Protect your hotel and guests from these nasty parasites.

Because many hotel operators associate heightened bed bug activity with warm weather, they fail to take preventative measures during other times of the year.  Unfortunately, these blood-sucking parasites remain a year-round threat, and rates of bed bug infestations actually spike during the winter holidays.  This is because increased travel and an influx of holiday guests leave hotels vulnerable to bed bug outbreaks.  To ensure that your hotel remains pest-free, here are some of the preventative measures that you should take.

• Schedule an Inspection Unlike summer, when bookings are a little more consistent, hotel bookings are more sporadic during the winter months.  Usually, hotels see the highest occupancy rates in the weeks leading up to and following the major holidays.  To understand your booking patterns, review your hotel's winter occupancy rates for the last two years.  Based on these dates, schedule a bed bug inspection before and immediately following the winter rush.  Scheduling an inspection before your holiday rush will help you identify and address any bed bug problems before your guests start to arrive.  It's also important to schedule another inspection after a period of high occupancy, so you can determine if a guest accidentally brought bed bugs into your hotel.  By being proactive about inspections, you can catch and address bed bug issues before they turn into full-blown infestations.
• Don't Overlook Unoccupied Rooms If a room has been unoccupied for a while, then you may assume that it is safe from bed bugs.  Unfortunately, this isn't the case.  Even without a living host, bed bugs can survive in a state of dormancy.  In fact, studies have shown that these pests can actually survive up to three months without feeding.  This means that you could have dormant bed bugs lying in wait for an unsuspecting hotel guest.  To ensure that your property is completely free of these parasites, make sure that you have your inspector check every room, regardless of how long it has remained unoccupied.
• Keep Staff on the Lookout Because you do not want to conduct a bed bug inspection during peak occupancy, you should train hotel staff to keep an eye out for bed bug activity.  For instance, your housekeeping staff should be trained to look for signs of bed bugs on mattresses, box springs, bed frames, headboards, and sheets.  Additionally, they should look for traces on the floors and baseboards of guestrooms.  When you have staff looking out for any signs of these pests, you can react to this issue much quicker and prevent them from spreading throughout your property.

These are some of the things that you can do to prevent a bed bug infestation now that the holiday season is over.  Are you looking for another way to take care of your hotel?  Then consider upgrading your property.  For assistance with your next renovation project, contact us at Parkwest General Contractors.  Our dedicated team is eager to assist you with all your building upgrade needs today.