How to check a hotel room for bed bugs
192 hotels scanned · 95 cities · data refreshed 2026-11-13
Bed bugs are not a budget-hotel problem: in our scan of 192 highly rated hotels, 10 of 192 (5%) had at least one guest review mentioning them. This five-minute check is the one we use.
It works best together with a check before you book: how to tell if a hotel has bed bugs.
The five-minute bed bug check
- Leave your bags in the bathroom or on a hard surface until the check is done. Never on the bed or the carpet.
- Pull back the sheets at the head of the bed and check the mattress seams, piping and corners with your phone torch.
- Look for the signs, not the bugs: small dark-brown or black spots (dried droppings), rust-coloured smears, pale shed skins, tiny white eggs.
- Check behind and under the headboard — the most common hiding place — plus the bedside-table drawers and the sofa seams.
- Inspect the luggage rack straps and joints, then use it for your case, away from the wall.
What bed bug signs look like
Adult bed bugs are flat, brown and about the size of an apple seed. You are more likely to see what they leave behind: clusters of dark spots on seams, rust-coloured stains on sheets, and pale, empty shed skins.
Bites alone prove little — many insects bite, and some people do not react at all.
What to do if you find bed bugs
Photograph what you found, close up and with something for scale, then go to the front desk rather than calling.
Ask for a room that is not next to, above or below the affected one — bed bugs travel through walls and wiring.
Put worn clothes into sealed bags, and wash and tumble-dry them on high heat as soon as you can.
Then follow what to do if your hotel has bed bugs for the refund and the complaint.
Check the reviews before you book
Open the hotel’s reviews on the booking site and on Google Maps, sort by newest, and search for "bed bugs", "bites", "bugs", "cockroach" and "mice".
Read the dates. One report from three years ago means far less than two from last month. Then read the hotel’s reply: a specific answer ("we closed the room and treated it the same day") is a better sign than a template apology.
Price is no shield: among 153 four- and five-star hotels we scanned, 7 of 153 (5%) had at least one review mentioning bed bugs.
Browse researched hotels
Cities where every listed hotel has a full HotelShortlist review dossier:
AlytusAthensBarcelonaBirštonasBonaBreuil-CerviniaCerviniaCortina d'AmpezzoDavos-KlostersDubaiGstaadHolzgauJamaicaJennersdorfKaunasKitzbühelKrakówKretingaLisbonMadonna di CampiglioMaglandMegèveMilanoMéribelPalangaParisPärnuRigaRiminiRubuliaiSan VigilioSanyaSt. Anton am ArlbergSt. MoritzTartuTauperlitzTrakaiTrentoUtzmannsbachVilniusVysoké TatryWagrainWarsawZakopaneZermattŁódźŽiaukos
How we counted
We scanned the English-language guest reviews of 192 hotels in 95 cities for mentions of bed bugs and other pests (cockroaches, mice, ants, fleas and similar). Reviews that deny a problem ("no bed bugs") are excluded, and each hotel counts once however many reviews mention it.
A mention is a guest’s report, not an inspection result — it may be old, and the hotel may have dealt with it since. This page shows totals only and never names a hotel. If you represent a hotel and believe a figure is wrong, write to members@hotelshortlist.com and we will review it.
Questions
- Where do bed bugs hide in a hotel room?
- Mostly within a metre of the bed: mattress seams and piping, behind the headboard, in bedside drawers and in sofa seams.
- Can you see bed bugs with the naked eye?
- Yes. Adults are about 5 mm long. Droppings, stains and shed skins are easier to spot than the bugs themselves.
- How do I stop bringing bed bugs home from a hotel?
- Keep luggage off the bed and floor, unpack straight into the washing machine, and dry clothes on high heat.