A hotel worker says the first thing guests should do when they get into their room is turn off the lights. Experts also say to never put luggage on the bed - and to wash everything when you get home.
Posting on TikTok, hotel worker and travel blogger Halee (@haleewithaflair) said she wanted to share a video after seeing one couple wake up covered in scars. The hotel guests had been bitten by hotel bedbugs.
Halee, who posts on her own site HaleeWithAFlair, said: "This is how I check my room before I unpack and get settled into the room. The first thing you're going to want to do is make sure your room is dark. Turn off lights, close any shades and use the flashlight on your phone," reports The Express.
She said while all the lights are off you need to look under the covers and 'check under all the creases'.
Halee, who has been in the industry for 15 years, showed how hotel guests should check under the creases at the corner of their hotel bed, to look for bed bugs. She said: "They usually like to hang out in the corners and the creases."
She lifted the mattress to show how tourists should check under the mattress and under the mattress pad.
The hotel worker warned: "Even if you don't see bugs, make sure you check for spots, like blood spots, because that's not a good sign either."
Halee urged tourists to check for bed bugs before they unpack, as they can slip into luggage. Tourists should never put their luggage on the bed. It's best to leave it on a luggage rack or by the door of the room.
Some experts recommend hotel guests wash all their holiday clothes as soon as they get home to kill any stowaways. Halee also recommended that tourists check ironing boards and curtains for the bugs.
Bed bugs are nocturnal, so turning off the lights will make them more likely to come out to search for food. Bedbug bites can be red and itchy and are often in a line or a cluster. Some people may have an allergic reaction to the bites.
The bugs can be dark yellow, red or brown and generally only about 5mm long, while eggs are usually white in colour. If tourists can't see the bugs, they can look for red or rusty stains on the mattress, which could be a squashed bug.
Dark spots could be bedbug excrement and may bleed onto the fabric like a marker pen would. Bed bugs tend to hide in the seams of furniture including on any chairs and sofas that may be in the room.
The bugs can survive at low temperatures but will die when their body reaches 45 degrees. Holidaymakers should inform their hotel immediately if they find any signs of bedbugs in their room.
