Hannah reported that she initially felt a sense of itchiness and soon noticed multiple lumps developing on her arms.
A travel enthusiast, Hannah Stephenson, claims she experienced over 100 bites from bed bugs during her stay at a Travelodge hotel, recounting the disturbing moment she realized she had been infested by the insects while asleep.
On July 26, she had checked into the Travelodge located on Newmarket Road in Cambridge after spending the day with a friend. However, she awoke the next morning feeling ‘itchy’, discovering red welts on her arms.
Upon examining her bedding, the 31-year-old noticed blood stains and dark specks on her pillow, and then she was horrified to see bed bugs crawling on the sheets.
The hotel chain stated that occurrences of bed bugs are ‘extremely uncommon’ and that their rooms undergo inspections by trained housekeeping staff. Despite this, they apologized and acknowledged the presence of the pests in her room, indicating they would retrain their cleaning staff in response to this incident.
Initially, she counted 37 bites on her left hand, with additional bites appearing on her arms, chest, back, face, and legs throughout the day. After notifying the front desk, she claimed that she was advised to reach out to customer service and informed that her room would not be available for booking again that night.
Hannah, who received steroid cream and antihistamines, shared images of her bites in a video that has garnered over 76,000 views online.
The Cambridgeshire native expressed, “I woke up feeling itchy and noticed lumps on my arms. Upon getting up, I found blood spots on the pillow along with black dots. Looking closer, I actually saw a bug on the pillow.”
“I checked the sheets and found even more bugs present. As the day progressed, more bites began to surface. I counted 37 on my left hand alone, but it’s hard to keep track as there are definitely over 100, and they are incredibly itchy.”
“I was in shock and horrified. I didn’t anticipate this from a Travelodge; I always believed they were quite reliable. I went to the front desk to check out, told them about my experience, and was informed they wouldn’t rent out that room again that night and advised me to contact customer service.”
“I received a reply indicating that they would investigate the matter, which could take five to eight days. By the end of that week, I was frustrated as I hadn’t heard back and wasn’t even offered a refund for my stay.”
“I wanted to give them a chance to resolve the issue, and after a week, I decided to make the video. I would appreciate an apology and some form of compensation for the distress caused. The swelling has decreased, but now my skin resembles that of someone with chicken pox.”
Having to conceal her bite marks with makeup at her cousin’s wedding on August 5, Hannah mentioned that she also had to change her dress to one with long sleeves.
“I felt really self-conscious; it’s summer, so it’s challenging to hide them. I usually wear long sleeves to mask the worst of it,” she explained. “Attending the wedding was quite embarrassing for me.”
“The bites are predominantly on my hands, which are difficult to cover, making me feel very self-aware. I worry that people might think I’m unclean or something similar.”
“I typically do not wear foundation, but I purchased some to cover up for the wedding as I couldn’t wear my original sleeveless outfit. I was constantly concerned that someone would notice my hands. They have improved, but they still look quite severe.”
“People have reacted with horror, saying I appear to have a disease. Everyone comments on how bad it looks.”
Hannah was taken aback by the bed bug bites after traveling extensively around the world without encountering issues. She now believes she may never stay at a Travelodge again.
“I want to minimize hotel stays, but that’s not always possible. I’ll be more vigilant about checking reviews before booking anywhere in the future,” she stated following her experience.
“Even after a week, I’m still itching. I’ve traveled all over, including Africa and South Asia, and I got bitten in my hometown. I am using steroid cream twice daily and taking very hot showers to alleviate the discomfort.”
The hotel chain has expressed regret over the occurrence and emphasized that customer safety is their ‘highest priority’. They noted that bed bug issues affect the broader hospitality industry and are not necessarily indicative of poor hygiene practices.
A spokesperson for Travelodge commented, “We sincerely apologize for Ms. Stephenson’s experience and understand how distressing such an event can be. The safety of our customers remains our top priority, and we implement thorough, expert-led initiatives to prevent and manage pest-related concerns, including training our housekeeping teams to recognize early signs whenever feasible. Bed bug occurrences impact the wider hospitality industry and are entirely unrelated to cleanliness or hygiene standards.”
“When an issue is reported in one of our facilities, we immediately take the affected and nearby rooms out of service for thorough inspection and treatment by independent pest control professionals.”
“We have apologised directly to Ms Stephenson and resolved the matter to her satisfaction.”
