Submitted by "Anonymous" on 01/09/2008

Checked into Sheraton Room 3539 on January 2. Having read of the bed bug epidemic in NYC, I conducted a check of the mattress in the room immediately upon arrival, but didn't check the second bed in the room, and was not able to check the headboards as they seemed fastened to the wall (and in any event were very dark, so I doubt I'd have been able to detect the dots that bed bugs can leave). Morning of January 4 or 5 (can't recall which): I saw what every traveler dreads -- bed bug bites. I had 11 bed bug bites on one leg (several in typical breakfast-lunch-dinner arrangement), two bites on other leg, and seven on left hand. Checked sheets and PJs for any tell-tale blood, and found about five splotches of blood inside one pajama leg. Reported the bed bugs immediately to someone assisting people with check-in at Reception. She was very professional about handling it. Moved me to another room on a different floor and neither above nor below the contaminated room. Also arranged for a security person to meet me in the room with a report form for me to fill out. He confirmed both the bites and the blood on the PJ leg. I didn't ask for anything off my bill (I figure every hotel in New York has bed bugs at this point), but when I checked out, I saw they had taken a night's stay off. Which helped pay for the dry cleaning bill when I returned home, since I had to dry clean or launder everything I had brought, and spray the suitcase with SteriFab before bringing it into the house.