'Skin Felt Like It Was On Fire': Woman Suffers 100+ Bedbug Bites At UK Hotel

(MENAFN- AsiaNet News)

A woman in the UK suffered 100 painful bedbug bites after a four-night hotel stay, with her condition deteriorating so severely that she eventually had to seek emergency medical treatment. The 46-year-old woman reportedly developed extensive redness, swelling and unbearable itching across her body after discovering bedbugs crawling inside her hotel room.

According to a report by the Daily Mail, Nicola Jenkins had booked a four-night stay at the Holiday Inn Express Exeter East for a business trip and checked in on October 12. While she experienced no problems on the first night, she woke up the following morning with intense itching. After taking a shower, she noticed numerous red marks spread across her face, neck, arms, back and stomach.

"I knew it was bedbugs because I'd been through it before, but nothing like this," she told the Daily Mail, describing how she had suffered more than 100 bites across her body.

Suspecting a bedbug infestation, Jenkins decided to inspect her bedding, where she allegedly spotted a live bedbug crawling across her duvet. She claimed to have discovered around 40 dead bedbugs inside the bed and even recorded a video of the insect as evidence.

Jenkins immediately alerted the hotel reception and was offered a different room. However, she claimed the hotel refused to arrange a refund, citing that her workplace had paid for the reservation. Instead, she was reportedly offered a complimentary cup of coffee.

Unhappy with the response, Jenkins decided to leave the property and move to another hotel. However, changing accommodation did little to ease her ordeal, as the bites continued to worsen over the next few days. The itching became so intense that she described the sensation as her skin feeling like it was on fire.

Jenkins, who lived near Caerphilly in Wales, initially sought help from a pharmacist and was prescribed antihistamines as the irritation intensified and additional bites appeared. Her condition took a more alarming turn on October 19 when her left arm became severely swollen and bright red, forcing her to visit the Accident and Emergency (A & E) department.

Doctors subsequently prescribed a course of steroids to bring the reaction under control. Jenkins described the incident as one of the most stressful experiences of her life and said it disrupted her personal plans, forcing her to miss a baby shower and remain indoors over the weekend.

Although her condition eventually improved following medical treatment, the experience left her deeply dissatisfied with the hotel chain. Jenkins reportedly said she had no intention of accepting a complimentary weekend stay offered by the hotel, even after her workplace formally raised a complaint.

Following the complaint, the hotel contacted her employer, acknowledged the presence of bedbugs and offered a free weekend stay as a goodwill gesture. However, the offer failed to change Jenkins' mind about returning to the property.

Responding to the allegations, a spokesperson for Holiday Inn Express Exeter East said the hotel understood how distressing the incident must have been and emphasised that guest welfare and cleanliness remained important priorities.

"We are looking into the concerns raised. We are in contact with the guest directly," the spokesperson said.

MENAFN01112026007385015968ID1111897343