If you wake up in a hotel, rental or on a trip with new itchy bites in a line or cluster, bed bugs are a real possibility, and acting the same day protects your skin, your luggage and your home. First, check the mattress seams, headboard and bed frame for small, flat, reddish-brown bugs, blood spots or dark droppings, and photograph anything you find. Tell the hotel immediately and ask to move to a room that is not next to or directly above or below the affected one. Keep your luggage off the floor and the bed, and when you get home, unpack outside the bedroom, wash all clothing, including unworn items, at 60°C and tumble dry on a hot setting for at least 30 minutes, then check suitcase seams carefully. Bites usually settle within a week with a cool cloth, a mild steroid cream and an antihistamine, according to the NHS, and bed bugs are not known to spread disease. Bed bugs can be found in very clean, high-end accommodation, and Rentokil reported in August 2026 that confirmed UK bed bug activity rose by an average of 44% a year between 2023 and 2025. At The Wellness a doctor can see you by video the same day from £150, or come to your hotel in London from £495 in the daytime and £695 in the evening and at weekends. Fees appear further down this page.
Reviewed by the medical team at The Wellness. Last updated 14 October 2026.
Get a doctor to your hotel on WhatsApp or email team@thewellnesslondon.com or call 020 3951 3429.
Key facts if you find bed bugs while travelling
Bed bugs travel in the seams and folds of luggage, clothing and bags, according to the CDC.
They are found in clean, high-end accommodation as well as budget stays.
Ask to move to a room that is not next to, above or below the affected room.
Wash all clothes at 60°C and tumble dry hot for at least 30 minutes when you get home.
Bites usually settle within about a week, and bed bugs are not known to spread disease.
Confirmed UK bed bug activity rose by an average of 44% a year between 2023 and 2025.
Step 1. Confirm the signs and take photos
Check the mattress seams and corners, the headboard, the bed frame, the bedside tables and the luggage rack. Look for live bugs, which are flat, oval, wingless and 1 to 7 millimetres long, small blood spots on the sheets, tiny dark brown droppings and pale shed skins. Photograph anything you find, and photograph your bites in good light. This helps both the hotel and the doctor.
Step 2. Tell the hotel and protect your belongings
Report it to the front desk straight away and ask to move rooms, ideally to a different floor. Keep your suitcase zipped and on a hard surface away from the bed, such as the bathroom floor or a luggage rack you have checked. Bag worn clothes in sealed plastic bags. Ask the hotel to record the report, which helps if you need to claim for cleaning or other costs.
Speak to a doctor about bites on WhatsApp or email team@thewellnesslondon.com.
Step 3. Treat the bites
Hold a clean, cool, damp cloth on the bites, keep the skin clean and avoid scratching. A pharmacist can recommend a mild steroid cream such as hydrocortisone and an antihistamine if itching keeps you awake. Most bites clear within about a week.
See a doctor if bites are spreading, very swollen or painful, or showing signs of infection such as heat, pus or crusting, or if you have a high temperature. Call 999 for swelling of the lips, tongue or throat or difficulty breathing.
Step 4. Stop them coming home with you
Before you leave, check your suitcase seams, pockets and zips. At home, unpack outside the bedroom, ideally in a bathroom or hallway, and put all clothing straight into the washing machine at 60°C, including items you did not wear, then tumble dry on a hot setting for at least 30 minutes. Items that cannot be washed can be sealed in a plastic bag and frozen for 2 to 3 weeks. Vacuum the suitcase and store it away from the bedroom.
If you find bites at home in the weeks afterwards, contact your local council or a pest control service early, as the NHS advises that bed bugs are very difficult to remove yourself.
How to check a hotel room when you arrive
Put your luggage in the bathroom while you check the room. Pull back the sheets and look along the mattress seams and corners, behind the headboard where you can, and in the seams of upholstered chairs. Use the luggage rack rather than the bed or carpet, and keep clothes in your case rather than in drawers.
Visiting London and need a doctor
If you are a visitor, you can see a private doctor without registering with an NHS surgery. A doctor can come to your hotel, which is often the easiest option when you are travelling with family or have a busy schedule, and prescriptions can be sent to a pharmacy near your hotel. Consultations are available in English, Arabic, French, Spanish and Dutch.
What does a hotel doctor cost in London
Hotel doctor services in central London commonly charge £300 to £600 or more for a visit, rising late at night, and private dermatology consultations sit at £250 to £400.
At The Wellness each appointment is a single fee, with any prescription included. The medicine itself is paid for at the pharmacy. All figures are from prices.
Signature Membership, with same-day access to a doctor for regular visitors to London, from £6,950 a year or £610 a month.
Hotel, home or office visit in the evening or at the weekend, from £695, with each additional family member from £195.
Hotel, home or office visit in the daytime, from £495.
In-person consultation at our London clinics, from £220.
Same-day video consultation with photo review and prescription sent to a pharmacy near you, from £150.
Appointments are available 7 days a week by video, at our London clinics, including Marylebone and Belgravia, or in your hotel.
Why visitors choose The Wellness for bites and rashes in London
Because a doctor can review your photos by video today or come to your hotel.
Because bed bugs are told apart from scabies, fleas and other rashes, so treatment works first time.
Because the whole family can be seen together in one visit.
Because prescriptions go to a pharmacy near your hotel.
And because doctors speak English, Arabic, French, Spanish and Dutch.
Related reading
Bed bug bites covers what bites look like and how to treat them, bed bugs or scabies covers telling itchy rashes apart, hotel doctor London covers doctor visits to your hotel, and forgotten medication in London covers prescriptions for visitors.
Book a hotel visit on WhatsApp or call 020 3951 3429.
Frequently asked questions
What should I do if I find bed bugs in my hotel room
Photograph the signs, tell the front desk straight away, ask to move to a room on a different floor, and keep your luggage zipped and away from the bed.
How do I stop bringing bed bugs home
Check your suitcase before leaving, unpack outside the bedroom, wash all clothes at 60°C and tumble dry hot for at least 30 minutes, and freeze items that cannot be washed for 2 to 3 weeks.
Do clean hotels get bed bugs
Yes. Bed bugs travel in luggage and can be found in very clean, high-end accommodation. Cleanliness does not prevent them.
Can I see a doctor in my London hotel
Yes. At The Wellness a doctor can visit your hotel from £495 in the daytime and £695 in the evening and at weekends, or see you by video the same day from £150.
Do bed bug bites need antibiotics
Usually not. Bites usually settle within about a week. Antibiotics are needed only if the skin becomes infected, with spreading redness, heat, pus or crusting.
Can visitors to London see a private doctor
Yes. Visitors can see a private doctor without registering with an NHS surgery, and prescriptions can be sent to a pharmacy near your hotel.
The Wellness is a doctor-led private healthcare group providing medical care from our London clinics, including Marylebone and Belgravia. All doctors are GMC-registered. Prescriptions are issued only following a consultation and clinical assessment. The Wellness does not provide pest control. In an emergency call 999. This article is general information and not a substitute for medical advice about your own health.
Enquire now on WhatsApp or email team@thewellnesslondon.com or call 020 3951 3429.
References
US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about bed bugs
Pest Magazine, bed bug activity up 44% as Brits head on holiday, Rentokil data, August 2026
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