Bitten by Bed Bugs in a London Hotel or After Travelling? What to Do Today, Step by Step

Reviewed by the medical team at The Wellness. Last updated 14 October 2026.

Get a doctor to your hotel on WhatsApp or email team@thewellnesslondon.com or call 020 3951 3429.

Key facts if you find bed bugs while travelling

• Bed bugs travel in the seams and folds of luggage, clothing and bags, according to the CDC.
• They are found in clean, high-end accommodation as well as budget stays.
• Ask to move to a room that is not next to, above or below the affected room.
• Wash all clothes at 60°C and tumble dry hot for at least 30 minutes when you get home.
• Bites usually settle within about a week, and bed bugs are not known to spread disease.
• Confirmed UK bed bug activity rose by an average of 44% a year between 2023 and 2025.

Step 1. Confirm the signs and take photos

Check the mattress seams and corners, the headboard, the bed frame, the bedside tables and the luggage rack. Look for live bugs, which are flat, oval, wingless and 1 to 7 millimetres long, small blood spots on the sheets, tiny dark brown droppings and pale shed skins. Photograph anything you find, and photograph your bites in good light. This helps both the hotel and the doctor.

Step 2. Tell the hotel and protect your belongings

Report it to the front desk straight away and ask to move rooms, ideally to a different floor. Keep your suitcase zipped and on a hard surface away from the bed, such as the bathroom floor or a luggage rack you have checked. Bag worn clothes in sealed plastic bags. Ask the hotel to record the report, which helps if you need to claim for cleaning or other costs.

Speak to a doctor about bites on WhatsApp or email team@thewellnesslondon.com.

Step 3. Treat the bites

Hold a clean, cool, damp cloth on the bites, keep the skin clean and avoid scratching. A pharmacist can recommend a mild steroid cream such as hydrocortisone and an antihistamine if itching keeps you awake. Most bites clear within about a week.

See a doctor if bites are spreading, very swollen or painful, or showing signs of infection such as heat, pus or crusting, or if you have a high temperature. Call 999 for swelling of the lips, tongue or throat or difficulty breathing.

Step 4. Stop them coming home with you

Before you leave, check your suitcase seams, pockets and zips. At home, unpack outside the bedroom, ideally in a bathroom or hallway, and put all clothing straight into the washing machine at 60°C, including items you did not wear, then tumble dry on a hot setting for at least 30 minutes. Items that cannot be washed can be sealed in a plastic bag and frozen for 2 to 3 weeks. Vacuum the suitcase and store it away from the bedroom.

If you find bites at home in the weeks afterwards, contact your local council or a pest control service early, as the NHS advises that bed bugs are very difficult to remove yourself.

How to check a hotel room when you arrive

Put your luggage in the bathroom while you check the room. Pull back the sheets and look along the mattress seams and corners, behind the headboard where you can, and in the seams of upholstered chairs. Use the luggage rack rather than the bed or carpet, and keep clothes in your case rather than in drawers.

Visiting London and need a doctor

If you are a visitor, you can see a private doctor without registering with an NHS surgery. A doctor can come to your hotel, which is often the easiest option when you are travelling with family or have a busy schedule, and prescriptions can be sent to a pharmacy near your hotel. Language availability confirmed before booking.

What does a hotel doctor cost in London

Fees depend on the type of consultation, examination and treatment needed. Confirm the full cost before booking.

Confirm the total consultation fee, any separate prescription fee and pharmacy medicine costs before booking.

• Signature Membership: enquire for current scope, access terms and fees.
• Hotel visit £595 evening. Enquire for additional family members, weekend, office and out-of-area fees.
• Hotel visit £495 daytime. Home visit £450.
• In-person consultation at our London clinics: enquire for scope and fees.
• Video consultation with photo review from £150. Prescribing depends on assessment and is not guaranteed. Confirm availability and any separate prescription and pharmacy medicine costs.

Appointments are available 7 days a week by video, at our London clinics, including Marylebone and Belgravia, or in your hotel.

Why visitors choose The Wellness for bites and rashes in London

Because a doctor can review your photos by video today or come to your hotel.

Because bed bugs are told apart from scabies, fleas and other rashes, so treatment works first time.

Because the whole family can be seen together in one visit.

Because prescriptions go to a pharmacy near your hotel.

Language availability confirmed before booking.

Related reading

Bed bug bites covers what bites look like and how to treat them, bed bugs or scabies covers telling itchy rashes apart, hotel doctor London covers doctor visits to your hotel, and forgotten medication in London covers prescriptions for visitors.

Book a hotel visit on WhatsApp or call 020 3951 3429.

Frequently asked questions

What should I do if I find bed bugs in my hotel room

Photograph the signs, tell the front desk straight away, ask to move to a room on a different floor, and keep your luggage zipped and away from the bed.

How do I stop bringing bed bugs home

Check your suitcase before leaving, unpack outside the bedroom, wash all clothes at 60°C and tumble dry hot for at least 30 minutes, and freeze items that cannot be washed for 2 to 3 weeks.

Do clean hotels get bed bugs

Yes. Bed bugs travel in luggage and can be found in very clean, high-end accommodation. Cleanliness does not prevent them.

Can I see a doctor in my London hotel

At The Wellness hotel visits cost £495 daytime or £595 evening, and video consultations start from £150. Confirm availability and any separate weekend or out-of-area fees before booking.

Do bed bug bites need antibiotics

Usually not. Bites usually settle within about a week. Antibiotics are needed only if the skin becomes infected, with spreading redness, heat, pus or crusting.

Can visitors to London see a private doctor

Yes. Visitors can see a private doctor without registering with an NHS surgery, and prescriptions can be sent to a pharmacy near your hotel.

The Wellness is a doctor-led private healthcare group providing medical care from our London clinics, including Marylebone and Belgravia. All doctors are GMC-registered. Prescriptions are issued only following a consultation and clinical assessment. The Wellness does not provide pest control. In an emergency call 999. This article is general information and not a substitute for medical advice about your own health.

Enquire now on WhatsApp or email team@thewellnesslondon.com or call 020 3951 3429.

References

• NHS, bedbugs
• US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about bed bugs
• Pest Magazine, bed bug activity up 44% as Brits head on holiday, Rentokil data, August 2026