Hotels that suffer from bed bug infestations are not likely to warn guests about the potential risks of bed bugs. Telling people that their hotel had bed bugs would turn guests away and hurt the hotel’s reputation, so hotels typically act to clean their rooms and treat them for bed bugs instead of telling guests. If they fail to use proper preventative measures and eradicate bed bug infestations, their guests could be injured and suffer serious damages from bed bugs.
If you found bed bugs in your room during a stay at a Residence Inn Hotel in Maryland, you should call our Residence Inn Hotel by Marriott bed bug lawyers immediately. Our attorneys can help you take the hotel chain to court and get you the compensation you need for bed bug bites and other injuries and damages from an encounter with bed bugs. For a free legal consultation on your case, call Whitney, LLP today at (410) 583-8000.
We represent clients in bed bug bite claims in Baltimore, Pasadena, Cockeysville, Owings Mills, Temple Hills, Marlow Heights, Middle River, Germantown, Silver Spring, Frederick, Waldorf, Laurel, Glen Burnie, Gaithersburg, Rockville, Ellicott City, Ocean City and Salisbury.
Suing a Residence Inn and Extended Stay Hotels for Bed Bugs
Residence Inn and other extended stay hotels are used as a home away from home by many guests. Rather than staying in a small hotel room for a prolonged period, extended stay hotels are perfect for working away from home or taking an extended vacation. However, staying at one of these hotels, like a Residence Inn by Marriott, means that you are potentially exposed to bed bugs for a longer time if the hotel room is infested.
When you stay at a hotel room that has a bed bug infestation, you may not actually be affected immediately. This means that, while you might avoid bites on your first or second night, you could face injuries and other damages if the bed bug infestation has time to spread and grow in the room. If the guest before you brought bed bugs into a hotel room and you stay for a prolonged period, you might be affected by a full-fledged infestation before long. This could mean facing increased harm, especially if you did not notice bites or signs of bed bugs in the initial days of your stay.
When you sue for bed bugs, you generally claim that the hotel failed to keep your room clean and sanitary and that that makes them liable for any damages you faced because of the bed bugs. In a typical case, bed bugs will infest a room because the hotel failed to inspect its room for bed bugs, because it failed to properly clean and treat the room for a known bed bug infestation, or because the hotel knew of a bed bug infestation but rented the room anyway without treatment.
In extended stay hotels like a Residence Inn, the hotel may try to defend against the case by claiming that you brought the bed bugs in, especially if you did not notice the infestation until a week or longer into your stay. Fortunately for you, this defense might not work because bed bugs can take up to 7 weeks to hatch from eggs and grow into an adult. This means that the infestation could have been started by the guest before you – or even further back. If the hotel took that long to notice the signs of a growing infestation, that helps confirm their negligence in causing your injuries.
Claiming Damages for Bed Bugs at an Extended Stay Residence Inn
If you know you will be living at a hotel for an extended stay, you likely have a lot of clothing and personal effects with you at the hotel. You may also bring other amenities with you, like a favorite blanket or slippers. In cases of bed bug infestations, not only could the bed and other furniture be affected, but so could clothes, luggage, and other items brought to the hotel room.
In a normal hotel room, this may limit the damage to the clothes and luggage you brought with you – which might not be much. At an extended stay hotel, you likely have more things that you brought which could need to be cleaned or replaced after discovering a bed bug infestation.
Additionally, since you may stay longer at a Residence Inn, there is a longer period of time that you might be affected by bed bugs. Identifying bed bug bites immediately may be difficult, especially if you have never encountered bed bugs before. If you discover bumps or blood, you may initially blame a mosquito bite or a skin blemish, and it may not be until you have suffered a severe attack that you realize this was a bed bug attack. This could mean prolonged exposure to bed bugs and additional bites and harm from the infestation, which you can sue for.
Generally, you can claim any costs associated with the bed bug infestation as damages in a lawsuit, including any of the following:
- Medical care costs
- Increased medical care for infected bites or allergic reactions
- The cost of cleaning and replacing damaged clothes and luggage
- Damages for physical pain and discomfort
- Damages for mental and emotional harm
- The cost of fumigation at home if bugs are tracked back home
- The cost of replacing furniture, rugs, drapes, and clothes at home if bugs are tracked back home
Talk to a lawyer about what damages you might be entitled to in your case and how to fight for maximum compensation.
Call for a Legal Consultation with Our Bed Bug Lawyers for Guests at Residence Inn by Marriott
Discovering bed bugs at your hotel can be traumatic, and the bites can lead to terrible itching, discomfort, and pain. For help filing an injury lawsuit for a bed bug infestation at your hotel, call Whitney, LLP today. Our Maryland Residence Inn by Marriott bed bug injury lawyers may be able to take your case to court and work to get you compensation for your physical injuries, mental suffering, and other damages related to your bed bug injury case. For a free legal consultation, call (410) 583-8000 today.
We represent clients across Maryland including in Montgomery County, Prince George’s County, Baltimore County, Baltimore City, Anne Arundel County, Howard County, Carroll County, Charles County and Worcester County