NBA Star Kyrie Irving Blames Hotel Bed Bugs for Poor Night's Sleep, Illness
Impacting Travel Patrick Clarke February 23, 2016

Photo courtesy of Thinkstock
UPDATE: Wednesday, Feb. 24 at 2:50 p.m. ET
Hilton Hotels & Resorts issued an apology to Irving on Tuesday.
"The comfort of our guests is a top priority, and we are very sorry to hear about Mr. Irving's stay," the company said in a statement. "Since bedbugs can be easily transmitted anywhere and are often lodged in luggage or on clothing, our hotel maintains high levels of vigilance and we perform regular inspections."
Meanwhile, the Oklahoma City-County Health Department confirmed the hotel has taken action to address the problem.
"Skirvin Hotel management had already started the process of corrective action as we were launching an on sight inspection today at the hotel," the department said in a statement.
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Cleveland Cavaliers star Kyrie Irving says bedbugs are to blame for his limited performance against the Oklahoma City Thunder this past weekend.
After only playing nine minutes in the Cavaliers' win over the Thunder Sunday, Irving told ESPN's Dave McMenamin that his flu-like symptoms were the result of a poor night's sleep caused by bed bugs inside his room at the team hotel Saturday night.
Kyrie says his flu-like symptoms in OKC were caused by bed bugs at the hotel giving him a poor night's sleep. Showed bite on his face
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) February 23, 2016
Kyrie Irving: "It was honestly from the bed bugs from the frickin' Hilton that we stayed at ... We came into the game and I was freaked out"
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) February 23, 2016
The Cavs stayed at the Skirvin in OKC, a supposedly haunted hotel. More Irving: "I didn't get any sleep ... Started feeling nauseous"
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) February 23, 2016
As McMenamin reported, Irving and his teammates stayed at the historic Skirvin Hilton in downtown Oklahoma City Saturday. The hotel, which is also rumored to be haunted, confirmed the bedbug infestation, but said it was limited to just one room.
"Unfortunately, every hotel at some point or the other has a case of the bed bugs," the hotel's director of rooms Jessica Dustin told NewsOK.com Monday. "We were fortunate enough that he did report it to us immediately."
"We were very fortunate we were coming off a lower occupancy," she added. "We took the necessary steps to remedy the situation."
Dustin also told NewsOK.com that the room will receive multiple treatments and will be unavailable to guests for "several weeks."
The four-star Skirvin Hilton was originally built in 1911, making it the oldest hotel in Oklahoma City. A Historic Hotels of America member, the Skirvin Hilton was abandoned for nearly two decades before being renovated and reopened as a Hilton property in 2007.
Over the years since it reopened, several NBA teams, including the New York Knicks, Chicago Bulls and Miami Heat have reported strange happenings at the hotel. From weird sounds to doors closing by themselves, the bizarre incidents have only perpetuated rumors that the hotel is haunted.
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