Report: Number Of Bed Bugs At NYC Hotels Skyrocketing

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- A disturbing report has been released showing that the number of bed bugs at New York City hotels has been skyrocketing.

CBS2's Dave Carlin reports that a study conducted by Bed Bug registry found a 44 percent increase for January of this year compared to 2015 – even at five-star hotels.

Even though the study does not substantiate its claims, bed bug removal experts tell CBS2 that their business is up over last year, including at city hotels.

"Year to date we are up almost 300 percent," Stuart Aust of The Bug Doctor told CBS2. "We're seeing so many people traveling all around the country, bed bugs are just popping up."

The city's Hotel Association told CBS2 that "bed bugs are a global issue."

"Every member of the Hotel Association of NYC that we are aware of has an active anti-bedbug program in place. If a problem arises, it is dealt with immediately and effectively," they said.

A video went viral last month after a California couple showed a bed bug infestation at the Astor on the Park hotel located at 106th Street.

"She has a rash all down her arms," the man in the video said when he confronted the front desk.

Experts say that people staying at hotels should pull up the comforters and mattresses to check for the nasty critters. Nancy Madrid of the Bug Doctor told CBS2 that people should put their bags on luggage racks and in the bathtub.

"The bedbugs are not going to find a place to grab onto in a bathtub," Madrid said.

She added that people should vacuum their luggage and shake off their clothes as soon as they get home from the hotel.