Hotels are wrongly blamed as the sole source of infestations.
Since hotel rooms might have thirty different parties in a room in a given month, there is a prime opportunity for infestation. Most hotel chains are very diligent about bed bugs and few if any hotels take this situation lightly. Most hotels have a clear plan as to what to do if a guest complains of bed bugs. Bed bug infestations in hotels have led to lawsuits, but there is no indication that the hotels affected are of poor quality or sanitation.
Inspect your luggage
Bed bugs do not discriminate, so they can infest five star hotels as readily as one star hotels. It is best to inspect baggage after a trip to a hotel to look for live insects. Keep bags outside if feasible for a day or two in the sun in the warm weather or when it is extremely cold. Bed bugs will not survive temperatures of over 113 degrees Fahrenheit or temperatures less than 45 degrees Fahrenheit (preferably freezing) for extended periods.
If you suspect an infestation while you are staying at a hotel, notify the management immediately. If you see welts on your arms or legs, understand that not all people react immediately and the welts may be due to an infestation at a previous hotel on the previous night. Not all people react to bed bugs as well. No physician can look at a welt and diagnose the source as bed bugs. Other factors such as finding bed bugs in the hotel will narrow down the source of the bites. Welts are itchy and may be in a line but this is not always the case.
Bed bugs on box spring of a bed:
