GateGuardian

I don't think it matters. You should assume that every hotel has a chance of getting bed bugs regardless of how fancy it is.

Dr. HFH

You may not; I do. It's not about fancy. It's about attention to cleaning details, frequency of pest control treatment, etc. While those things may not eliminate 100% the possibility of bedbugs, they certainly reduce it.

cjw2001

Cleaning and pest control aren't relevant. All it takes is one traveler with hitchhikers in their luggage and it's game over.

MSPeconomist

Out of my Element

How do you tell the babies from the adults?

sutho

We got bed bugs at a JW Marriott a few years back,
the whole process with Marriott corporate was very professional and accommodating.

They paid for a company to come out and check our house for bed bugs, and were willing to pay for the whole cleaning process at our house if bed bugs were discovered.
We were pro active though and kept all luggage and clothing out in the sun in our backyard for a few days before bringing into the house, so no bed bugs thankfully.

Ended up getting 90,000 points and $500 as compensation.

As a side note, everyone in my family got bitten by bed bugs, except for myself (even though we were all in the same room, and my wife and I were in the same bed),
evidently they don't like to bite people that have been drinking alcohol!!

Nazdoom

In 2017 I made the mistake of trying out my status-matched luck at a BW property in Hong Kong that was quite cheap despite bearing their "BW Plus" branding. (I expected it would be comparable to a Marriott Courtyard and it was well-located in Kowloon.) A couple days into the stay, at 2AM we discovered a bed bug when I lifted the sheets to go to bed. We took a photo and also managed to catch the live bug with paper. I brought it down to reception immediately and they apologized, confirmed it was a bed bug (it was my first time seeing one in real life, so I wasn't even sure), and moved our room promptly. I asked to speak with the GM in the morning and got the run around about how he's too busy until eventually he came on-site and apologized with an offer of free breakfast (roughly USD$8). The GM gave me the racist excuse it was "probably brought into the room from one of the Indian or Mainland Chinese previous guests, you know they are dirty". He also claimed it was likely one of those guests and not a hotel problem because they outsource their laundry to a company that does multiple hotels and they'd have noticed if the linen was contaminated with bugs (this tidbit did not bring me any confidence). We instead moved to the Courtyard near HKU and never looked back.

Despite all of the growing pains, IT issues, lack of consistency, poor enforcement of brand standards, and similar issues within Marriott, OP's experience and other experiences where GMs/Marriott make things right are very much reassuring to continued loyalty. I'd rather pay a price multiple to stay at a Marriott property and have my SNUs denied, than stay at a bed-bug infested BW where the GM thinks I would want to eat their food and doesn't care to cover the costs to have my clothes cleaned.

Luckily, I am happy to say I did not bring any bed bugs with me, and I've yet to see another bed bug (including over the past 100+ nights in hotels since).

Dr. HFH

Do they figure it out by observing your behavior, or do they give you a breathalyzer test?

daloosh

Well, maybe it was beer, I understand they like to wine and dine...

On a more serious note, thanks for the anecdotes about how Marriott has faced these challenges.

sutho

LOL!!
Probably the first, followed by the alcohol smell permeating from my pores.

lucycan

I can confirm this. My niece was bitten on a UA flight home from LHR last summer. First few days they thought it might be chicken pox. Confirmed bed bugs.

tuono07

An update on my experience so far. NOTHING I was told I would be contacted within 2-3 days by Marriott about the claim started by the FL hotel. I have not received a call and have tried the 800 # given twice with no result. I'm going t try again this afternoon from the Detroit airport before my flight but I am not happy about the response so far.
More to come.

nk15

My first precaution for every hotel booking is to run a tripadvisor search for bedbug reports. My second precaution is to book the newest hotels possible, usually opened in the last 1-2 years. Third precaution is a spot check at 2-3 mattress corners. Fourth precaution is to keep the luggage bag zipped, when in the hotel. These help the odds a bit I feel, or at least my anxiety.

yscleo

We encountered bed bugs in New Jersey airport Renaissance hotel in late 2016.

On the first night I woke up with itchy ears and elbow. I turned the lights on, and found a bed bug. Used the pillow to squash it dead, bloody. Next morning I brought it to FD to show. They took notes, had security come and get more info, and changed our room. We stayed 3 (or was it 4) nights. I didn't know bed bug is a serious problem until we got home and our sister-in-law scolded us. We then washed all our clothes, bedroom, car (we drove), etc.

I did NOT get any contact from the hotel itself. I contacted Marriott. The lady in charge of the file basically said beg bugs are every where, on buses, subways, airplanes, and can hitch a ride with every traveller. She also confirmed the hotel got pest control in to clean 2 rooms.

I searched and found people getting their stay comped, or 90k Marriott points. So I asked for that. The lady offered 45k points. I said I heard someone getting their stay comped, or 90k points, she said Marriott never does that. I turned down her offer, then posted in TA. The GM of the hotel then responded to my post in TA, apologizing. But that was the end of that.

Sounds like many people got better (proper) treatment by Marriott for their bed bug problem.

MSPeconomist

There's a website devoted to bedbug reports. You can search it to see whether your hotel is listed there. It often identifies the room or area of the hotel where bedbugs have been found as well as the dates. Some properties seem to be horribly infested if the reports are accurate.