After the influx of visitors to the UK over the busy summer period, the rapid changeover of guests in hotels will have taken its toll on the beds. General wear and tear and staining are issues which UK hoteliers expect and are used to dealing with on a daily basis – and those which usually can be rectified quickly. However, a surge of guests can also leave more serious, damaging and lasting problems that unless dealt with immediately will only become worse – bed bugs.Available statistics online suggest that in the UK there is on average a 25% annual rise in reported bedbug infestations, so an increase in guests can only increase the chances of being left with a bed bug problem. Bed bugs are carried in visitor’s clothing and luggage – and mattresses are a classic breeding ground for them.
Bed bugs are not just an inconvenience; they will feed on your guests causing nasty reactions and painful rashes. Not only can bed bugs cause an uncomfortable night’s sleep for guests, their presence can fuel serious complaints, bad reviews, compensation claims and costly pest control. Research by Hypnos shows that hotel guests spend over 60% of their time in a hotel bedroom asleep during their stay meaning they are at a high risk of contact with bed bugs, so it is imperative that hoteliers do not ignore this issue and take the necessary steps to prevent – or eradicate – infestation.
It cannot be stressed enough how important protection against bed bugs is for hotel owners now the busy summer period is over, in preserving their reputations. Recently, a high profile hotel chain in the USA was successfully sued for $382,000 by guests who had been bitten; and entomology studies suggest that Australian tourism has lost $108million a year due to bed bug infestations.
There is now a way to rid your hotels of bed bugs without the expense of having to invest in brand new beds. Vital Protection™ – a revolutionary fabric treatment for mattresses, toppers and mattress renovators, has been designed by Hypnos and HHL to provide long lasting protection against bed bugs for hotel guests. Vital Protection™ is a fabric impregnation treatment which has been independently scientifically proven to effectively repel and instantly kill bed bugs, as well as dust mites and other bacteria.
Vital Protection™ can not only be added to all new beds and mattresses, but also be used on existing beds, by applying a zipped mattress renovator which encases the whole of the mattress. The treatment cannot be washed off and is completely invisible and odourless, having no negative impact on the fabric’s fire retardancy properties.
The time for hoteliers to check they are bed-bug free and act is now, in order to avoid any complaints or bad publicity and most importantly – to ensure that your guests have a night’s sleep to remember, for all the right reasons.
For more information on Vital Protection™, please visit www.hypnoscontractbeds.com or call 0115 973 2180.
