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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Business
Anna Tims

Booking.com ignored me after my bedbug nightmare

A bed bug
‘Bedbugs were crawling on the mattress, pillow and walls’ – hardly conducive to a good night’s sleep. Photograph: Lamara Dalzous/Alamy

I used Booking.com to book a bed at Safestay Holland Park hostel on a work trip to London this month. Arriving at midnight, I discovered bedbugs crawling on the mattress, pillow and walls. Staff moved me to another building, which was also infested. I spent the night awake at reception.

Exhaustion forced me to take a dawn train home, costing a new ticket and my freelance fee as I was unable to work. I also had to buy new clothes and do multiple wash cycles to avoid bringing the infestation back with me.

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