Couple Says Bedbug Bites in Luxury French Hotel; Management Denies Claim

A couple who stayed at the Abbaye des Vaux-de-Cernay, a country resort southwest of Paris, say they woke covered in bites and have been refused reimbursement by the hotel. The couple contacted a dermatologist after checkout, who reviewed photos and advised treatment. They discarded and dry-cleaned clothing and sought prescriptions, costing about $800, and they asked the hotel to also refund their roughly $1,050 stay — a total they say amounts to $1,850.

Hotel deputy general manager Julien Davain said staff did not receive the first email until late the night of checkout, then closed the room and hired Paris pest-control firm As de Pic. The company used a detection dog and reported no signs of bedbugs. Davain told the columnist: "If I reimburse Madame, it is like I am guilty." Experts who reviewed the guests’ photos, including an emeritus Penn State entomology professor and a lawyer who handles bedbug cases, said the bite patterns were consistent with bedbugs.

But legal counsel said clear photographs of the insects on site are typically needed to prove an infestation. The hotel suggested the bites may have come from outdoor insects around its grounds; Davain noted similar unexplained bites occur among children who take part in nearby outdoor programs.

The pest-control company’s inspection was dated a week after the stay, after the room had been cleaned and linens changed. The columnist could not secure reimbursement for the guests.

Key Topics

World, United States, Culture, Travel, Hotels, Bedbugs, Consumer Rights