We usually spot check when we check into a place, but here’s my harrowing/miracle story. We stayed at a remote cabin Airbnb for a long weekend. At some point that weekend, we also bought a blanket from Target which we opened when we got home. Early the next morning, I was up feeding the baby and flipped the light on, and there was one meandering right toward us on the arm of the couch. It was all I could do not to yeet the baby across the room in my desperation to catch that thing. Somehow, I managed to catch it whole and alive in a Ziploc bag. The exterminator confirmed it, and sprinkled DE over the couch and on our mattress and did a thorough flashlight inspection. Knock wood, we never had another occurrence, but it gave me massive anxiety for weeks.
I don’t know if it came from Target or the Airbnb, though we had reason to believe the Airbnb might have had pest issues of various sorts, so I wouldn’t have been surprised. I did let the owner know, and they of course said they’d had no other reports. It had always been my policy to immediately kick textiles to the basement and wash and dry them on high heat before using, but for some reason we didn’t that time.
Not a myth:
They will routinely travel as far as a 20-foot radius from their hiding places (and back) in one night to take a blood meal
From
However, I was gonna mention the store thing because when we found the one in NYC we read they had to close a gap or Victoria Secret (I can’t remember if it was or the other or both) to treat for them there and that they can live on benches and the Empire State Building had them as well which we had visited and sat on a bench that night, etc. so yes their base can be something other than a bed but in a hotel room it’s usually the bed. And it’s why they can be in one room but not the next because they don’t travel that far from their base but putting your bag on the floor inside the room and not right at the doorway or leaving it in the hall while you check puts you at some risk.
We never put luggage on the bed or floor, always a luggage rack or other hard surface. I used to check the mattress every stay and my daughter mentioned that I didn’t either time on our split stay WDW trip in December. I guess I was more worried about Covid…
You want comfort? Over the years I’ve spent st least 50 nights in WDW resorts, from value to deluxe, and I have never had a bed bug issue. I’ve stayed in countless hotels in countless cities/states/countries and I have never had a bed bug problem. I think that the relatively few cases that occur are over-emphasized and cause a lot of needless worry.
I’ve been meaning to ask this question for a while since it is always a concern when I’m traveling. But actually better to ask when it’s not an immediate concern.
Have you ever gotten bedbugs while traveling
Did you ever find bedbugs in your room but manage not to get them
Did you ever get bedbugs while visiting WDW location
Did you ever get bedbugs while traveling in the US
Did you ever get bedbugs while traveling internationally
Did you ever yeet a baby because of bedbugs
Jeff, I will say it should comfort you that once I found a louse on my towel after towel drying my hair (I am 100% convinced I got it from Chewbaca that day because he’s one hairy man!). I couldn’t find any more evidence, but I had a rental, so I went to the store and got the chemical hair washes and let the front desk know (this was at Beach Club). They completely stripped our room of sheets/blankets and towels so fast and vacuumed for us within an hour. I think they would handle it well if it had been a bed bug instead of a “space alien” louse. Seriously I really think I got it from Chewie! I think your issue is going to come more from Mom-and-Pop places that may not have the means and a good system to deal with it.
I am sure that Disney goes all out to nip these problems in the bud (or bug) as soon as there’s even a whiff of an issue. Heat treating rooms is a really effective way to go, but it’s cost prohibitive for most people. Knowing Disney, I’m sure they have an extermination company on retainer for an exorbitant monthly cost and they just come do their thing (dogs, heat, new mattresses, etc) at the drop of a hat.
I have never worried about bed bugs in hotels, and certainly not at a place as expensive as Disney. Think of it this way: If Disney got a rep for bedbugs they would lose millions. So, they don’t have them. They are hospitality experts, and this is a big concern.
We got bed bugs when we lived out in Queens (one of several reasons we regretted that move) and I thought it was just mosquitos. We got rid of our mattress, never saw them again.
I think your issue is going to come more from Mom-and-Pop places that may not have the means and a good system to deal with it.
