How to Check for Bed Bugs in a Hotel Room

Take these steps to make sure you're the only one sleeping in your hotel bed tonight.

Savvy travelers need to know how to check for bed bugs in a hotel room, no matter if they're staying a night in a rural motel or a week in a five-star resort. After all, the presence of bed bugs is "not determined by the cleanliness of the living conditions where they are found," according to the Centers for Disease Control. Here, five tips for how to check for (and deal with) bed bugs in a hotel room.

1. Do your homework before making a hotel reservation.

If you're worried about bed bugs before you even check in, look up your hotel on this bed bug registry to find out if a hotel has—or has had—bed bugs. You can read more about the risks of bed bug bites here. While we're all for coming home with souvenirs, bed bugs aren't ones we'd recommend.

2. Check every inch of your bed.

The first place you should check for bed bugs is the most obvious: your hotel bed. Look along the mattress seams and zippers, under the mattress, and at each joint of the bed frame. We don't mean just lifting up one corner to look—that won't cut it. Make sure to lift up each corner of the mattress and thoroughly check for signs. Wondering what bed bugs look like? Measuring only four to five millimeters, they're the size of a standard pearl. They have flat, oval-shaped red or brown bodies, complete with tiny legs and antenna. Since bed bugs typically come out at night, keep a lookout for other tell-tale traces of their presence such as blood (ew, we know) and/or tiny white bed bug eggs about the size of a mustard seed or grain of sand.

3. Don't stop at the bed—check the carpet and furniture as well.

According to the CDC, bed bugs generally live within eight feet of where you sleep. So check for the same bed bug signs along zippers and covers of the in-room sofa and chairs next. Bed bugs' relatively flat bodies allow them to fit into tight crevices, so look under buttons and at the seams of the furniture. Scan the area where the carpet meets the baseboards and, before you unpack and hang up your clothes, be sure to check the joints of the closets and drawer seals. For extra back-up, use your phone's flashlight to help you see the small signs of bed bugs in hard-to-reach corners. Last but not least, check around your bedside table. Do you find any signs of bed bugs around picture frames, the joints of your nightstand's drawers, or around the lamps?

4. Keep your suitcase on a luggage rack far from the bed.

A word to the wise: Don't throw your suitcase on the bed or the floor while you're in the process of searching for bed bugs. If bed bugs are present, tossing the suitcase on the floor is an open invitation for them to climb aboard. While you're making sure the coast is clear, use the luggage rack or place your suitcase on a hard surface, like a table, to minimize your risk of attracting bed bugs.

5. Request to change rooms.

If you suspect bed bugs after any of these steps, tell the hotel front desk immediately and ask to be moved to a different room—specifically, one that isn't directly above, below, or next to the room you're currently in, Rentokil suggests.