I-Team Exposes Bed Bug Invasion at Hotel

(Boca Raton, FL) -- Do you ever think you're feeling the creepy crawlies in the middle of the night? It might not be your imagination. Bed bugs are slowly infesting Florida. So, the CBS 12 I-Team digs deeper into local hotel inspection records. We're working for you to expose a growing problem in our area.

We spoke with local hotel guests who told us, "I'm thinking when I wake up if there's something chewing on me all night long..." This guest heard about South Florida's growing bed bug problem and says it affected him enough to think about it before going to bed. "I kinda looked at the bed and thought... should I disrobe it and look for bugs?" What he didn't know was that where he's staying, The Embassy Suites, on NW 53rd Street in Boca Raton, just got a "warning" from state health inspectors because of "bed bugs."

The I-Team uncovers state health inspection records from August 17 that says an employee is the one who came forward saying some rooms are "full of bed bugs" and some beds have blood on the sheets." We took a hidden camera inside to show you around and the inspector found bed bugs here in Room 745. Then, we went back to the front desk with some questions. We wanted to know what the hotel was doing about the reported problem, but the manager on duty did not want to answer any of our questions. He later changed his mind, though and gave us a written statement from the hotel.

The Embassy Suites statement says, in part, that the hotel has, "very stringent treatment and prevention programs..." which include "stripping of the entire guestroom bedding, deep cleaning and then pre-treating the rooms." Embassy Suites also says "bed bugs are brought into hotels by guests; it is not a hotel sanitation issue."

But for the guests we spoke with, it doesn't really matter where the bugs come from. One guest told us, "I know it would bother me if I saw blood and got bit up all night."

David Trietiak and his bed bug scent sniffing dog with K9 P.I. are getting more and more calls every day and he says hotels are no exception. He tells us, "It's just now scratching the surface in Florida. We haven't seen it bad yet. We're going to." He tells us why he thinks most people are bothered by them, "It's just the thought of something feeding on you...  it's nasty."

Bed bugs are hitchhikers. They travel on people and their belongings, then they multiply in new places. They survive by drinking human blood, like little vampires, and they usually attack while you're sleeping so you won't notice. David's seen so many infestations in Florida. He says,

"Every day gives me the heeby geebies." So many infestations, that he and his family take their own precautions when staying at hotels where they can't bring their dog Angel. He tells us, "We put our luggage on a stand and don't hang our clothes up anymore." Paranoid? He doesn't think so. He'd rather check the sheets for bugs and blood, then follow the old saying of 'Sleep tight and don't let the bed bugs bite.'

Bed bugs are very, very hard to get rid of. Some say pesticides won't always do it and the other option is heating up an entire room to more than 114 degrees. That's not easy or cheap.

So, where do you go to check out your hotel before you travel? Here is a link to check out state hotel inspection records. Just type in your hotel's name and click on the date for the inspection record:

https://www.myfloridalicense.com/wl11.asp?mode=0&SID=&brd=H

What about reporting a problem at a hotel? Here is the link for the Consumer Section of the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation. That is the state agency that oversees hotels:

http://www.myfloridalicense.com/dbpr/consumers.html

There are also websites where people blog about hotels and bed bug experiences. Here is a link to one:

http://www.bedbugregistry.com/

Want to learn more about the bed bug scent sniffing dog.  Here's K9 P.I.'s website:

www.mybedbugbuster.com

Questions? E-mail me at: tcardoso@cbs12.com

Tara Cardoso, CBS 12 I-Team.