The Taboo Topic of Bed Bugs for Hoteliers

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Everyone knows that bed bugs and hotels are a bad combination. The mere mention of “bed bugs” makes any guests’ skin crawl. With a hotel’s reputation and so much more on the line, there’s a reason why the pest can have such a negative impact on a hotel’s bookings and even impact the room’s rate. Instead of skirting the issue and pretending as though these creepy crawlers don’t exist, approaching the topic of bed bugs can actually be one of the best marketing tactics of the year for hoteliers.

Being proactive in your approach and opening up to the public about bed bugs shows that you are comfortable in your efforts to keep your hotel free of them. It proves you aren’t “scared” of them and, in fact, are so certain of your pest control strategies that you have no problem sharing your tactics with current and future guests. This unique and creative marketing strategy may just be what you need to fill rooms. The following are a few topics to consider when marketing your hotel to bed-bug-weary guests in the future.

Emphasize cleanliness
Besides customer service, the backbone of the hospitality industry is cleanliness. From the minute a guest steps foot into the lobby of your hotel, their first impression determines whether or not they walk right back out the door. Emphasizing the cleanliness of your hotel to your current and future guests will make them check-in again and again. Cleanliness speaks for itself but you can emphasize this by sharing pictures of your rooms, business center and pool on social media.

Educate your guests
Many people know that bed bugs exist but they have no idea where they come from or how an infestation starts. By educating your guests and teaching them what bed bugs are, how they spread, and what it takes to get rid of them, the topic won’t be so scary or taboo. In many cases, guests themselves bring bed bugs in via clothes, luggage and other materials that they bring into the hotel rooms. Letting guests know they shouldn’t put luggage on the bed or simply having a luggage rack available to them can help your customer know more about bed bugs.

Share positive reviews & testimonials
If your guests are happy, encourage them to share positive reviews and testimonials online. You may even choose to publish a few and strategically place them around the hotel. Positive reviews will speak volumes to your guests and give them a sense of safety and cleanliness.

Promote your track record
Similarly, promote the fact that despite bed bugs being more prevalent than ever, your own hotel’s track record is still one of the best. This is not the time to be humble! On social media and even at your front desk, share rewards and more for your guests to see your greatness.

Publicize preventative measures
At a time when bed bugs are a main concern of travelers, talk about what you are doing to protect your rooms from them. If you aren’t already monitoring rooms for bed bugs consider an environmentally friendly approach. Delta Five brings an innovative and eco-friendly solution to hoteliers by offering a measure to help them detect bed bugs early so they can take swift steps to correct it.

Now you can monitor rooms 24/7 for bed bugs and other pests. The product is easy to use, and immediately upon detecting a pest, the device alerts you in real time via email or text. The alert provides an image of the pest, as well as where and when it was detected.

Hoteliers like Dan Robarge, general manager, Hampton Inn Lumberton, are embracing a proactive approach to bed bugs. “It has been a pleasure working with the team from Delta Five Systems while they installed their pest detection system in our guestrooms. We are now proactively monitoring all of our rooms so we can take action without the guest having to report an issue,” Robarge commented.

Hoteliers can learn more about the Delta Five Automated Insect Detection and Monitoring System at www.deltafive.com.