I work in the hotel industry – I do a certain check before unpacking my bags

AFTER a couple revealed a scary experience they had at a hotel, a hospitality expert shared her advice to help avoid it in the future.

Halee, who goes by the TikTok handle @Haleewithaflair, shared the first thing she does when entering a hotel room and the exact way you should do it too to prevent an awful experience.

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Halee stitched a TikTok video from content creator couple Matt & Abby.

“We just spent a night in a bed with bed bugs and Abby has the bed bug scars to prove it,” Matt said while Abby showed off bumpy rashes on her arms and legs.

Then the video cut to Halee. “I’ve been working in the hotel industry for 15 years and I own a hotel sales support company. This is how I check my rooms before I get unpacked and settled in,” she said.

“The first thing you’re gonna want to do is make sure your room is dark. Turn off lights, close any shades, and use the flashlight on your phone,” Halee explained her travel advice.

Then she showed herself pulling off the sheets and covers from the top half of a hotel bed.

“This one does have a mattress pad,” she revealed, but added: “But you’re gonna check under all the creases.”

She explained that she was looking for bed bugs while pulling at and examining the seams of the fitted sheet and mattress pad.

“They usually like the hang out in the corners and the creases,” she confirmed. 

Then she removed the fitted sheet entirely at the other end of the bed to inspect the bare mattress. She also lifted the mattress off the bed frame to look beneath it.

After her investigative search, Halee added: “Even if you don’t see bugs, make sure you look for spots like blood spots cause that’s not a good sign either.”

Half of the video’s comments were filled with stories of hotel bed bug experiences. The other half was people scared and shocked by the lengths you should go to to ensure a safe hotel stay.

“I WOULD BE AFRAID TO LOOK,” one person commented, while another asked: “No matter how fancy the hotel is?”

Halee confirmed this while another person wrote: “Yes! I’ve worked at some expensive hotels – they all get them and it happens pretty frequently.”

Halee also made a follow-up video to answer someone’s question of why its necessary to search for bed bugs in the dark.

“The reason you should check your bed with the lights off is because bed bugs are actually nocturnal, so they’re more likely to be out and about looking for their prey,” she explained.

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