A WOMAN woke up covered in more than 100 bed bug bites in blood-stained sheets after spending a night in a Travelodge Hotel.
Hannah Stephenson, 31, was a guest at the Newmarket Road hotel, , when she woke up with itchy red lumps across her body.
Hannah Stephenson woke up with bed bites across her body Credit: Tiktok/@thecapetownblog
She had slept at a Travelodge in Cambridge after a night out with friends Credit: Tiktok/@thecapetownblog
Hannah had been out with pals in the city centre and booked a one night stop over in the hotel to save rather than book a cab home.
But the 31-year-old woke up on July 26 to a “horrible realisation” that she had been bitten over 100 times by .
The travel enthusiast told the BBC : “It wasn’t until I saw the blood and the bugs that I realised what had happened,’ she said.
“I woke up feeling itchy and I started to have lumps forming on my arms. When I got up, I saw spots of blood on the pillow and black dots.
Hannah said she had more than 100 bites across her entire body Credit: Tiktok/@thecapetownblog
She was a guest at the Newmarket Road hotel, Cambridge Credit: Tiktok/@thecapetownblog
“I looked closer and I actually saw a bug on the pillow. I checked the bedding and there were more in the bedding. As the day went on more and more bites started to emerge.
“I counted 37 on my left hand alone but there are too many to count, definitely more than 100, they’re really itchy.”
Hannah said she was “horrified and shocked” by the bites, which she didn’t expect from her stay at the Travelodge as she thought the company was “pretty reliable”.
Her swelling had gone down two weeks later, but she remained feeling “self conscious” as her skin looked as though she was suffering from chicken pox.
The 31-year-old said ‘people were horrified’ Credit: Tiktok/@thecapetownblog
Hannah said she counted more than 37 bites on her hand alone Credit: Tiktok/@thecapetownblog
Hannah added: “People have been horrified, they’ve said I look like I have a disease. Everyone is saying how bad it looks.”
The 31-year-old said she felt “ignored” when she first complained to Travelodge, and believes the company only contacted her after she posted pictures of the bites on .
However, Travelodge said they started investigating as soon as the complaint was reported.
According to the British Association, bed bugs are not a reflection of cleanliness or hygiene standards and are brought into environments through luggage, clothing and personal belongings.
After living in Asia, Africa and South America without experiencing bed bugs, Hannah said she would “never expect this in Cambridge”.
“I am just hoping these bites will go as soon as possible and I will look normal and get on with my life,” she added.
Hannah has accepted £2,000 in compensation from the but added she hoped the company would take better precautions against bed bugs in future.
A spokesperson for Travelodge said: “We are deeply sorry for Ms Stephenson’s experience and recognise how distressing an incident like this can be.
“The safety of our customers is our priority and we maintain stringent, expert-led measures to prevent and manage pest issues, including training our housekeeping colleagues to be vigilant and to spot early signs wherever possible.
“Bed bug activity affects the wider hospitality sector and is completely unrelated to hygiene or cleanliness standards.
“In the rare instance that an issue is reported in one of our , we immediately take affected and surrounding rooms out of service for inspection and treatment by independent pest control experts.
“We have apologised directly to Ms Stephenson and resolved the matter to her satisfaction.”
Eze Chidiebere Paul
I'm dedicated to creating high-quality content that informs, inspires, and delights. If you have any questions or suggestions, don't hesitate to get in touch. Happy reading!
