Bed bugs found at 4 Las Vegas Strip hotels in past 5 months

LAS VEGAS (KLAS) – Some tourists staying at Las Vegas Strip resort hotels may have returned home with unwanted guests.

Reports from the Southern Nevada Health District (SNHD) show inspectors found bed bugs over the last five months at several Strip properties. 

A guest staying at the Encore filed a complaint back in December. According to the SNHD, one of Encore’s bed bug-sniffing dogs discovered a live one in a room that was then immediately taken out of service on December 5, 2023. 

Besides Encore, inspectors located these insects at three other strip resorts from September of 2023 to January of this year At the Venetian in September, staff moved a guest to a different suite and sent their items to be laundered after finding the critters, according to documents. 

In October, someone staying at the Mirage filed a complaint after being bitten by bed bugs. Mirage refunded their money. That same month, documents stated a guest checked in to the Excalibur Hotel and Casino and found bed bugs in their room, which an inspector confirmed. 

Bobby James is a pest exterminator for hotels that are off the Strip. 

“Even though it’s clean, there’s nothing wrong with pulling back the sheets and checking your surroundings. Check a chair. Bed bugs are very visible. You just have to look. You have to be proactive,” James of Top Line Pest Eliminators said. 

James added that bed bugs can live for six months without eating, so a person may have them in their hotel room and not be bitten. 

“We’re the number one tourist destination. People come from everywhere. A lot of people live with these problems and they bring them with them,” James said. 

The Nevada Resort Association, speaking on behalf of all Strip hotels, released a statement that reads in part: “Unfortunately, these pests can be transported anywhere unwittingly in luggage and clothing. While incredibly rare, when reported our members take swift action in accordance with health and safety requirements.”

The Southern Nevada Health District issued what it labels as fees to hotels where bed bugs are found and they can close rooms if there is a persistent problem at a hotel. 

Below is the Nevada Resort Association’s full statement.

“The health and safety of our guests and employees is the resort industry’s highest priority. With approximately 155,000 hotel rooms and 41 million annual visitors, four rooms impacted over a nearly five-month period that generated millions of room nights shows these are extremely rare and isolated occurrences. 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. While incredibly rare, when reported our members take swift action in accordance with health and safety requirements. Guests are immediately relocated, and the room is taken out of service for extensive cleaning and extermination to eradicate any pests.”

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KLAS.