Hotel Pest Control Is Not Just About Bed Bugs

Hotels have many day to day concerns: making sure their guests are happy with their rooms, ensuring the kitchen is equipped to deal with the influx of orders at lunch and dinner time and making sure guests can check-in and out as efficiently as possible. But on top of all this, they have to deal with something the average guest does not give a moments thought to: pests!

And I am not just talking about bed bugs, though due to all the headline attention this creepy crawly got last year, especially in the state of New York, it is still the first pest that most people would associate with hotels.

However, most conscientious hotel managers also have to consider the risks of other pest invasions from:

• flies
• rats
• mice
• roaches

A customized hotel pest control program, can greatly benefit small and large hotels. Offering a complete pest service – from prevention to elimination – and crucial pest awareness training for front line staff, ensures prompt action at the first sign of any pests.

The most efficient integrated pest management service programs for hotels should contain targeted pest control solution for every area of a hotel, as each hotel zone faces different pest challenges.

In the kitchen for example, the risk of food contamination from flies and rodents, with all the readily available food, is very high, making mouse control and fly control a crucial element of pest prevention in the kitchen area.

A mixture of bird control and wildlife management should be considered for the exterior of any hotel to prevent pest infestations and to minimize possible entry points from the outdoors to the indoors.

In guest rooms, the number one fear of any hotel owner is bed bugs. There are many bed bug control solutions offered, from the use of bed bug dogs for early detection  to the use of specialized heat treatment, which enables a speedy and chemical-free extermination.

A good pest control company will offer bed bug inspections as part of their regular service program, recognizing the huge pest threat bed bugs pose to the hospitality business.

So, if a hotel is serious about protecting its brand reputation and about pest control, then an integrated pest management service program is the best option. This will ensure a consistent proactive pest management approach based on specific pest threats and customized to the hotel.