We haven't talked about bed bugs to guests before. Is that something we should start doing?
General
Yes. The data overturns the instinct to stay quiet. In the Phocuswright × Valpas 2026 study, travellers ranked bed bug safety as their single biggest concern when booking a hotel, ahead of cleanliness and staff friendliness. Yet they almost never raise it, because raising it feels stressful.
They act on it silently instead: scanning reviews, inspecting the room on arrival, switching properties. The concern is already there whether or not you mention it; silence simply means you get no credit for being safe. Visible, independent proof reassures travellers rather than alarming them, and flips their preference toward the hotel that shows it. It's the same path smoking (1990s), Wi-Fi (2000s) and sustainability (2010s) took: from an operational matter nobody named into a visible standard guests look for. Bed bug safety is making that jump now.
View the first insights of the study here.