How to Spot Bed Bugs Before Checking Into a Delhi Hotel

The 5-minute hotel check before you unpack

Put your luggage in the bathroom (the one room bed bugs almost never reach). Then walk to the bed with the room's flashlight or your phone torch.

Where to look first

1. Pull the fitted sheet off the mattress corner. Look at the piping seam — bed bugs leave rust-coloured fecal dots there.

2. Lift the mattress and check the box-spring's stitched edge.

3. Look behind the headboard if it lifts off the wall — this is the #1 hiding spot in budget hotels.

4. Check the seam where the wallpaper meets the skirting near the bed.

If you see anything suspicious

Don't argue at reception — request a room change to a non-adjacent room (bed bugs travel between adjoining walls). On returning home, run all clothes through a 60°C wash or 30 minutes in a hot dryer. Inspect your suitcase outside before bringing it in. If you suspect you've carried bugs home, call a professional within 14 days — that's roughly the egg-to-adult cycle and the window to prevent a full infestation.