Bed bug outbreak rocks Las Vegas: Four major hotels - including The Venetian and Mirage - declare infestations after guests were left covered in bites
- Four of the biggest names on the strip have had reports of bed bugs in rooms
- Hotels included the Venetian, where rooms go for above $1,200 per night
Reports began coming in late last summer of guests leaving Sin City covered in bites, prompting an investigation by the Southern Nevada Health District.
Officials found four hotels — including the $1,200-a-night Venetian and Mirage — had suffered from bed bug outbreaks over the last five months.
It comes as bed bug infestations appear to be becoming more common, after Paris was rocked by one last year and the insects were also detected crawling around on the London Underground.
Experts say the outbreaks may be driven by a harder-to-kill species — that has recently migrated north from tropical areas. In the US, it has already been confirmed in Florida and Hawaii — although experts fear it may have traveled further north.
- The above shows the four Las Vegas hotels reporting bed bugs in the past five months
- One guest @wilkinz posted pictures of the aftermath an encounter with unwanted room mates at the Paris Las Vegas
Bed bugs have become an almost routine hazard for Las Vegas hotel guests, claim some, while Pete Rob (right) said he was only offered a change of room following the attack on him at the Horseshoe Hotel and Casino
The health department launched investigations after receiving reports from members of the public.
In their first investigation, revealed in the records release, officials contacted the Venetian after receiving a report of bed bugs at their hotel.
The Venetian confirmed that a guest had been moved suite and had all their clothes laundered after they reported bed bugs in their room.
Pest control experts were also called who confirmed bed bugs and treated the room with insecticide. It opened to the public five days after the bed bugs were first detected.
In October, a guest staying at The Mirage also reported bed bugs to local health officials — saying they had been bitten during their stay.
Their complaint read: 'Hi there, I just returned from staying at The Mirage in Las Vegas, where I was bitten by bed bugs.
'The hotel inspected the room, confirmed the presence of the bugs, and refunded my money.'
An inspection report showed pest control experts had found the insects hiding in the bed frame which were quickly killed using insecticides.
In December, inspectors also received a complaint from a guest who stayed at Encore and said she found bed bugs in her room.
Pictured above are images of bed bugs at two major Las Vegas Resorts which were posted on social media
The hotel quickly sent in a bed bug sniffer dog which found one live bug, the report shows.
The room was treated with insecticides by staff.
And at the Excalibur Hotel and Casino, two complaints of bed bugs were received in December and January.
In the complaint from January, the individual wrote: 'I found bed bugs in my hotel room. I filed a claim with the hotel management and they conducted an investigation. They emailed me stating that their inspection... yielded positive results for bed bugs.'
And for the complaint in December, an individual alleged they had been left with 'bites all over' once they got home.
In both cases, the rooms were investigated and cleared of bed bugs by officials.
The Nevada Resort Association said in a statement: 'The minute number of incidents reflects the comprehensive and proactive health and safety measures and pest-control procedures Las Vegas resorts have in place to prevent and address issues.
'Unfortunately, these pests can be transported anywhere unwittingly in luggage and clothing.'
They added: 'While incredibly rare, when reported, our members take swift action in accordance with health and safety requirements.'
It was not clear how the insects got into the rooms, but Las Vegas welcomes more than 38.8million people every year — both from within and outside the US.
With rising numbers of infestations globally, this raises the risk of guests arriving with the bugs — possibly hitching a ride on their clothing — which then infest the rooms.
Furious guests have previously taken to social media to report infestations in their rooms in Las Vegas.
They included an un-named individual who stayed at the Paris Vegas, who posted pictures online of bed bug bites on their legs.
'Had the worst stay at the Paris Vegas Hotel,' they wrote.
'Room was full of dust and gave me allergia on the first night. Then my room mate got bitten by bed bugs!
'Hotel did not give any compensation or anything!'
Another video from 2022 shows bed bugs running around on the floor at the Circus Circus hotel in Las Vegas.
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Circus Circus which was finishing up a major three-year renovation reported two infestations within six months in 2022, records showed.
And Caesar's Palace, where rooms can top out at $40,000 per night, also fell victim to the unwanted guests, along with Planet Hollywood, Palazzo, Tropicana, the MGM Grand and Sahara.
Bed bugs are small insects that are up to a quarter of an inch long.
During the day, they may hide in nooks and crevices within rooms — including plugs, under the bed and small gaps in the headboard.
But at night they emerge, attracted by the heat from human bodies, and suck on guests blood.
The insects can leave large and red bumps on people's skin, indicating where they bit someone — which often tend to be in a line.
In more serious cases, they can cause skin infections and there are concerns that they could transfer infectious diseases just like mosquitoes — although this is rarely reported.
Infestations are notoriously hard to treat because the insects have become resistant to most insecticides used.
This is often because they have evolved to have thicker armour which the chemicals cannot penetrate.
