2023-10-06 11:02:36
” Move along, nothing to see “. It’s hard to get an interview from the hospitality industry on the hot topic of the moment, bed bugs. While the insect has become public enemy number 1 in France and its case is even debated on the benches of the Assembly, the hotel industry evokes a “non-subject” and prefers not to talk regarding it too much. , so as not to power the machine.
Thierry Fontaine, president of the Umih du Rhône, however agreed to answer us.
How is the hotel sector reacting to the rise of the “bed bugs” topic?
It’s not really a subject, nor a fear. Hotel rooms are closed and partitioned units, so even if a guest “brings back” bed bugs, we simply seal off the room and isolate it while we clean and disinfect it. This also has little impact on our finances – apart from trade fairs or very specific events: a hotel is almost never full, so closing one or two rooms changes nothing. All the more reason to believe in our seriousness. I also have complete confidence in the cleaning staff, who are very qualified, professional and trained to spot possible bedbugs.
Proof of our effectiveness, collective fear concerns metros, public transport and cinemas, but not hotels. We have not recorded any cases. And that’s normal: there are much fewer crowds and sharing in a hotel room than in a cinema or metro.
You also have to believe in the goodwill of the community: a hotelier worthy of his name will not let his establishment be exposed to bad publicity by being infested with bedbugs, and he will therefore do everything to resolve the problem.
Is there a drop in attendance because of ambient suspicion?
For the moment, we are not seeing any drop in attendance, but we are very vigilant regarding the “psychosis” underway in France. We fear that if it continues, this “psychosis” will lead people to believe that going to a hotel is a health risk.
Of course we will have smart people who will take a photo of the smallest creature in a room and make people believe that it is a bedbug. We know how fast social networks are and how they are looking for buzz. But you have to keep a cool head.
Is this fear of bedbugs national or does it mainly concern metropolises, including Paris?
I think this fear has become national, especially since Covid-19 has demonstrated how quickly an epidemic can spread. To take the example of Lyon, a train leaves and arrives every hour from Paris, so the population does not feel more “protected” or less concerned than in the capital.
Do you think the subject can drag on forever?
This can last for weeks and end up having an impact on our attendance, that’s the fear. Our luck remains that this happens at the “right time”. The summer tourist season is over and the winter season begins in several months. If the subject can last a few weeks, by December-January-February, it is difficult to believe that it will still be omnipresent.
Does the hotel sector plan to communicate regarding bedbugs to reassure customers?
At the moment, this is not relevant. However, if the “psychosis” lasts and an impact is felt, it is not excluded that we communicate.
The foreign press is starting to take up the subject. Should we fear the loss of an international clientele?
We are used to the foreign press. We know how much she likes to amplify French phenomena. Just look at his treatment of the riots in May, where we had the impression of a country on fire and blood and that Paris was a war zone.
We also know the impact on tourist numbers: non-existent. This summer, France saw a record number of international visitors. So we don’t worry too much. And then we are very far from the Olympic Games, so by then, the psychosis will have subsided and the international press will have moved on to something else.
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