Woman, 31, wakes up with 'more than 100' bed bug bites after spending night in Travelodge
A travel blogger who says she was bitten 'more than 100 times' by bed bugs at a Travelodge hotel has described the moment she realised she had been ravaged by the pests while she slept.
Hannah Stephenson had stayed at the Newmarket Road branch of Travelodge in Cambridge on 26 July after a day out with a friend. But she woke up the following day 'feeling itchy', with red spots on her arms.
After investigating her bedding, the 31-year-old said she spotted blood stains and black dots on her pillow before an even more horrifying sight - seeing bed bugs crawling in the bedding.
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The hotel firm said cases of bed bugs are 'extremely rare' and that rooms are inspected by trained housekeeping teams. However, the chain apologised and did confirm bedbugs were present in the room and are retraining their cleaners in response.
She first counted 37 bites on her left hand, with more appearing across her arms, chest, back, face and legs throughout the day. After reporting the incident to reception, she claimed she was told to contact customer services and was told the room wouldn't be let out again that night.
Hannah, who was given steroid cream and antihistamines, posted photos of her bites online in a video that has since racked up more than 76,000 views.
Hannah, from Cambridgeshire, said: "I woke up feeling itchy and I started to have lumps forming on my arms. When I got up, I saw spots of blood on the pillow and black dots. I looked closer and I actually saw a bug on the pillow.
"I checked the bedding and they were more in the bedding. As the day went on more and more bites started to emerge. I counted 37 on my left hand alone but they are too many to count, definitely more than 100, they're really itchy.
"I was horrified and shocked. I didn't expect it from a Travelodge, I always thought they are pretty reliable. I went down to the front desk to check out. I told them and the guy said they wouldn't let out the room again that night and told me to email customer services.
"I got a response back saying they will do an investigation, which can last five to eight days. By the end of the week I was frustrated. I hadn't heard anything and wasn't even offered a refund for my stay.
"I wanted to give them a chance to sort it out and a week later I made the video. I'd like an apology and some compensation because it has caused me a lot of distress. The swelling has gone down. Now it looks like I have chicken pox."
'I feel really embarrassed'
Forced to cover the bite marks with foundation while attending her cousin's wedding on 5 August, Hannah said she also had to change outfits and wear a dress with long sleeves.
"I feel really embarrassed, it's summer so it's not easy to cover them up. I wear long sleeve tops to cover the worst of it," she explained. "I felt really embarrassed going to a wedding.
"They're on my hands, which are hard to cover up, I feel very self-conscious. People are going to think I'm dirty or something.
"I don't usually wear foundation but I went to buy one to cover up for the wedding, I couldn't wear my original outfit which had no sleeves. I was always worrying that someone was going to notice my hands. They have improved but they still look really bad.
"People have been horrified, they've said I look like I have a disease. Everyone is saying how bad it looks."
Hannah said she didn't expect to get bitten at Travelodge after having travelled around the world without an issue. She has said she doesn't think she will 'ever stay at a Travelodge again'.
"I want to avoid hotels as much as possible but I can't do that forever. I will always check reviews very closely before I stay anywhere," she explained following the ordeal.
"Even after a week I am sitting here scratching now. I've travelled everywhere, Africa, South Asia, and I got it in my home town. I use steroid cream twice a day and take scalding hot showers."
Travelodge apologises after 'distressing' incident
The hotel firm has apologised for the incident and said the safety of customers is its 'priority'. It said the bed bugs 'affect the wider hospitality sector' and are not related to hygiene or cleanliness.
In a statement responding to the claims, a Travelodge spokesperson said: "We are deeply sorry for Ms Stephenson's experience and recognise how distressing an incident like this can be.
"The safety of our customers is our priority and we maintain stringent, expert-led measures to prevent and manage pest issues, including training our housekeeping colleagues to be vigilant and to spot early signs wherever possible. Bed bug activity affects the wider hospitality sector and is completely unrelated to hygiene or cleanliness standards.
"In the rare instance that an issue is reported in one of our hotels, we immediately take affected and surrounding rooms out of service for inspection and treatment by independent pest control experts.
"We have apologised directly to Ms Stephenson and resolved the matter to her satisfaction."
James Holt