Which Las Vegas hotels have bed bugs? How to identify infestation as health district exposes major resorts

Infestation by bed bugs has been reported in several hotels in Las Vegas. Health inspectors from Southern Nevada Health District made a complaint about finding these blood-sucking insects in seven resorts along the Las Vegas Strip over the past one and a half years.

They found the bugs in Caesars Palace and MGM Grand last year, while in February 2023, Tropicana Las Vegas was also infested with these bugs. Other hotels on the list include Circus Circus, Planet Hollywood, Sahara, and Palazzo.

People report bed bug infestation in Las Vegas hotels. (Image via X/@Smooches415)

After receiving a complaint about the bugs, the hotel staff at Tropicana immediately isolated the infested rooms and their surrounding areas. MGM Resorts was found to have these bugs in January of last year. The hotel told a local outlet KLAS that it resorts to comprehensive procedures to address as well as resolve issues that may arise due to bedbugs.

As per the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, high occupancy turnover makes hotels and resorts particularly vulnerable to infestations of bed bugs. Unaware visitors typically bring the bugs into these hotels through luggage, already-infested blankets or pillows, and clothing. The agency said:

“There is little that can be done to prevent guests from bringing in bed bugs. No hotel is immune to a bed bug infestation.”

7 hotels in Las Vegas were found infested with bed bugs. (Image via X/@123redlights1)

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How to identify infestation by bed bugs?

Bed bugs feed on animal and human blood. Adult bugs, which are about the size of apple seeds, don’t have any wings and appear reddish-brown in color. Their bodies are flat and oval-shaped. Young bugs, which are called nymphs, are yellowish or translucent in color and smaller in size. The eggs of bedbugs are white and tiny.

These insects are typically seen in apartments, hotels, dorm rooms, cruise ships, shelters, rooming houses, trains, and buses.

There are a few early signs to look for if a person suspects that they may have bedbugs in their room:

• Small, itchy, red or purple bumps on the skin: The most common place for these bumps are hands, arms, and legs. The bumps may appear in a cluster of 3 to 4 bite marks.
• Small bloodstains on sheets: Red or rust-colored small splotches appear on bedsheets, pillows, and clothing.
• Fecal spots: Dark brown or black tiny spots about the size of a pencil tip are found on bedsheets and clothes.
• Musty odors: Unusual and sudden musty odors without any apparent cause such as stale food in the room. If the bed bug infestation is severe, it might generate bad smell like that of moldy laundry, wet towels, or rust.
• Eggs of bed bugs: Their eggs are oval-shaped pearly white eggs about 1 mm long, which are loosely stuck to different surfaces.

As per the Environmental Protection Agency, if one finds these signs around their room, they should carefully inspect the mattress, especially in its crevices since these bugs like hiding in areas where they get easy access to bite people. One might also find them near the tags, seams, or piping of their box springs or mattress and on the headboard or the bed frame.

Once a room is infested with young bedbugs, they grow over time and move further into other crevices in the room where they can hide, such as the folds of curtains, joints of drawers, seams of sofas, chairs, or cushions, and in electrical appliances and outlets.

Since these insects live on blood alone for survival, they are not really a sign of untidy or dirty surroundings. One can find them in messy houses as well as immaculate ones.

Bedbugs are mainly active during the night, and they usually bite people when they’re sleeping. They feed from 3 to 10 minutes until they have satiated their appetite and then they crawl away. While some people may not have any reaction to bed bug bites, others can be allergic to them and have severe reactions.

To get rid of bedbugs, it is necessary to wash one’s bedding, clothing, and curtains in hot or lukewarm water and then dry them on the highest setting of the dryer. Items that cannot be washed, such as stuffed animals and certain shoes, should be run in the dryer for 30 minutes or more.

One can also use a stiff brush to scrub their bedding and mattress to remove the bugs and their eggs and then vacuum the area. It should be done every day to avoid new infestations.

Regarding the situation concerning the bedbug-infested resorts on the Las Vegas Strip, the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene said that exterminators usually recommend using pesticides to get rid of bed bugs, since they can live without food or water for several months.

In extreme cases of infestation, professional exterminators who have previous experience with bed bugs should be hired.