Best Western has been one of the most recognized hotel brands in the United States for decades. Founded in 1946, the company has grown into an international hotel chain with thousands of independently owned and operated locations. While millions of guests enjoy comfortable stays each year, bed bug infestations can occur at any hotel if proper inspection and pest-control procedures are not followed.
If you discovered bed bugs during your stay or suffered bed bug bites after checking out of a Best Western hotel, you may have legal options. Depending on the circumstances, you may be able to pursue a claim for the injuries and financial losses you experienced. To ensure that you have a thorough understanding of the legal options available to you, it is important that you seek legal help as soon as possible.
Here at Stratford Legal Justice Group, our attorneys represent individuals who have been harmed by hotel bed bug infestations. Our team is experienced in bed bug claims and are not afraid to take on any negligent hotel or motel owner. We help clients investigate their claims, determine whether the hotel may be legally responsible, and pursue compensation when negligence contributed to their injuries.
If you are ready to discuss the legal options available to you with the team here at Stratford Legal Justice Group, contact our team today.
Can You Sue Best Western for Bed Bugs?
Yes. If a Best Western hotel failed to maintain reasonably safe accommodation, and that failure resulted in a bed bug infestation, you may have grounds to file a lawsuit. This is because hotels owe guests a duty to provide clean and reasonably safe rooms. This includes taking reasonable steps to inspect guest rooms, respond to complaints, and eliminate bed bugs before they pose a risk to future guests. Whether you have a valid claim depends on the specific facts or details of your case, including whether the hotel knew, or reasonably should have known, about the infestation and failed to act appropriately.
If you were affected by a bed bug infestation at a Best Western hotel, it is important that you seek legal help as soon as possible to explore the legal options available to you and your family.
Best Western’s Duty to Protect Guests
Hotel operators have a legal responsibility to maintain their premises in a reasonably safe condition. Because guests rely on hotels to provide clean accommodations, management should implement regular inspection and pest-control programs designed to detect and eliminate bed bugs.
Reasonable preventative measures may include:
- Routine inspections of guest rooms
- Prompt investigation of guest complaints
- Professional pest-control treatment
- Thorough cleaning and sanitation procedures
- Removing infested rooms from service until treatment is complete
- Ongoing staff training to identify signs of bed bugs
When these responsibilities are ignored, a hotel may be held liable for injuries caused by preventable infestations.
When hotel operators fail to exercise their duty of care and fail to protect their guests, they are breaching their duty of care. When this breach of duty directly causes harm, then the hotel operator could be found negligent and can be sued. As a hotel guest, it is important that you understand the duty of care owed to you during your stay.
Common Injuries Caused by Bed Bugs
Although bed bugs are not generally known to transmit disease, they can still cause significant physical, emotional, and financial damages. Exposure to a bed bug infestation at a hotel or motel can result in extensive harm. If even a few bed bugs hitch a ride on personal belongings, infestations can follow guests and spread in their homes. Below, we have summarized the different harm/damages that may occur.
Bed Bug Bites
The most common injury involves itchy, red bites that often appear hours or even days after exposure. Because bed bugs inject a mild anesthetic while feeding, many people do not realize they have been bitten until later. Since bed bugs are nocturnal and their saliva is anesthetic, as mentioned, bites go unnoticed. Bites become apparent once the individual is awake and starts getting itchy. Bed bug bites usually appear in a pattern, in a line or a zig-zag pattern, that occurs when the bugs move from one bite-site to the next.
Allergic Reactions
Some individuals experience allergic reactions ranging from localized swelling to more serious symptoms requiring medical attention. In rare cases, severe allergic reactions may occur. There have been reports of individuals suffering from blood clots that have directly resulted in stroke. This is a rare complication of bed bug bites and resulting allergic reactions.
Skin Infections
Repeated scratching of bed bug bites can break the skin, increasing the risk of bacterial infection that may require medical treatment. Some affected individuals may start scratching even before waking up from the night. Scratching that ultimately leads to skin infections also increases the risk of scarring and disfigurement.
Emotional Distress
Unfortunately, the experience of being exposed to bed bug infestations can leave lasting psychological consequences that can last months, years, or even for the rest of their lives.
Many victims report lasting emotional effects after encountering bed bugs, including:
- Anxiety
- Panic
- Fear
- Insomnia
- Depression
- Embarrassment
- Fear of future travel
- Post-traumatic stress
- And more
Property Damage
One of the greatest concerns is unknowingly bringing bed bugs home in luggage or clothing. Even a small number of bed bugs can spread quickly, resulting in expensive extermination costs, damaged furniture, discarded personal belongings, and other unexpected expenses. A bed bug infestation from a hotel or motel can start a full blown infestation in homes, apartment units, entire apartment buildings, and even workplaces (like offices). Property damage can quickly surpass tens of thousands of dollars.
Can You Sue Best Western for Bed Bug Bites?
Yes, you can sue Best Western for bed bug bites. However, simply being bitten by bed bugs does not automatically mean the hotel is legally responsible. Generally, a successful claim requires evidence that the hotel failed to exercise reasonable care.
Examples may include:
- Ignoring prior guest complaints
- Failing to inspect guest rooms
- Delaying treatment after discovering bed bugs
- Renting rooms despite known infestations
- Using inadequate pest-control procedures
An experienced bed bug attorney can review the available evidence and determine whether negligence may have contributed to your injuries.
Here at the Stratford Legal Justice Group, our team is not afraid to hold Best Western accountable for the damages resulting from exposure to a bed bug infestation.
What Should You Do After Finding Bed Bugs in Your Hotel Room?
The actions you take immediately after discovering bed bugs can significantly affect your potential claim.
Consider taking the following steps:
Document the Infestation
Do everything possible to properly document the infestation.
Take photographs or videos of:
- Visible bed bugs
- Mattress seams
- Bedding
- Furniture
- Blood stains or insect spotting
- Your bed bug bites
Wherever you see a sign of a bed bug, take a photo/video. If possible, preserve a specimen in a sealed container, like a small plastic food container or even a sealable bag. Photos, videos, and, when possible, a specimen, are the strongest pieces of evidence to bed bug claims against hotels.
Notify Hotel Management
Report the infestation immediately. Request that management create a written incident report. Keep copies of any emails or written communications. Management may try to rush you to change rooms. Do not agree to changing rooms before you first have the photos and videos that you need to support your claim. You should also notify the local health department of the bed bug infestation.
Seek Medical Treatment
If you experience severe itching, allergic reactions, infections, or other symptoms, seek prompt medical care. Save all medical records and receipts. Seeking medical care immediately ensures that the incident is properly linked to the harm that you suffered.
Preserve Important Evidence
It is important that you keep everything related to your exposure to the bed bug infestation and any resulting damage. You should preserve the following to strengthen your claim:
- Hotel reservation confirmations
- Receipts
- Photographs
- Medical bills
- Damaged luggage or clothing
- Correspondence with the hotel
- Copy of the incident report
Reach Out to a Lawyer
You should reach out to an experienced bed bug lawyer as soon as possible. An experienced lawyer will be able to help you gather all the evidence necessary to support your claim and to hold the negligent hotel operator accountable.
What Compensation May Be Available?
If the hotel’s negligence caused your injuries, you may be entitled to recover compensation. Although every claim is different, some of the different compensation that could be available for recovery could include the following:
- Medical expenses
- Future medical treatment
- Lost wages
- Loss of earning capacity
- Pain and suffering (for emotional distress)
- Property damage (for replacement of contaminated personal belongings and more)
- Extermination expenses
- Legal fees
- And more
In some cases, punitive damages may also be available if the facts support such a claim under applicable law. In California, specifically, punitive damages are awarded in cases in which the incident occurred due to gross negligence.
How much is my Best Western case worth?
Every case is different, and the value of a claim depends on factors such as the severity of the injuries, the extent of the property damage, and the available evidence. A bed bug attorney can help evaluate the details of your claim to determine the possible value of your claim.
How Can a Bed Bug Attorney Help?
Although individuals can handle minor bed bug claims on their own, having a bed bug attorney to back your case is strongly recommended. Hotel bed bug claims require substantial evidence to establish negligence. An attorney can help by:
- Investigating the circumstances of the infestation
- Obtaining hotel maintenance and inspection records
- Interviewing witnesses
- Reviewing medical documentation
- Negotiating with insurance companies
- Filing a lawsuit when necessary
Early legal representation can also help preserve evidence that may otherwise become unavailable. In addition, when you have a bed bug attorney handling your claim, your claim will be taken seriously from the start.
Why Choose Stratford Legal Justice Group?
Stratford Legal Justice Group focuses on representing individuals injured by bed bug infestations in hotels, motels, apartments, and other commercial properties. Our firm is not afraid to take on any negligent hotel owner or hotel operator.
When you contact our office, we can:
- Review the facts of your case
- Explain your legal rights
- Evaluate potential compensation
- Answer your questions during a free consultation
- Handle your claim on a contingency fee basis
Contact a Best Western Bed Bug Lawyer
Our team here at the Stratford Legal Justice Group, our team is fully committed to helping you fight for your rights and help you secure the compensation that you are owed. If you suffered bed bug bites or other injuries after staying at a Best Western hotel, you do not have to navigate the legal process alone. Our attorneys are available to evaluate your potential claim, explain your legal options, and help you pursue the compensation you may be entitled to recover.
Our firm offers free case evaluations, which include both free initial case evaluations and free second opinions. Whether you are looking to begin or continue your hotel bed bug claim against Best Western, our team can help you. Our lawyers will answer all your questions, address all your concerns, and ensure that you have access to all the information that you need to begin or continue your claim.
Contact Stratford Legal Justice Group today to schedule your free consultation and learn whether you may have a claim against Best Western.