Bed Bugs in Hotels: Know Your Compensation Rights

  • Upon encountering bed bugs, document as much evidence as possible before reporting the issue to the hotel.
  • It can be difficult to prove a hotel’s negligence, but if you file a claim with enough evidence, you may receive sizable compensation.
  • If you rack up significant personal and medical bills dealing with bed bugs and the hotel isn’t compliant, you may want to get an attorney’s help.

Bed bugs are the world’s worst vampires. They’re ugly, they don’t own castles, and when they bite you, you don’t get eternal life — just hives and hydrocortisone. 

They’re not even rare and elusive like vampires should be; a 2017 study by Orkin revealed that 80% of hotels dealt with bed bugs the previous year. 

But did you know that if you’ve encountered bed bugs in a hotel, you might be entitled to some compensation?

Here’s what to do if you find bed bugs, how to seek compensation from the hotel, and just how much that compensation might be. 

. . .

Steps To Take if You Encounter Bed Bugs in a Hotel

Whether you’re still in the room or you’ve already left the hotel, these steps can help keep you safe, minimize the spread of the bed bugs, and maximize your chances for compensation later. 

1. Know the signs

I’m the first to admit that I’ve had “bed bug panic” when there weren’t actually any to be found. 

Waking up feeling mildly itchy isn’t necessarily a sign that your hotel bed is infested. It could just be dry sheets, dry climate, or a bug bite you got outside. 

But fresh bite marks on exposed skin and little black dots in the sheets are much stronger indicators that you’ve encountered bed bugs. If you see the signs, don’t panic — just take a deep breath and follow step 2. 

2. Document the evidence immediately

Taking a ridiculous number of photos can greatly help your case later. 

Photograph all the potential signs you see — the bite marks on your skin, the specs in the mattress, actual bed bug sightings, etc. 

Here’s a checklist from the Safer Pest Control Project that shows how hotels carefully inspect for bed bugs. You can follow it to document all the evidence. 

3. Report the incident to hotel management 

Ask to speak to the manager directly, to discuss compensation, immediate relocation, laundering your clothes, etc. 

The hotel should also guide you on protecting yourself and minimizing the spread of the bed bugs. If they don’t, the best things you can do are take a hot shower, bag up your clothes, and wash them in high heat ASAP. 

Hotel management should offer compensation for your troubles, but it’s usually something pretty meager, like 2,500 points or a single free night. If they do, simply tell them you’re not ready to accept compensation at this time, and that all you need is a copy of the incident report. 

4. Seek medical attention and keep records 

Depending on the severity of the bites, you may want to seek medical attention. If you do, be sure to collect copies of your visit notes and any medical bills you incur to support your claim later. 

When Are Hotels Liable for Bed Bug Incidents?

If you find evidence of bed bugs in your hotel room, it automatically means the hotel is guilty of gross (literally gross) negligence, right? 

Well, not exactly. To understand why, let’s cover what a hotel is (and isn’t) liable for in cases like these. 

“Duty of care” and negligence

In the U.S., the U.K., and most other developed nations, hotels are required by law to provide a reasonable level of safety and security for guests while they’re onsite. 

Well-lit hallways, safe elevators, sanitary food prep, functional door locks, and non-slippery floors all fall under a hotel’s “duty of care.” 

As does regular pest control. 

But just because you find bed bugs doesn’t instantly mean the hotel has failed in its duty of care. A hotel could be doing everything right (scheduling pest control once a quarter, training housekeepers to spot and report bed bugs, etc.), and the pesky buggers can still emerge. 

Heck, for all we know the bed bugs hitched a ride inside on your luggage. 

That’s why hotels aren’t necessarily liable for bed bugs — but they are liable for negligence. 

“Suing a hotel for bed bugs comes down to whether you can prove negligence,” writes Stephanie Rabiner, Esq., on the FindLaw Blog. “This means establishing that: 

  • The hotel knew or should have known about the bed bug infestation (duty of care).
  • They failed to take reasonable steps to prevent or eradicate the infestation (breach of duty).
  • This failure caused the guest to suffer harm (causation).”

So how do you prove that the hotel was negligent and maximize your compensation in the process? 

Proving hotel liability

To prove a hotel’s liability in a bed bug case (aka negligence), you’ll need more than just proof of bed bugs in your room. 

You’ll also need things like witness testimony from staff and other guests, inspection records (or lack thereof), and a list of similar complaints — especially those coming from guests who stayed in the same or adjoining rooms. 

Evidence like this supports the claim that the hotel either:

  1. Knew about the bed bugs and did nothing, or
  2. Didn’t do enough to prevent bed bugs in the first place (e.g., skipped inspections). 

Both are forms of negligence. 

The challenge, of course, is that evidence like this can be hard to come by, especially if you’ve already left the hotel. You can always search for Google reviews, but online reviews are often considered hearsay and inadmissible in legal settings. 

So what now? 

Well, you can hire an attorney to help you gather more evidence or file a claim yourself with the evidence you have. In either case, you’re likely to receive some form of compensation. 

What Compensation You Can Claim

On paper, you claim both financial and emotional damages following a bed bug incident. 

Financial losses 

Financial losses include things like:

  • Medical bills
  • Damaged belongings (e.g., all of the clothes and luggage you had to replace)
  • Home fumigation expenses
  • Lost wages
  • Additional travel expenses incurred
  • And more 

Emotional distress and non-economic damages 

In the legal world, just because you can’t put a dollar sign on it doesn’t mean you can’t be compensated for it. 

In fact, compensation for “emotional stress” (e.g., PTSD and anxiety) and “non-economic damages” (e.g., scarring from bed bug bites) can often be much larger than compensation for direct financial losses. 

You can tally up both your financial and emotional damages yourself or have an attorney help you. 

In either case, though, you shouldn’t expect to get compensated for every damage you claim. 

How Much Compensation Will I Get From a Bed Bug Case? 

Even in cases where absolutely everything goes “right” and there’s tons of evidence against the hotel, successful bed bug lawsuits are typically settled for $20,000 or far less.

Take the case of “Mrs. G,” who retained the firm BED BUG LAW after suffering nearly 90 bites and finding “clusters” of bed bugs in a Florida Hilton in 2013. 

In addition to losing a number of personal belongings, Mrs. G required extensive medical care for erythema, joint pain, fatigue, elevated blood sugar, and more as a result of her exposure. After negotiating, Hilton and her attorneys settled for $15,000. 

In another case, a mother-son duo discovered bed bugs in their cabin rental and retained the firm Bed Bug Lawyers to seek compensation for their medical bills. After “several negotiations,” the attorneys collected $20,000+ for the two victims. 

While $20,000 may sound like a lot, when you factor in attorneys’ fees, medical bills, and the cost of replacing clothes and luggage, it doesn’t leave a whole lot left (if anything). 

So don’t expect to get rich from a bed bug claim. 

How to File a Compensation Claim

Once you’ve amassed a pile of evidence, here’s how to properly file a bed bug claim and maximize your compensation: 

1. File a claim directly with the hotel 

Before you hire an attorney, it’s best to file a claim directly with the hotel. This will a) create a paper trail and b) reveal the hotel’s opening offer for compensation. 

Oftentimes the hotel will offer points or a refund to make you (and the problem) go away. Politely decline their first offer and ask about the formal process of filing a claim for compensation. 

This will typically go to their insurance company, so be sure to include all the documentation you collected earlier (photos, bills, etc.). 

If the hotel doesn’t offer to compensate you for your damages, it’s on to step 2. 

2. Escalate to corporate or third parties if necessary 

If the hotel hasn’t called back or isn’t taking you seriously, try escalating your claim to their corporate office. Marriott, IHG, and other major brands have customer service lines, and if one of their locations isn’t taking a bed bug claim seriously, they’ll definitely want to know. 

You can also warn other travelers by filing a report with the local health department and the Bed Bug Registry, a free public database of bed bug sightings that has saved countless family vacations.

If you’re still struggling to receive compensation for your bed bug-related bills, now might be a good time to solicit an attorney. 

Many states have law firms that specialize in bed bug litigation, and you can find them with a quick Google search. Another resource is LegalShield, which can provide quick responses to basic legal questions and connect you with a qualified attorney within 24 hours. 

You may also be able to file a claim with your insurance company to recoup some lost costs. 

Unfortunately, trip interruption coverage typically doesn’t cover bed bugs, but if you have travel medical insurance as an add-on to your policy, it may assist with the medical bills arising from bed bug exposure. 

“If you incur medical expenses due to bed bugs while traveling, our Accident & Sickness Insurance can help” a rep from VisitorsCoverage told us. 

“If you’re traveling domestically, it serves secondary to your existing coverage. But if you’re overseas, it’s primary.” 

READ MORE: What Is Travel Insurance and Do You Need It?

. . .

Mistakes To Avoid When Handling Bed Bug Claims

Here are a few common mistakes to avoid: 

  • Forgetting to document. While your first instinct may be to call the front desk and flee the room ASAP, don’t forget that you’ll need tons of evidence to support your claim later. You can never have too many photos of bites, black spots, and more.
  • Accepting the hotel’s first offer. A full refund and a $1,000 credit may seem enticing at first, but if you later end up with $10,000 in medical bills, you’ll wish you’d held out and negotiated for more.
  • Delaying medical treatment. Waiting weeks or months to schedule a doctor’s appointment can weaken a claim since it signals a lack of urgency. If you’re covered in bites, schedule an appointment ASAP — for your sake and the sake of the case. 

FAQs About Bed Bug Compensation Claims

Can I sue a hotel for bed bugs?

Yes, but the mere presence of bed bugs is typically not enough for a successful lawsuit. You need to prove negligence, meaning the hotel didn’t do enough to prevent bed bugs and/or knew about them and did nothing. 

No, although an attorney can help you gather additional evidence, craft a more compelling claim, and seek a larger settlement. 

How do I prove that my injuries or losses were caused by bed bugs at the hotel?

While it can be difficult to unequivocally prove that your injuries or losses were due to bed bugs at the hotel, you can certainly support your case (and increase your chances of compensation) by collecting evidence of bed bugs in the room, photographing your bites, and getting confirmation of bed bug exposure from a healthcare provider. 

Travel insurance typically does not cover bed bug-related expenses. The one exception is travel medical insurance, which may help to cover medical bills that you incur as a direct result of your bed bug exposure. 

TL;DR: How To Get Compensated for Hotel Bed Bugs

Bed bug incidents at hotels are certainly unpleasant, but knowing your rights and acting quickly can improve your safety, minimize the spread of the little buggers and maximize your compensation amount from the hotel. 

After encountering bed bugs, the best things you can do (following a hot shower) are to take as many photos as possible, file a rigorously detailed claim with the hotel, and if you aren’t seeing the progress or compensation you deserve, hire an attorney. 

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I'm an award-winning lawyer and personal finance expert featured in Inc. Magazine, CNBC, the Today Show, Business Insider and more. My mission is to make personal finance accessible for everyone. As the largest financial influencer in the world, I'm connected to a community of over 20 million followers across TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Facebook and Twitter. I'm also the host of the podcast Erika Taught Me. You might recognize me from my viral tagline, "I read the fine print so you don't have to!"

I'm a graduate of Georgetown Law, where I founded the Georgetown Law Entrepreneurship Club, and the University of Notre Dame. I discovered my passion for personal finance after realizing I was drowning in over $200,000 of student debt and needed to take action-ultimately paying off my student loans in under 2 years. I then spent years as a corporate lawyer representing Fortune 500 companies, but I quit because I realized I wanted to have an impact; I wanted to help real people and teach them that you can create a financial future for yourself.

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Our aim is to help you make financial decisions with confidence through our objective article content and reviews. Erika.com is part of an affiliate sales network and receives compensation for sending traffic to partner sites, such as MileValue.com. This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. This site does not include all financial companies or all available financial offers. Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Enrollment may be required for select American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more.