As a general manager, your staff represents the front line of defense against bed bugs and your first regarding prevention against them. Informal bed bug inspections occur with every linen exchange, every piece of luggage handled and every room sanitization. When staff members notice any irregular markings or other signals of bed bug activity before a guest, it represents a savings of both time and money for the hotel. A bed bug incident impacts everyone on your staff. Everyone from the general manager to the front desk, from housekeeping to maintenance—everyone plays a role in either preventing the bed bug incident or dealing with the aftermath.
Implementing bed bug prevention is also the easiest and most cost-effective way to address bed bugs in hospitality. Think of bed bug prevention as a form of task automation. Installing an active bed bug liner on your box spring or mattress will prevent hitchhiking bed bugs from laying eggs. These liners are also designed to kill bed bugs before they bite your guests. Instead of having a bed bug specialist on call 24/7, you have the power of active bed bug prevention at a fraction of the price.
That is not to say, however, that bed bug liners are a replacement for your pest control management partner. In fact, rigorous bed bug prevention programs that have pest control professionals utilizing active mattress liners yield impressive real-world results and financial savings. Although affordable housing is a different industry than hospitality, it is safe to say that the most sophisticated and highly trained bed bug specialists utilize active mattress liners to maximize the effectiveness of their control and preventive programs.
According to a survey conducted by the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA), “97% of survey respondents indicated they are experiencing a staffing shortage, 49% severely so.” That means that nearly half of all hotels have overworked, stressed employees that are tasked with making their guests feel safe and comfortable. Consider providing an ActiveGuard liner to staff members for home use to help lower stress levels and protect them from bringing back bugs from work. What happens when one of your housekeepers or environmental staff has to take time off for a pest control appointment for bed bugs at their home or a doctor’s appointment for bug bites? Without question, bed bugs can exacerbate the pain from the ongoing labor shortage.
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