Featured in the November 2016 issue of Pest Management Professionals Magazine

The year is 2005. Bed bugs are back in the U.S. in a big way. The re-emergence of these difficult-to-control biting insects is accompanied by an army of attorneys filing countless lawsuits against hospitality property owners and managers. One hospitality company, Westgate Resorts, refused to be reactive.

Rather than wait for an onslaught of bed bugs and attorneys, Westgate took a proactive approach: It established a comprehensive, defensible bed bug prevention program to stave off infestations and attorneys.Westgate’s hospitality collection features 31 themed resorts comprising more than 13,500 luxury villas in destination locations such as: Las Vegas; Orlando; Miami; Myrtle Beach, S.C.; Williamsburg, Va.; Park City, Utah; Gatlinburg, Tenn.; and Branson, Mo. 

“About a decade ago, we began testing numerous preventative measures to protect our timeshare owners and guests from bed bugs, and ourselves from bed bug-related complaints,” says Brian Siegel, vice president of risk management for Westgate Resorts. “We weren’t about to let the bed bugs bite.”

After an extensive review of several bed bug control solutions, Westgate concluded Bed Bug Fix® was ideal for its preventative program. Siegel says the top 12 Reasons Westgate selected Bed Bug Fix®, include: 

  1. It provides quick knockdown. 
  2. It kills all stages of bed bugs: eggs, nymphs and adults. 
  3. Independent studies showed 46 days of residual protection.
  4. It is “Generally Recognized as Safe” (GRAS) by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration. 
  5. It is a minimum risk pesticide exempt from registration by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency under section 25(b) of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA). 
  6. It is part of the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) BioPreferred Program. 
  7. It is considered to be safe for use around children and pets. 
  8. It is non-toxic.
  9. It is non-flammable.
  10. It is non-staining.
  11. It is ready to use.
  12. It is easy to apply.

Westgate uses Bed Bug Fix® upon guest checkout. 

“We’re continuously training our housekeeping staffs on bed bug prevention,” Siegel says. “We tell them to inspect and document. With Bed Bug Fix®, we’ve had great success avoiding the deluge of attorneys.“

"Several health departments in states where we have properties say they’ve never seen a bed bug prevention program as comprehensive as ours,” Siegel adds. “We take great care in keeping our bed bug prevention technologies and techniques — and related training and documentation — as top-notch as our resorts are.”

Ready to make worrying about bed bugs a thing of the past?

Order Bed Bug Fix® today so bed bugs never check in!