A woman is suing the Disneyland Hotel in Anaheim, California alleging she was "absolutely butchered" by bed bugs during a two-night stay back in April.
According to a complaint filed this week in Los Angeles County Superior Court, Ivy Eldridge claims she was bitten on the face, ears, neck, arms, and back and suffered severe pain and sustained physical, emotional and financial injuries as a result.
She is seeking unspecified monetary and punitive damages, according to the suit, which names the Disneyland Hotel, Walt Disney Co. and Walt Disney Parks.
"People put trust in the Disney name and pay top dollar to stay at the Disneyland Hotel," Eldridge's attorney, Brian Virag told NBC Chicago. "In this case, Ms. Eldridge's trust was betrayed."
"Bed bugs don't discriminate. They are found in hotels throughout the country and worldwide. Bed bug infestation in hotels have reached an epidemic proportion and is perhaps the most serious issue facing the hotel industry, because of the harm it can do to a hotel's reputation and brand," added Virag, who specializes in bed bug litigation.
According to a 2017 study released last year by pest specialists Orkin Pest Control, hotels spend an average of $6,383 per bed bug incident. What's more, each bed bug outbreak results in about 50 lost room nights based on the nationwide ADR and can lead to more than $23,000 in litigation costs per incident.
The study also found that each hotel faces an average of 7.1 bedbug incidences over a five-year period.
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