Family’s lawsuit claims bedbug ‘infestation’ in Beaufort hotel
A Greenville family is suing a Beaufort hotel for an alleged bedbug infestation following their “disastrous stay” this summer, according to their lawyer and a lawsuit filed Monday.
The suit involves Home2 Suites by Hilton Beaufort, located off Trask Parkway near the Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort. It accuses the hotel of harboring bedbugs and failing to keep its rooms in a clean condition.
During their one-week stay in late June and early July, the couple and their three children were bitten by bedbugs in their sleep, according to the court summons. They reportedly found the bugs in the room’s mattresses, bedding and carpet.
Court documents allege the Home2 Suites location engaged in unfair trade practices by misrepresenting the quality of its building and rooms. The suit also cites breach of contract and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
Bedbugs are a private sector responsibility in South Carolina, according to the state’s Department of Public Health. There are no state laws or regulations aimed at curbing bedbug infestations in businesses or homes.
The reddish-brown, oval-shaped pests feed on blood but aren’t known to spread disease, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Experts say bedbugs’ numbers have risen in recent years due to an increase in travel, subpar pest control methods and the species’ increased resistance to pesticides.
Trevor Eddy, a Columbia-based lawyer representing the lawsuit’s plaintiffs, said Home2 Suites management offered to move the family to a new room with three free nights at another Hilton hotel. His clients declined and “opted to head home,” he said.
A representative from the Home2 Suites in Beaufort did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
