TravelJAN 29, 2024

“These Mean Bedbugs”: People Reveal 30 Red Flags In Hotels That All Travelers Should Know

Viktorija Ošikaitė and Kornelija Viečaitė

Staying in a hotel is definitely different than being at home. At home, you're the master of your castle. In a hotel, you never know how the management takes care of the rooms. And there's always the mystery behind what the previous guest might have been doing. Don't know about you, Pandas, but I, personally, try not to dwell on that too much, or I would probably never stay in a hotel again.

And some answers to this Redditor's question might make me do exactly that. The netizen Traditional_Dirt_788 asked: "What is an immediate red flag in hotels?" And the commenters came through with flying colors. People shared all kinds of disturbing stuff, from blood on the walls to bullet holes covered with tape.

#1

“These Mean Bedbugs”: People Reveal 30 Red Flags In Hotels That All Travelers Should Know

Your Uber driver asking “you sure?” as you pull ip to the hotel.

MayonnaiseFarm, cottonbro studio (not the actual photo)

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87points

#2

Read the google reviews before you book and see if the owners/managers respond kindly (if at all). If they attack the negative reviewers at all - stay away

islandsimian, Kampus Production (not the actual photo)

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79points

#3

This only applies to larger hotels:

When all employees are really young. Not a single employee over the age of 20-23 in view.

This in my experience means that who ever is managing the hotel is only hiring the cheapest possible employees, that generally don't know their rights. In every occasion like this, service has been completely absent.

azthal, cottonbro studio (not the actual photo)

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76points

Cheap airlines, Airbnb, and the Internet made traveling much simpler and easier. Flights no longer cost an arm and a leg. Accommodation is also cheaper: NerdWallet found that Airbnb can be more cost-effective when traveling with a large group. And gone are the days when you needed a tour guide in the city.

TripAdvisor, travel blogs, YouTube, and even TikTok have heaps of advice on how to make the best out of any travel plans, even a day's trip. All you have to do is some browsing – people share these tips and tricks all over the Internet. Safety advice when staying in a hotel is no exception.

In their "10 Hotel Tips No One Taught You," The New York Times included some more tips about what to watch out for when staying in a hotel. First – don't assume that everything is squeaky clean. The remote, for starters, is a thing that definitely doesn't get cleaned as much as it should.

#4

Little dark-brown spots near the top of the bed, below the mattress on in mattress seams. These mean bedbugs.

KarlSethMoran, Due-Block2360 (not the actual photo)

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68points

#5

Overly aggressive air fresheners. If you get to the hotel and the room has a strong air freshener smell they are trying to mask bad smells like mold, sewage, or worse.

Im_not_matt, Erik Mclean (not the actual photo)

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62points

#6

I worked at Booking (dot com) about a decade++ ago and our data scientists always said: "Avoid hotels with a rating lower than 8.3".

It was some kind of conclusive point of no return or something. They knew something that they couldn't share, but I've always applied this rule since that day, and I've never been disappointed. And I've traveled a LOOOOOT.

Red flag: rating lower than 8.3 on Booking.

mahade, Web Summit (not the actual photo)

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59points

While we're on the topic of cleanliness, mind the drinking glasses. Supposedly, the hotel cleans them before every guest. Supposedly. However, if there is no on-site restaurant or kitchen, how exactly do they do that? By hand? How clean is it then? The author Geoffrey Morrison advises at least to rinse and sniff them.

The commenters already touched upon this next one. Yup, it's bed bugs. As a frequent traveler and hotel guest, he advises not to put your luggage on the bed for this very reason. Better keep it in the bathroom – as far from the bed as possible. Be sure to check the bed, sofa, or chair with a thorough look – even the fanciest of hotels can have a bed bug problem.

#7

An easy red flag is when you’re looking a place over online and there are absolutely no photos of the exterior or street / neighborhood, just generic-looking photos of beds and the breakfast room.

AnotherPint, Pixabay (not the actual photo)

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57points

#8

Bullet holes in the rooms walls covered with tape.

Brujo-Bailando, Mom_of_zameer (not the actual photo)

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54points

#9

This is true for restaurants as well, actually: check behind the toilet to see how well they clean there. It's a really great indicator for how they handle the cleanliness of other not-so-immediately-visible surfaces. If it's grungy, probably a lot of other things are neglected, too.

putafinenoseonit, Liliana Drew (not the actual photo)

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49points

How can you recognize a bed bug infestation? You will be able to see adult bugs with the naked eye, and they are reddish brown in color. Other than live bugs, look for brownish-red spots on bedding and mattresses.

Dr. Jim Fredericks, a board-certified entomologist and senior vice president of public affairs at the National Pest Management Association (NPMA), told Forbes that signs of a bed bug infestation can include "small reddish brown to black fecal spots on mattresses, upholstery, or furniture, especially near cracks and crevices."

#10

I went to a travelodge last month and when checking in someone came up to reception in front of us and we overheard “I don’t like to complain, but there is a used condom in our room”. Immediate red flag!

Wikmeister, cottonbro studio (not the actual photo)

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48points

#11

I’m not a frequent traveler, but I have worked in hotels for around 15 years, several of those years as a supervisor. I am also a travel agent in addition to my other job

When you go to a hotel, put your bags down in the bathroom on the tile. Do not just put your bags on the bed!!!!! Or the carpet. Or the couch. Stop it. **bathroom tile.**

Take your phone flashlight and inspect the following things:

* the mattress seam. Make sure you really, really look for any black/dark red spots

* The baseboard/headboard. Again, flashlight, look for any black or dark red spots.

* Check the couch for the same. Look under the cushion. Look at the back of the couch.

* anything else with a seam - check it. The curtain is an easy place to check since you can just walk right up to it. Check the bottom of the curtain - if you see any dirt, that’s a red flag.

Don’t just haphazardly look. Get up close. Don’t rely on the lamp in the room, or natural light in the room. You really do need to use the flashlight on your phone.

This takes around 5-10 minutes, but it’s worth it. A good sign is if the sheets and everything are stark white and there’s no marks, even better if there is a protective cover around the mattress.

Before you check in, call the hotel and tell them you have dust allergies and you will need the room deep cleaned with all new sheets, all new comforters. They will have to accommodate your request and they will have to have freshly cleaned everything.

Bring a tiny thing of dawn dish soap. If you’re going to use any cups etc in the room, you can clean it. If there are disposable cups in the room, there should be plastic on it.

Lastly, do not expect an early check in. Early check in means that the staff are going to scramble to get your room clean faster. Not only can this disrupt workflow, and stall other rooms being cleaned in time, but it can also lead to a haphazardly cleaned room. Know the check in time and plan accordingly.

I just want to stress that hotel rooms are not gross because the staff are lazy, or because the hotel isn’t nice. It’s not going to matter how much you paid to stay there - because the issue isn’t the hotel, the issue is other guests. They are trifling. They want their rooms cleaned right this second, and they bring bugs with them. Often times, the bugs are not anyone’s fault, you never know when someone picked up bedbugs in their suitcase while they are at the airport. To avoid problems, check the room for black/dark red spots, and do not contribute to the problem of rushing hotel staff.

When you leave, put all your clothes in a plastic bag, and tie it. You want it closed. When you get home, dump it directly into a washing machine.

Legitimate_Net3101, Pixabay (not the actual photo)

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48points

#12

Announcing room number at check in

Grounded_Slab0, Andrea Piacquadio (not the actual photo)

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46points

This next one probably sounds like common sense to some. But there are people who feel strangely safe in hotels. For what reason, I personally will never know. Locking your door and putting the 'Do Not Disturb' sign can save you from unwanted guests, but it's also a good way to let housekeeping know you don't wish to wake up in the early hours of the day.

#13

Bloodstains on the wall. They tried to get rid of bed bugs, failed, so previous guests were smashing them by hand. They did not bother clean the wall.

Krek_Tavis, labrujajaja (not the actual photo)

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43points

#14

Did a job up in Blythe (UK) a while ago. We asked the customer where to stay and their nearest recommendation was about 20 miles away. We said "really?" and they said "yes, really." A guy from another company also working on the project stayed in a hotel in Newcastle. He collected his key and went to his room to find the door had been kicked off the hinges. He called reception and told them this. They misheard (to be fair he was from somewhere near Fort William) and said, "Oh, can't you make the key work?" "No, the door is lying in the middle of the room and the hinges have been torn off the wall." "Oh, no worries, come back down and we'll give you another room." Like this was perfectly normal.

Conscious-Ball8373, 8footpenguin (not the actual photo)

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40points

#15

When the Uber driver looks at my girlfriend and I and asks if we'll be OK.

Happened to us in St Louis. We didn't even stay for 10 minutes before getting the hell out.

RougeGunner00

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38points

Morrison's last piece of advice is to consider staying in a hostel. As a former solo traveler, I very much endorse this idea. It's not as bad as people make it out to be. It is a great way to meet new people and fellow travelers. (Remember to be safe and don't tell people if you're traveling by yourself.) As long as you have a pair of earplugs and a trusty padlock, a hostel can be a great place to stay.

#16

I have a good one: front desk (or someone with access to it) stole my credit card details less than 1 hour after checking in.

granoladeer

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37points

#17

Stayed at a hostel in Granada Spain one time that in their description on some hostel website said '420 friendly, bring your iPod, and no fat people'.

We were so curious that we went anyway, and apparently it was because the building was so old the doors, stairways, and shower just couldnt accomodate larger set people that had come in the past.

It was actually a cool hostel, although weird at the same time. Lots of stories about that place.

Powerful_Artist

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35points

#18

Bullet proof glass around reception office.

deligonca, PRL Glass Systems, Inc. (not the actual photo)

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33points

#19

The smell of poor ventilation, the moment you enter the hotel.

MAXRRR, TWP inc.(not the actual photo)

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32points

#20

In thousands of hotel nights I only once checked into a hotel where I was asked at the front desk to leave a cash deposit to be issued a TV remote control. I figured that was not a good sign and it turned out I was right.

username-_redacted, Karolina Grabowska (not the actual photo)

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32points

“These Mean Bedbugs”: People Reveal 30 Red Flags In Hotels That All Travelers Should Know

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Poll Question

What's your threshold for dismissing a hotel based on online reviews?

Poll Question

What's your threshold for dismissing a hotel based on online reviews?