Rick woke up in his hotel bed to find he’d been joined by several unwanted strangers for some dirty exchanging of bodily fluids. That’s right, he’s got bedbugs. He’s freaked out and doesn’t know what to do.

He writes:

It’s just past 4 a.m. And I am awake on a hotel because of bedbugs. I felt them crawl on me and jumped up to see them on my bed, by the headboard, and on my arm. I killed one, placed it in tissue, and went to the front desk. The clerk was apologetic and gave me a new room. I will speak to the manager in the morning

My question is now what? I will be gone from here in a few hours, but what about the next person? How do I help to make sure that there is follow up? This hotel is in a small town in rural Oklahoma, not an urban area that has had experience with bed bugs. I doubt there is an exterminator locally. Who do you report bedbugs to when traveling to protect your fellow travelers?

If it were me, I’d snap some pictures for evidence, then gather up my stuff — combing through everything to make sure no creepy little stowaways came with me — and ask for an un-infested room as well as a refund. The next day I’d check into a different hotel and file a complaint with the county health department.

How would you handle a late-night bed bug assault?

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