To ask what I should do about bedbug bite in a hotel?

[Fabulassie]

I was bitten by a bedbug when I was staying in a hotel in London two weeks ago. I didn't realise what it was at first because it was only one bite.

It started out looking like a pimple in the middle of my chest and then flattened out and went flakey and slightly itchy. I thought that perhaps it was ringworm or something (by this time I had forgotten that it started out with a pimple-like bump) so I applied some anti-fungal ointment but that had no effect. I then put Sudocreme on it, which soothed the itching a tiny bit but otherwise had no effect.

Last night I was talking to my friend about it (Hello Tasha!) and she said, "that looks like a hive.... actually, that looks like a bedbug bite." I did some Googling and sure enough, you can get just one bite and they start out looking like pimples and then go flat and flakey. I saw lots of pictures of bites that look like mine does now and a couple of what it looked like on the first day. Since it didn't respond to antifungal ointment at all (from experience with ringworm on a child I would expect immediate results) I think I've ruled out a skin fungus and I am pretty confident that it was a bedbug that got me.

I enjoyed my stay at the hotel very much. It was clean and comfortable and the staff were lovely and great value for money. I have a loyalty card for the chain (Ibis) and have reservations at three more of their hotels in the next couple of months. I don't want compensation or anything but I think they should be aware of the problem. I was thinking that I should email their manager, CC the head office, and tell them my reservation number/date of stay so that they will know which room to worry about.

But it was only one bite and they probably won't do anything. One bite means it was a very low-level infestation.

Would it be nasty of me to post something about it on Trip Advisor? The hotel has really great reviews on there and I would otherwise have only nice things to say about my stay. It somehow seems vindictive to do that and it was only the one bite and many, many hotels have bedbugs.

Who cares about the hotel and trip advisor? I'd be scared the bedbugs were in my house now.

Besides, the bites on Google look exactly like flea and all the other micro-beast bites I get. Indoors & outdoors any season of the yr.

Tell the hotel manager. They need to know.

The bedbugs won't be in your house right now, as they live in the furniture - not on people

I'm doing all I can regarding infestation in my property, which is very little as I didn't even realise that it was a bedbug until a week had passed. But, yeah, I'm a bit worried about it. Luckily, the suitcase wasn't brought into my own home but has instead been left in a flat I rarely sleep in since my return. If there are ever signs of infestation there (and I wouldn't likely know for a very long time) then I suppose I can panic. At this point, my only real plan is to replace that suitcase, which I was going to do anyway for other reasons.

I don't think I was bitten by anything else outside, I woke up with the spot on my chest that wasn't there the night before, and I think bedbugs are more likely than fleas or ticks in a hotel. A spider, maybe. But you make a good point that I have no way of knowing if it wasn't something else.

I wouldn't tripadvisor. That seems mean. Tell the manager.

I think you're right, Wonky. I have sent an email to the hotel.

bed bugs can easily be in house they can get into luggage and travel back with you

I think you rarely get a single bedbug bite!

The clue to bed bug bites is they bite in a line as they are so lazy.

They don't come out and bite once and climb back under the bed.

If you have any concerns that you have an infestation, treat your home with a spray containing permethrin like this www.amazon.co.uk/Virbac-02-4162-Indorex-Flea-Spray/dp/B00GKHI2PW
Follow the instructions carefully!
Biting parasites do not live on the host (animal or human) but spend most of their time in the environment (hotel/ home) and only jump on to feed. Wash everything you can, vacuum everywhere especially in corners and cracks then empty vacuum cleaner in the outside bin immediately. After all that, treat with the spray. The one I linked to is effective for 12 months after use.