CAD
Aug
Hotels make up some of the most common businesses around. You would be hard pressed to visit any city in Canada and not find some form of temporary, overnight lodging. From five star luxury resorts to smaller scale economy options, hotels are everywhere and share many things in common. From housing visitors from across the globe to providing a simple yet comfortable place to lay your head, hotels all generally have a similar business plan. That said, they also all share many of the same challenges. One of the biggest challenges, and something that can be highly preventable is a hotel pest problem. When identifying issues with pest in hotels risk areas and prevention are key. While every building and location is completely unique, many of the risks and preventative measures remain the same. From bed bugs to rodents, there are more than a handful of proven ways to keep pests away from your guests and your business. Here, we will identify some of the more common pest risk areas and ways to mitigate such hazards.
Rodents are a common nuisance in the hotel industry. Thankfully, their presence can be easily mitigated. Mice and rats like to create homes in areas with a lot of clutter so these types of places in your hotel can be identified as high risk. Rodents love using cardboard and packaging material for nests, and areas where you store such material could be the answer to your rodent problem. Further, and perhaps more obviously, rodents are also attracted to quick easy meals. Your kitchen area and staff lounge should be considered high risk for rodents, as the accumulation of food scraps is virtually unavoidable. The best form of prevention for such a problem is a regular and thorough deep cleaning of these areas. It is also imperative that you and your staff keep a close eye on packaged food for signs of rodents getting into your food storage area. Unfortunately, rodents pose a very direct health problem to guests and staff alike. At the first sign of a rodent in or around your kitchen area (or hotel in general), your staff should be trained to inform management immediately. From there, you can work with The X-Terminators to eliminate the problem as quickly and effectively as possible.
While less of a serious problem than rodents or bed bugs, flying insects can also hurt your hotel’s reputation. Your lobby serves as a guest’s first impression to your hotel, and a large presence of flies and moths can ruin that impression from the get go. People associate flies with grime and trash, and even the best service in the world will not override the impression that these insects will give. High-risk areas for flies and flying insects can typically be identified around trash holding places and dumpsters. Trash receptacles in particular will attract countless species of flies and insects – none of which should be welcome visitors to your hotel. You can prevent the unnecessary presence of these dirty insects by regularly checking your trash, making sure it is secure, and taking it out when full. Flies in particular are strong vectors for transferring harmful germs and bacteria and can be especially problematic in and around your kitchen and food. Train your staff on proper sanitary measures and make sure you are eliminating flies as you see them. If it becomes a bigger issue, contact The X-Terminators for support.
Arguably the most crippling of all hotel pests are bed bugs. These pesky insects will not only irritate those effected, but they can be difficult to remove and hard to identify. Once you have bed bugs on site, you will need to closedown specific rooms, potentially overhaul some of your laundry, and deep clean your entire property. This can be an absolute mess so once again prevention is key. High-risk areas for bed bugs include guest rooms and your laundry room. Upon the first sign of bed bugs, you should have a plan in place to isolate the rooms and linens of concern and begin deep cleaning immediately. Ideally, you can quarantine the problem before spreading it further. If bed bugs find their way to your laundry room via linen transport, your entire facility could get contaminated. The best way to prevent this is to have your staff examine sheets and comforters for signs of these pests before taking them to the laundry room. Further, all linens should be sealed while they wait to be put in the laundry and when dried should be put on high heat as a final precaution to kill any remaining insects. While tiny, bed bugs can cause hotel owners or managers their biggest headache. With proper sanitation and a watchful eye, your staff can help you prevent this. If it does become an issue, call in the real pros at The X-Terminators to help get your hotel back on track.
Having pests in a hotel can ruin its reputation or, at the very least, stall business for a period of time. Nobody wants this but, thankfully, pest prevention is not that difficult. By identifying high risk areas in your building and taking the proper precautions to prevent pest infiltration you may never have to worry about these unwelcome visitors. Of course, if you do have a pest issue out of your control, don’t hesitate in calling the experts at The X-Terminators to do the dirty work!
Our mission is to completely eradicate your pest problem as quickly as possible, at the best possible price.