Bed bug explosion: Travel expert Simon Calder explains how hoteliers are looking to beat the bugs from cyber transport systems journeyman Watch Video

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✓ Published: 10-Apr-2024

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There is almost ten thousand hotel rooms in the UK, with around 80% of those rooms being used every single day1. But new research suggests you could be sharing your hotel room with an unwelcome visitor.<br/> <br/>Within the last two years hotels in the UK have seen a 278% increase in the levels of bed bugs, with the figures compiled from 2.5 million stays in hotels across the country.The data suggests this year set to be the worst yet, with the first three months of 2024 having over five times the number of bed bug cases compared to the same period last year.<br/> <br/>The figures come just six months after an outbreak in Paris made national headlines as travellers have posted photos and videos purportedly showing the insects on the Paris local transport system, high-speed trains and at Charles de Gaulle airport.<br/><br/>There’s now a call for the industry to make it easier for people booking to know whether or not their bed sheets are ready for some shut eye.<br/> <br/>A ‘Bed Bug Protection Promise’, being compared to the hygiene rating restaurants need to display, is being encouraged which would give customers information on cleanliness before they check in.<br/> <br/>This rise in bed bugs is causing increasing levels of anxiety about booking their Easter and Summer getaways.The research by Spotta shows almost a quarter of people (22%) have been put off booking hotel accommodation this year due to the recent bed bug outbreaks in the UK and abroad.The idea of being bitten puts more than half (51%) off sleeping in a hotel bed or Airbnb bed (44%).