Stay at Your Own Risk- Insect (bedbugs) Bites!

Stay at Your Own Risk- Insect (bedbugs) Bites!

As way of background, I'm a fairly avid traveler and actually stayed at this hotel 4 years ago on another trip to Bangkok. I was so impressed with the staff, the hospitality, and location that I recommended that a group of friends stay here on a recent milestone birthday trip.

Unfortunately, I was too tired to be social and fell asleep in my room our first night. The morning after, i woke up with bites all over my feet and ankles. I figured that I had just fallen asleep with my feet outside of the covers and chalked it up a mosquito that must have been in the room and went about my day (albeit very itchy) to a dentist appointment and a dinner with friends. However, the next morning, I woke up with even more bites and now my legs were swollen, inflamed (literally felt like burnin) and itchy. I was going to let it go until I mentioned it while on a tour with the rest of my friends and another group of our party had the same bites all over her knees and legs. Sure enough, they were the same kinds of bites!!!!

We went to the front desk and immediately informed the manager on duty. Although she tried to convince me that 1) they "of course had no bedbugs (I hadn't mentioned them before this and indeed it had never occurred to me that these were bedbugs because I have NEVER had any exposure to them), 2) I could be having an allergic reaction (and quiz me on my activities the day before and what I had eaten) and 3) that "guests sometimes lie", she insisted I go to the hospital (at my own costs but it was worth it because I was in serious agony and it was conveniently located across the street). I did and ended up having to get several very painful anti-inflammatory INJECTIONS in over 26 bites (confirmed by the doctor as bug bites) as well as a prescription antihistamine and anti-inflammatory cream. When I came back to the hotel all bandaged up and bloodied from the injections, the manager insisted that "take some time and relax" because she had had the cleaning staff change the sheets on the bed.... yes, THEY WANTED ME TO LAY BACK DOWN IN THE SAME BED I HAD JUST BEEN BITTEN TO SMITHEREENS IN! Yeah, that would be a no.... I was already checking out that day and had previously arranged a late check out but i got out of there as soon as I could pack my things.

I stayed in Room 1204 and my friend stayed in Room 1220. I'm not saying every room has whatever bugs bit me (cough,.... bedbugs..... cough) but this wasn't an isolated event.

it was bad enough that this interfered with my vacation (and my wedding, which is in 3 weeks, since I now have dark healing scars on my feet) but as someone who frequently travels for work, I can't imagine staying at an establishment that prides itself on being a 5 star business hotel and getting bitten up to the point of having to go to the hospital while traveling for work! I reported the hotel to our work travel agency and asked that it be removed as a preferred hotel for business travel to the area and I would caution you to be diligent if staying there- at the first signs of bites, leave! And while I appreciate that hotel have very little control of what hotel guests bring in and out of their hotels, the response from management was pretty appalling.