A man has told how he was left feeling "shame and embarrassment" meeting up with pals after claiming to have been "ravaged by bedbugs" from his stay at a Travelodge in Dagenham.
Lewis Horwell, 20, from Stoke, was meeting some friends for the first time who he had got to know from gaming online but he said his visit became a misery with a "burning sensation" covering his back from the bugs.
The biomedical student said: "I was in London to finally meet friends who I had met online, gaming friends on the Playstation, some 10 years ago. We talked about it for years, me coming down and meeting them all, and I finally found the time to make it down to meet them.
"Unfortunately, due to the short notice of my trip, none of my friends could put me up on the Friday night. But, they could the Saturday night, so I made the decision - ultimately a bad one - to stay at a Travelodge on the Friday night. All in all, this was a trip that I had been looking forward to for years, and was supposed to be a really fond memory to be made.
"The lads I met were amazing, they made sure I had a great time in London, they really are top lads. The bites made me feel awful, the best way to describe them is like burning sensation all over your back. Not only that but they've made me fatigued, I spent virtually all of Monday asleep."
Lewis said he also fears he may have brought bedbugs to a friend's home.
"In the end, due to my family's concern for my health, I have been to see my GP and they shared my family's concern and have prescribed me a weeks prescription of antibiotics. But perhaps the worst part about the bites isn't the pain but the embarrassment and disgust, as after staying in my infested hotel room, I visited my friend's house and have quite possibly taken the bedbugs there," he told MyLondon.
"I knew that I had been bitten by something as I had bites on my arms that I initially dismissed as just a mosquito or something of the like, and the burning sensation on my back I put down to sunburn. I didn't know the truth of what happened. It was my first time meeting these people in person so I wasn't about to take of my shirt and ask them to inspect my back for 'mosquito bites'.
"It was when I got home to Stoke that I discovered what had really happened, when I took off my shirt in front of my family to inspect my back, they gasped and told me to immediately strip all of my clothes off and put all belongings I took down with me into the wash. I was at a loss as to their reaction, so I asked them to take a photo of my back.
"I couldn't believe what I saw when they showed me the pictures, my back was absolutely ravaged and it was very apparent that these were bedbug bites. I then had the awful task of having to call my friend and tell him that there is a strong possibility I have tracked bedbugs into his house.
"I was mortified, these people took me in, fed me, and treated me like family. I've never experienced such a welcome in my life and this is how I repaid them? By bringing a pest into their home. It made what should of been an incredible memory for me feel like just a memory of shame and embarrassment."
A Travelodge spokesperson told MyLondon: “We are sincerely sorry to hear about Mr Horwell’s recent stay with us. This is a unique situation and we have reached out to Mr Horwell to try and resolve this issue.
"We operate a robust cleaning process which includes training housekeeping colleagues to spot signs of bedbugs. Prior to Mr Horwell checking into this hotel, his room had been checked by the Housekeeping Supervisor and also an independent company as part of our routine checks. Both confirmed that there were no signs of bedbugs.
"It is unfortunate that Mr Horwell did not inform the hotel team at the time of the incident as this would have provided us with the opportunity to address this issue immediately and we would have instructed a further investigation into the room. We are currently speaking to Mr Horwell regarding this matter and as a gesture of goodwill we have offered to refund his booking in full and also offer a £50 credit towards his next booking."
