Hannah Stephenson, a 31-year-old travel blogger, woke up covered in 100 bedbug bites after staying a single night at a Travelodge in Cambridge. The incident occurred on July 26 at the budget hotel on Newmarket Road, where she had stayed to save money on a taxi home to Bassingbourn after a day sightseeing with friends.
Discovery of the Bites
Stephenson, who has traveled the world and blogged about her time in Cape Town, South Africa, said she never expected bedbugs to bite her at a Travelodge 'of all places'. She counted some 100 bites on her hands, arms, chest, back, legs, and neck, with 37 on her left hand alone. The bites left her with constant itching, panic attacks, and social embarrassment.
She told the BBC: 'It was just a lovely wholesome time of Cambridge sightseeing and pubs, and now it is tarnished by these bedbug bites. It wasn’t until I saw the blood and the bugs that I realised what had happened.'
Aftermath and Compensation
Stephenson had to attend a family wedding with the visible bites, buy new clothes to cover them, and missed social events due to embarrassment. She wrote on TikTok: 'I’ve had to go to a family wedding like this, had to buy new clothes to cover the awful bites, been unable to sleep properly for weeks due to the constant itching, had a panic attack.'
Travelodge offered her £2,000 in compensation. Inspectors found her room was riddled with bedbugs, and the hotel has since deep-cleaned it. A Travelodge spokesperson told Metro: 'We are deeply sorry for Ms Stephenson’s experience and recognise how distressing an incident like this can be. The safety of our customers is our priority and we maintain stringent, expert-led measures to prevent and manage pest issues, including training our housekeeping colleagues to be vigilant and to spot early signs wherever possible.'
Understanding Bedbugs
Bedbugs are small parasitic insects that feed on the blood of sleeping mammals. They are about the size of an apple seed and can go nearly a year without eating, allowing them to hitchhike on clothing, furniture, luggage, and second-hand bedding. Symptoms of bedbug bites include red specks, water-filled blisters, pus-filled spots, and swollen raised lumps. They typically heal within one to two weeks, though rare skin infections may require antibiotics.
Contrary to popular belief, bedbugs are not attracted to unhygienic places. Pest experts previously told Metro that warmth, blood, carbon dioxide, and darkness draw them close, which is why cases peak in the summer.
