pinehurst, NC for this stay. It's a golfing area and very busy this summer. Hotels are filled. Very little evidence there's a pandemic.

It's my opinion it's not the brand, it's the condition of the property and the management/staff. The entire experience can come down to one bad housekeeper. Yesterday we moved from the Residence Inn to a nearby TownePlace Suites. TPS is our 3rd hotel in the past 2 months. We came in May for the birth of our granddaughter and booked a month at the Homewood Suites. After 3 weeks we checked out. The upkeep of the property was a disappointment and wore us down. Very unfortunate because we loved the location. Price was reasonable for a 2 bedroom suite. We went back to MI for a couple weeks and then came back when our SIL went back to work. On first glance the RI looked promising but after a week and what I detailed above it was time to move.

Both the Homewood Suites and Residence Inn had two things in common. . .aging building and staff that was lax with keeping the property tidy. The manager at the RI agreed the property is in need of refurbishment and said one is planned. That will be a major project.

The TownePlace Suites is only 4 years old. Very nice property. All the staff we've encountered are positive and keeping the place tidy seems a priority. Across the parking lot is a Hilton Garden Inn. It's only 6 months old and also a nice property but no kitchenette and $70/night more that TPS. There's also a Hampton Inn and Suites. It has good reviews but I didn't look any further into that property.

Our DD called the weekend manager at the RI. She asked what the exterminator found as we have been coming and going from her place and she has 2 young children. DD has been an ER nurse in a local hospital and is familiar with patients coming from homes with bed bugs. The manager said the exterminator concluded no bed bugs and said blood on mattress pad must have been old.

That means housekeeping made the bed up with blood visible on the mattress pad. This isn't the first time we've had this happen as we found a larger patch of blood on mattress pad last year at Ocean Pointe.

I know for certain there was a bug crossing the floor. Wished I kept the carcass. Anyway, we'll talk to the GM tomorrow about the fact there was blood and dirt in tufts on mattress (I'm still suspicious it was bed bug debris). We have the pictures. I'm ready to settle and not be thinking about it anymore.

I do miss my pillows. Bed Bath and Beyond no longer carry them. The one was a My Pillow so I can find that elsewhere but I don't know who manufactured the little one.

 

[PrairieGirl]

I apologize, Jan, I guess I misunderstood. Didn't see anything in your post that indicated you had previously had bad experiences with these properties. Just this.....I could have left my last comment out or indicated that it was meant "tongue in cheek".

I have to be honest and say that I try to avoid staying at any property like Residence Inn, Townplace Suites, etc. There is something that inherently gives me the heebie-jeebies. I always question their cleanliness. I’m not sure what it is but I avoid them like the plague.

 

[easyrider]

The truth about bed bugs is they travel with people. You can pick them up in restaurants, airplanes, taxi's, buses, theaters and just about anywhere a person can be. When people find them in a hotel they often go to another hotel or get a different room and bring these bugs with them. No brand of hotel is going to be able to escape bed bugs in the USA because the pesticide that worked well to kill them is no longer legal to use.

Bill

 

[JanT]

Frank,

Your words brought tears to my eyes. I don’t quite know what to say in return except thank you, my friend. I so enjoyed our time with you in Hawaii. We’ve got to get back there!

I can attest that Jan and her husband are some of the nicest people and friends I have. No sense of pretentious at all.

JanT is very humble when she claims she "bakes". Her baking skills are put of this world AWESOME. Have not had a better carrot cake, cheesecake or cookies yet!

Sent from my SM-N975U using Tapatalk

 

[BocaBoy]

Me thinks I sense some of the (I will leave the word out) attitude that I often see at high end Marriott properties........

I sensed it too based on the words in the post, regardless of the intent.

 

[Quilter]

We heard from the same manager today ( assistant manager). The report from exterminator was that there was no sign of bedbugs. They were going to send us copy of report. Manager apologized for blood on mattress pad and dirt debris on mattress. Said it won’t happen again. Offered 7000 points to Bonvoy account.

She also said they recovered my pillows and offered to launder them. I’m going to give it a try. If they don’t come out right we’ll chat further. She has been decent to work with. It’s been 80-90 here lately. The car gets very hot. They can bake in there for a few days. Not that I need to even worry since the exterminator said no bugs...right?
I have an exterminator friend back home. I’ll give him a call.

 

[easyrider]

We heard from the same manager today ( assistant manager). The report from exterminator was that there was no sign of bedbugs. They were going to send us copy of report. Manager apologized for blood on mattress pad and dirt debris on mattress. Said it won’t happen again. Offered 7000 points to Bonvoy account.

She also said they recovered my pillows and offered to launder them. I’m going to give it a try. If they don’t come out right we’ll chat further. She has been decent to work with. It’s been 80-90 here lately. The car gets very hot. They can bake in there for a few days. Not that I need to even worry since the exterminator said no bugs...right?
I have an exterminator friend back home. I’ll give him a call.

My bet is the bedbugs will die in a car if it gets over 115 degrees in the car for a couple of hours. If you saw only one and you looked around and didn't find any others it might not have been a bed bug. Many small bugs look like bedbugs and many people can't tell the difference. Even me sometimes, lol.

Bill

 

[Quilter]

My bet is the bedbugs will die in a car if it gets over 115 degrees in the car for a couple of hours. If you saw only one and you looked around and didn't find any others it might not have been a bed bug. Many small bugs look like bedbugs and many people can't tell the difference. Even me sometimes, lol.

Bill

You’re right. When I first looked at bug I thought it was small roach. Grabbed it with tissue and squeezed. When I opened tissue to look at what it was it wiggled and jump to floor. I grabbed it again and threw it in toilet (after a harder squeeze). It wasn’t until pulling the bed apart and seeing spots of blood and dirt that I looked up info about bedbugs. Blood spots were identical to pictures. Dirt and bug were suspicious but not certain. That’s the best I could tell the manager. It was enough to want to leave. They offered moving us to a freshly cleaned room. We already loaded the car and were ready to leave. Since I had found blood and dirt around 5 am we talked and had decided to look for new hotel. Called front desk but had to wait for manager to get there.