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Ok, after extensive and exhaustive research I have reached the conclusion that bedbugs are unavoidable and everywhere. Whether a 1 star or 5, they seem to be all over the place. Has the time come where we just have to find a way to live/vacation in harmony? The problem is not going away and I don't know how to successfully avoid them anymore judging from the reports I'm reading on various websites. I know to bring garbage bags with me to store my luggage in. Should I buy a can of bug spray the moment I land? Hotels can only do so much, they can treat the entire building, but all it takes is one person to reinfest it. I read one hotel review where a woman went out and bought all her own linens and someone else mentioned wearing some kind of mosquito hood while he slept, seriously! But is that so farfetched when in the old days, people used kerosine to prop their beds on?
I know there's been umpteen threads about this and they all say the same thing, complain to hotel management, but people do that and nothing happens. But what can they really do about it?
Honestly, I travel alot and I just can't let myself think or worry about it too much (bedbugs or the general icky-ness of sleeping in a bed that who knows who has been in). I hang my clothes up, put the suitcase up or in the loo. But that's about it.
Ok, after extensive and exhaustive research I have reached the conclusion that bedbugs are unavoidable and everywhere. Whether a 1 star or 5, they seem to be all over the place. Has the time come where we just have to find a way to live/vacation in harmony? The problem is not going away and I don't know how to successfully avoid them anymore judging from the reports I'm reading on various websites. I know to bring garbage bags with me to store my luggage in. Should I buy a can of bug spray the moment I land? Hotels can only do so much, they can treat the entire building, but all it takes is one person to reinfest it. I read one hotel review where a woman went out and bought all her own linens and someone else mentioned wearing some kind of mosquito hood while he slept, seriously! But is that so farfetched when in the old days, people used kerosine to prop their beds on?
I know there's been umpteen threads about this and they all say the same thing, complain to hotel management, but people do that and nothing happens. But what can they really do about it?
Having worked in a fairly high-profile hotel in Branson, Missouri I can tell you that YES, they are pretty much everywhere.
Some people have more sensitivity to being bitten than others. I have seen folks with huge, red welts on their arms and legs and I have seen other folks who have little more than what looks like a mosquito bite. The biggest concern, I think is bringing them home which is not only yucky to think about, but having to spray toxic chemicals *everywhere* (especially where you sleep) cannot possibly be a good idea.
Also, I would say that, because bed bugs bite MULTIPLE people, the possibility of spreading other diseases is a very real danger.
If you are truly concerned (and rightfully so), you can ask to inspect the room before you decide to stay at the hotel. The internet can provide you with all the information you need as to where to look; and what to look for. *bring a good flash light). Personally, I would not stay in a hotel unless I was able to do this.
Honestly, I travel alot and I just can't let myself think or worry about it too much (bedbugs or the general icky-ness of sleeping in a bed that who knows who has been in). I hang my clothes up, put the suitcase up or in the loo. But that's about it.
Ditto here. I am generally in a hotel room in the US at least one night a week, have been for the past 2 years, and never had an issue. You can't fear everything out there or you'll drive yourself nuts.
[quote=mels;20879837]Ditto here. I am generally in a hotel room in the US at least one night a week, have been for the past 2 years, and never had an issue. You can't fear everything out there or you'll drive yourself nuts.[/quote]
No doubt. It's kinda like eating a hotdog at the game (or Costco) - can't let myself think about it overmuch.
Ditto here. I am generally in a hotel room in the US at least one night a week, have been for the past 2 years, and never had an issue. You can't fear everything out there or you'll drive yourself nuts.
am in a hotel 365 nights per year and never had a problem. find this thread pretty amusing actually. talk about paranoia lol
I used to spend most of my life in motel rooms; and even now I still occasionally have to.
I have never had a bedbug problem.
I am very particular about where I stay, though. If the place is nice and clean visually from the outside, I'll go in and look. If the corners of the floor are dirty, if the lobby is dimly lit, or the ceiling has even one cobweb, I'm outta there. If the housekeeping staff has problems with the local language, they may not understand a strictly-particular connotation of the word, 'clean'; if the front-desk staff is unkempt or 'casual', they may not grasp how important cleanliness is. I prefer to stay in family-owned (or family-operated chain) motels off of the beaten track, not near airports or high-traffic-transportation centers, or in the 'central activity hub' of most big cities. High and frequent traffic means a higher chance of unwelcome 'guests'. Likewise, anything that could be construed even partially as a 'resident' motel may have unsavory 'guests' due to infrequent or spotty cleaning practices.
Incidentally, the whole idea of "We follow 'green' practices, so we don't change the sheets or towels unless you ask" type of motels give me the willies. So that means that someone who brings bedbugs with them could stay for a week without getting their linens changed, and this is considered a good practice? Un-unh, I don't think so... seems more like the newly-resident bedbugs would set up a nice home, complete with nursery and recreation parks, in that week...
Incidentally, the whole idea of "We follow 'green' practices, so we don't change the sheets or towels unless you ask" type of motels give me the willies. So that means that someone who brings bedbugs with them could stay for a week without getting their linens changed, and this is considered a good practice? Un-unh, I don't think so... seems more like the newly-resident bedbugs would set up a nice home, complete with nursery and recreation parks, in that week...
A rep point especially for that.
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