I've been looking for quiet hostel accommodations in Venice, and reading reviews on hostelz.com. Several of the posts mention bed bugs (or some say "and there aren't even bed bugs here")!!! Has anyone ever had bed bugs in Venice?? We are going to be all over Europe, are they other places too? We're trying to stay in cheap, clean accommodations.....but now I'm freaking out that they are all going to have bed bugs!!
Posted by
Atlanta
800 posts
Jodi - bed bugs are making a comeback- even in the States, even in upscale hotels (there is at least one "bed bug registry" to be found online). What I'm trying to say is you should take the same precautions in Venice as you would anywhere else. If you are booking ahead of time then read reviews on different websites. If you are winging it then ask to see the room before you commit. There are also websites that tell you what to look for, though my friends who had bedbugs in their VERY nice, VERY expensive "villa" said they could not see them at all.
Posted by
Freedonia
16279 posts
Use tripadvisor to check out any places you plan to stay. Then, when you get to your room, check it out.
You won't see bedbugs during the day (they're nocturnal) but will see signs of them. Pull the mattress away from the wall and pull up the sheets to see if there are any signs of dried blood (small specks). If there's a headboard, look behind it.
Never leave your luggage on the floor. Always put it on something--table, dresser, luggage rack. At night, zip up or close your luggage as bed bugs love to hitch a ride inside.
Anyplace can have bedbugs because they are brought in by travelers. Even in the U.S., a few five star hotels are being sued due to bed bug attacks.
There are some products on the market that claim to help prevent bed bug problems. This one has a travel size that's okay for carry-on. (I've never tried to can't make any claims to efficacy):
Travel Size Bed Bug Spray
This one isn't travel size but I'm sure you could get a travel size container to transfer it to:
Bed Bug Spray
Posted by
bergamo
401 posts
My brother lives in NYC and he has to be very diligent about bedbugs as his last apartment was apparently infested. We flew into Newark last week and the first thing he did was help us check for bedbugs in the hotel. It seems like it is a problem on the rise all over the world.....