Hotel Bed Bugs Litigation

By R. Britton Colbert, CHA

The recent emergence of bed bugs in hotels reflects the lack of property control by management and the lack of immediate action by hotel management to eliminate the problem. Appropriate action include: a) Immediate assistance by a qualified/experienced extermination company, b) Placing the affected guest room out-of-order until released by the extermination company, c) Extend/expand the extermination company’s service coverage if necessary to help prevent further infestation, and d) Implement enhanced training for the inspection of bed bugs to help prevent further occurrences.

Prior case assignments as consultant/expert witness in hotel bed bug lawsuits reflected absence of some or all of the foregoing points.

R. Britton Colbert, CHA, a 30+ years hotel veteran, earned a BS from the University of Denver School of Hotel & Restaurant Management. He holds the Certified Hotel Administrator Certification, the highest certification from the American Hotel & Lodging Association, 1991– 2006; 2011–2016. He has developed and financed hotels throughout the United States and operated a national hotel portfolio of nine hotels. He holds real estate licenses in California and Pennsylvania. Colbert lives in South Florida and can be contacted at 561-455-2785 or ColbertLLC@aol.com.

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