Bed Bug Newest Summer Travel Companion
American summers: beaches, sun, and now bed bugs.
According to the National Pest Management Association’s
2015 Bugs Without Borders 66% of pest control professional reported that bed bugs are worse in the summer compared to other seasons. And whether you manage hotels, multi-family, commercial offices or other types of property, your building will most likely come into contact with this pest.
Bed bug infestations spread during the summer months due to increased travel, increased use of public transportation, and increased stays in hotels. The survey indicated that 75% of cases of bed bug infestations occurred in hotels/motels.
Furthermore, the warmer weather accelerates bed bug development, from 4 months to 1.5 months. This means that the bed bug population actually increases over the summer months.
Therefore, due to various factors bed bug infestations actually spread more widely and bed bug populations increase over the summer months. This becomes problematic not only for guests but also property/ hotel managers.
Bed Bugs Ruining Summers for Hotel Managers
According to a recent study from the University of Kentucky, the spread and intensification of bed bugs, coupled with the rise of Internet travel booking, is having an impact on guests’ buying decisions and affecting hotel’s bottom lines.
According to the study, “a single report of bed bugs in recent traveler reviews lowers the value of a hotel room by $38 and $23 per room per night for business and leisure travelers respectively.”
The study further identified guest’s concern about bed bugs as the most important consideration when selecting/ grading a hotel and most likely to cause them to check out compared to other potential problems they might encounter during their hotel stay.
Having a robust and consistent strategy to address bed bugs is an effective mitigation plan as well as an important step in building trust with one’s potential customer base.