Bed Bug Best Practices for Hospitality This Holiday Season

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By Dr. Alice Sinia, Ph.D

Quality Assurance Manager- Regulatory/Lab Services, Orkin Canada

Canada’s holiday season is in full swing, and hotels are opening their doors to a growing number of excited travelers every day. Some guests are celebrating the season on your property for the first time while others may be returning for a time-honoured holiday tradition. Either way, it’s safe to say they want to take home memories, not bed bugs.

With this seasonal surge in guests comes an increased risk of bed bug infestations, and these unwelcome visitors can easily hitch a ride on luggage, clothing and personal belongings. For hotels and short-term rental properties, the stakes are high: A bed bug problem not only disrupts operations but also damages a business’s reputation and its bottom line. Fortunately, by implementing prevention and monitoring strategies, hotel staff can help mitigate the risk of bed bug infestations and ensure comfortable holiday stays for their guests.

Perform Regular — and Thorough — Bed Bug Inspections

Just the thought of a bed bug infestation can cause anxiety for businesses in the hospitality industry. Bed bugs are small and flat — making them excellent at hiding and avoiding detection ­— but they make their presence known by causing annoying, itchy bites on sleeping guests, since they feed solely on blood.

Routine inspections are crucial in the fight against bed bugs. Hotel staff should be trained to conduct inspections of all guest rooms, particularly those that have recently been vacated. Bed bugs tend to hide in places close to where guests sleep, such as mattress seams, box springs, headboards and bedside accessories. During inspections, staff should also check under cushions, behind wall fixtures and in dark spaces and pockets in furniture.

Since bed bugs often find their way into cracks, crevices, fabric seams and small gaps, it can be hard to know the full scope of the problem by relying solely on a visual inspection. Beyond traditional bed bug prevention methods, pest control providers may use trained dogs that are able to quickly and accurately detect the scent of bed bugs at all points of their life cycle (including bed bug eggs, live bed bugs and dead bed bugs). During busy traveling seasons, scheduling canine inspections either weekly or monthly or installing discrete monitoring devices can aid in early bed bug detection. Reach out to your local pest control provider’s branch to see if bed bug detection dogs are available in your area to aid in bed bug inspections.

Inspect and monitor high risk areas such as common sitting areas in hotel lobbies, laundry rooms and closets where housekeeping carts and equipment are stored. These areas can be hot spots for bed bugs and are often overlooked.

Educate Staff on Early Detection, Signs of Infestation and Prevention

Staff training is essential for identifying the early signs of bed bugs. Housekeeping staff should be educated on what to look for, including small, reddish-brown bugs, dark spots on sheets or mattresses, or shed skins and eggs. Staff should also be trained on specific steps to take if bed bugs are found and how to report any suspected evidence of bed bugs immediately to management. Front desk personnel must also be trained on specific steps required and taken if a guest complains or reports bed bugs in a room.

Educate staff on best housekeeping and laundry practices that will help prevent bed bugs from spreading room to room. Inspect inside and around carts and other housekeeping equipment regularly to ensure there are no crevices that could harbour bed bugs. Many pest control providers will offer complimentary staff training to help with pest identification and documentation to ensure staff follow proper protocols if pest issues are discovered.

Develop a Response Plan for Confirmed Bed Bug Cases

Despite preventive measures, infestations can still happen. Every hospitality business should have a clear response plan in place for confirmed cases of bed bugs. This plan should include guest room re-allocation, immediate room quarantine, professional pest control services and types of treatment, follow-ups and a customer relations strategy. If bed bugs are confirmed, the affected room — and adjacent rooms — should be closed off and treated by a professional pest control provider.

Schedule Professional Pest Control Treatments

If bed bug activity is detected and there is need for reactive treatment, scheduling with licensed professionals will help control an active population or introduction and prevent a future infestation. Pest control companies can offer both chemical and non-chemical treatments. Non-chemical treatments can include mechanical control or removal by vacuuming, using protective mattress and box spring encasements and heat treatment, which is effective against bed bugs at all life stages. Treatments are especially important during peak travel seasons, like the holidays, since there are so many opportunities for bed bugs to infiltrate even the most prepared hotels. Any guest could unknowingly bring with them some unwanted visitors.

Preventing bed bugs from finding safe shelter in your hotel is a shared responsibility between hotel staff and guests. By following these best practices and staying vigilant, hospitality businesses can help protect their reputation, preserve guest satisfaction and ensure a safe, comfortable holiday stay for all who walk through your doors.

 

Building on a Century of Success: Setting the Stage for the GTHA’s 100th Anniversary

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By Sara Anghel, President & CEO of the Greater Toronto Hotel Association

As we reflect on the past 99 years, the Greater Toronto Hotel Association (GTHA) is proud to have built our community, our organization, and our industry into a critical pillar of Toronto's economic and cultural fabric. At our 2024 Hotel Summit and Annual General Meeting last June, we announced our centennial campaign, "Building on a Century of Success." This campaign will build up to our 100-year anniversary in 2025, which will celebrate a century of the hotel industry’s achievements, growth, and an unwavering commitment to excellence.

Since 1925, the GTHA has been an integral part of the Toronto region’s tourism and hospitality sector. Originally known as the Toronto Hotel Association, our organization has helped build up Toronto’s hotel infrastructure and supported the city’s development into a vibrant, modern metropolis. Adapting through the amalgamation of the city’s boroughs and the interconnection of the wider region, the economic shift of the 70’s and 80’s, and even World War II, the GTHA’s history is rich and varied, but always committed to those that we serve.

The Greater Toronto Area of today is a global tourism and business destination, attracting millions of visitors and billions of tourism dollars annually. Our members continue to contribute to our region’s growth by engaging diverse communities, promoting sustainable practices, and cultivating a safe and inclusive environment. These lasting contributions to the Greater Toronto Area’s socio-economic fabric reflect the best that our city and province have to offer.

As Toronto and the world have been marked by the unprecedented events of recent years, it has become clearer than ever that the hotel industry has profound economic impacts for the GTA, driving growth and supporting quality local careers.

As one of the hardest-hit industries during the COVID-19 pandemic, Toronto area hotels have contended with huge operational, financial, employment, and health and safety challenges. Despite these setbacks,recent data from Statistics Canada and the Canadian Tourism Research Institute highlight that most visitors to Toronto continue to choose hotels over short-term rentals. This is no surprise as our members offer unparalleled quality and customer care that merits the confidence guests place in them. Hotels are a central part of our diverse neighbourhoods and long-standing pillars of the communities they call home.

As tourism continues to rebound from the pandemic, the GTHA is committed to building on this momentum and enhancing the GTA’s competitiveness as a top-tier destination. Our hundred-year anniversary in 2025 will represent a new century for our association and its vital partnerships with government and our industry partners.

The GTHA is more than an association – it is a testament to the power of collaboration, advocacy, and the enduring spirit of the Greater Toronto Area’s hotels and their dedicated employees. Let’s seize the opportunity to build on this success together by empowering critical investment in tourism infrastructure and paving the way for future growth. Together, we will continue to build a bright, prosperous future for the GTA and for Canada, honouring our past while embracing the opportunities that lie ahead.

Sara Anghel is the President & CEO of the Greater Toronto Hotel Association, representing 150 member hotels that employ over 32,000 individuals across the Greater Toronto Area. Our mission is to support and advocate for the hotel industry, ensuring its growth and sustainability to foster growth and enhance the prosperity of the region.