A number of years ago when the rise in bedbugs in hotels began, my firm was retained as a hotel expert witness and consultant as to the issues involving housekeeping, upkeep and maintenance surrounding several lawsuits. There were also a number of other publicized cases that followed those instances at the time. The resurgence of bedbugs also caught many in the hospitality industry off guard since this was something that had not been around for over thirty years. As a result, I offer some recent reminders like the following that you should not ignore: In the last five to ten years, hotel owners, operators and managers have become more aware and have increased their prevention, training and oversight activities. Yet, the recent award of $225,000 in a lawsuit filed in Maryland and publicized in this article link is just another reminder that the problem still exists from a perspective as a hotel expert witness and manager. Nor, are these types of complaints going away any time soon if you are hotel asset manager. And, because of that “Multimillion-dollar lawsuits over bedbugs have become increasingly common as infestations have spread across the country and victims seek to hold landlords, hotels and retailers responsible for their exterminator bills and mental anguish” according to the same report. Still, there are many pest control services available to combat the bedbug problem through companies such as ECOLAB®. There are also training materials available from the Educational Institute of the American Hotel & Lodging Association for owners, operators and a hotel operations expert on setting up a preventative maintenance program. Or, if you are concerned about a potential problem, you can contact me directly. At that time, we can discuss the issues that arose in my experience as a hotel expert witness and what steps you might take as part of your bedbug prevention program.
Perry Group
Hotel & Restaurant Experts For The Hospitality Industry
