5 Places Cockroaches May Be Hiding In Your Hotel
For most hotel owners, the holiday season is a prime time for guests to check in and get ready to enjoy a few days away from home. However, there may also be those unwanted guests who are sure to ruin the experience for just about everyone else in your hotel as soon as they appear: cockroaches.
Regardless of how they may find their way onto your hotel property, one thing about cockroaches is for certain: they are experts at hiding when they don’t want to be found. That’s what makes a cockroach infestation so notoriously difficult to eliminate, and why so many hotel owners turn to professional cockroach removal specialists to get rid of the invasion before it scares off your guests.
Whether you’re concerned about the appearance of cockroaches around your hotel or are simply trying to prevent any problems before the emerge, here are a few of the most likely hiding spots where cockroaches may be hiding in your hotel. Keep a close watch, and don’t hesitate to act fast if you spot even one.
1. Garbage & Trash Areas
While it may not be the first place on many guests’ radar when they arrive at your hotel, your garbage and trash storage areas can be a major attractant to cockroaches all year long - and, all too often, may also be among the last places a hotel owner thinks to inspect.
The truth is that a garbage area offers a cockroach just about everything it needs to set up a nest: a source of food, usually some source of water, and shelter from the elements to nest. Together, these factors make your hotel’s least attractive space for humans among the most attractive for pests, and cockroaches have long been known to lead the way.
Maintaining proper garbage disposal schedules and taking time to regularly clean and sterilize your garbage collection areas can go a long, long way in preventing cockroaches from getting settled. If you continue to experience cockroach problems in this area even after diligent cleaning, it may be time to call in some help from a cockroach control professional.
2. Food Storage, Preparation & Service Areas
As in any restaurant, hotels with food preparation areas will often see that the path between the garbage area and the food preparation space is a high-traffic area. While this may be necessary for proper disposal of old or outdated food, it also gives cockroaches a fairly straight shot from your trash area to your kitchen, and that can mean serious trouble for your restaurant or food service staff.
Cockroaches love kitchens and food storage areas, as well as dining areas, for similar reasons: easy access to food, water, and shelter. Many food storage areas also offer a nice amount of warmth, whether it’s from underneath or behind a fridge, nearby an oven or toaster, or simply out in the open in a warm and bustling kitchen.
No matter what draws them there, the presence of even one cockroach in your food space can be hugely detrimental to your ability to serve guests. Not only will this leave a terrible impression for any diners who witness cockroaches in your hotel, but it will also stain your hotel’s reputation among the local and online community.
That’s why it’s critical to closely watch your food storage, preparation, and storage areas for cockroaches, and to contact a professional for assistance if you do indeed spot any.
3. Laundry Rooms & Washers
When warmth is the goal, cockroaches are not afraid to seek out one of the warmest areas on your hotel property: the laundry area.
Typically filled with warm washers and dryers, easy access to water, and plenty of places to hide undetected, laundry spaces offer an easy hiding spot for roaches to settle in and start a nest. And because the laundry area is often considered “clean” because of the activities that take place in it, a laundry room may not necessarily be the first place a hotel owner thinks to check when trying to identify the source of a cockroach infestation.
In many cases, proper response to cockroach issues in your laundry area will rely heavily on your staff’s ability to quickly identify cockroaches and alert the proper member of management to the problem. By keeping your staff well-informed and pest prevention and empowered to alert management to issues, you stand a much better chance of success when working with a pest professional to eliminate the colony later.
4. Showers, Bathrooms, and Underneath Sinks
In their frenzied quest for reliable sources of water and hiding areas, cockroaches have even been known to make it all the way into guest rooms and other guest-facing areas - and bathrooms are often the most likely culprit for cockroach hiding spots.
Typically filled with plenty of water sources, as well as a handful of easy escape routes and hiding spots to scurry under when the lights come on, bathrooms are notoriously attractive for cockroaches. In addition, the rate of changeover between guests in the same room can make identifying and eliminating cockroaches without alerting guests to their presence that much more difficult.
If you suspect (or know for sure) that cockroaches have taken shelter in your guest room bathrooms, it is time to contact your pest management professional to ensure quick and complete elimination before the problem spreads any further.
5. Luggage & Clothing Storage
The worst case scenario for any hotel owner dealing with a potential cockroach problem is to hear complaints directly from guests - and if cockroaches make their way into luggage, closets, or other clothing and linen storage areas, the chances of guests raising complaints can increase dramatically.
Regardless of how clean or contained a guest might be, it is hard to avoid cockroaches if they are already present in a guest room upon check-in. That’s why it’s critical to keep an eye on each and every guest room for signs of cockroaches hidden out in closets, drawers, or on furniture every time your cleaning staff steps inside. That way, you’ll be much more likely to catch a cockroach infestation early.
If you do notice cockroaches have entrenched themselves in your guest rooms - or if you begin to hear complaints from guests - it is extremely important to contact your pest removal specialist right away for full and proper removal. Exposure to cockroaches can cause serious illness in immunocompromised or young guests, and so the infestation should be addressed immediately as soon as it is discovered.
Don’t Let Cockroaches Scare Off Your Guests
Regardless of how or where cockroaches might be hiding in your hotel this holiday season, one thing is for sure: the longer they are allowed to stay, the higher the likelihood one of your guests will run into one - and that almost always ends poorly for the hotel.
Instead, take the time to work closely with your trusted pest prevention expert to identify ways to protect your business throughout the year, not just when a problem arises. By implementing smart, proactive, and integrated pest management into your existing pest prevention program, you stand a much better chance of keeping your hotel - and your guests’ stay - cockroach-free.
If you’re ready to get your hotel’s most vulnerable cockroach hiding spots protected to prevent infestations from taking hold, get in touch and see what JP Pest Services can do to protect your business. We know hotels and we know cockroaches - and, most of all, we know the two don’t mix.
