Spotta data shows London hotel bed bug detections 75% higher than Paris

CAMBRIDGE, UK, 16 October 2026 – London hotels recorded 75% more bed bug detections per 1,000 monitored rooms than Paris over the last 12 months, according to new data from insect monitoring technology company Spotta.

The finding comes as bed bugs return to the headlines following recent incidents involving aircraft and trains and reports of increasing bed bug activity across the UK.

Spotta continuously monitors bed bug activity in hotel rooms and has now monitored more than 16.5 million hotel room nights.

Its latest data shows:

London hotel bed bug detections are 75% higher than Paris, based on detections per 1,000 monitored rooms.

UK bed bug activity is up 44% year on year.

Much of the UK growth is coming from areas that historically recorded relatively little bed bug activity, including parts of the Scottish Highlands, Northumbria and Wales.

Five-star hotels see 38% more bed bug introductions than three-star hotels, although they are considerably better at preventing those introductions from spreading.

Across Spotta's longer-term monitoring data, bed bug activity has tripled in a little over two years.

Paris became synonymous with Europe's bed bug resurgence following widespread international coverage in 2023, but Spotta's latest monitoring data now shows a significantly higher detection rate in London hotels.

Robert Fryers, Founder and CEO of Spotta, said:

“Paris became the focus of the bed bug story in 2023, but our data now shows considerably more activity in London. What is also striking is that the increase isn't confined to the places where we have traditionally seen the most bed bugs. We are seeing growth in parts of the UK that historically had relatively little activity.

“Bed bugs have nothing to do with cleanliness. They travel with people and their belongings, so the more people move around, the more opportunities there are for bed bugs to move with them.

“Hotels cannot realistically prevent every bed bug from arriving. The important thing is knowing it is there early. Finding one or two bugs shortly after they arrive is a very different problem from discovering an established infestation after it has had time to spread.”

The comparison between three and five-star hotels also illustrates why bed bugs are not an indication of hotel standards or cleanliness.

Spotta's data shows five-star hotels experience 38% more bed bug introductions than three-star properties. However, they are considerably more successful at preventing those introductions from developing into wider problems.

Unlike data based on consumer complaints or pest control call-outs, Spotta's figures come from continuous 24/7 monitoring inside hotel rooms. Its Bed Pods monitor for bed bug activity and alert hotel teams at room level when activity is detected.

This gives Spotta a direct view of changing bed bug activity, including introductions that can be detected before a guest reports a problem.

ROBERT FRYERS AVAILABLE FOR INTERVIEW

Robert Fryers is available immediately, including out of hours, for live or recorded TV, radio and press interviews.

Robert is an experienced live TV and radio commentator on bed bugs. He has previously appeared on BBC Breakfast, ITV, BBC World Service, BBC News, BBC Two, Times Radio and BBC Radio London.

Previous broadcast example:
BBC Breakfast – Robert Fryers on rising bed bug numbers, London vs Paris and 24/7 detection (2024):
https://www.spotta.co/post/spotta-on-bbc-breakfast-news-risi...

Previous BBC News coverage:
BBC News – Bedbugs: Hotels turn to tech as outbreaks rise (2023):
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-67123305

MEDIA CONTACT

Robert Fryers
Founder & CEO, Spotta
Mobile: 07708 261485
Email: robert.fryers@spotta.co

Robert is available at short notice, including out of hours.

ABOUT SPOTTA

Spotta is a Cambridge-based technology company specialising in automated insect monitoring and early detection.

Its Bed Pod technology continuously monitors hotel rooms for bed bug activity. When activity is detected, the hotel receives a room-level alert, enabling its team to investigate and act early.

Spotta has now monitored more than 16.5 million hotel room nights, creating a substantial real-world dataset on bed bug activity and how it is changing over time and geographically.

NOTES TO EDITORS

The figures in this release are derived from Spotta's continuous monitoring data from hotel rooms.

London vs Paris: The comparison covers hotels where Spotta monitoring has been installed for more than 12 months. It is based on the rate of bed bug detections per 1,000 monitored rooms over the last 12 months, covering approximately 624,000 monitored room nights in London and 1,154,000 monitored room nights in Paris.

UK year-on-year: The 44% increase compares the rate of bed bug detections per 1,000 monitored rooms between April and August 2026 with the same period in 2025.

Further information on the dataset and methodology is available from Spotta on request.

Previous broadcast clips, Robert Fryers' media profile and supporting data are available on request.

ENDS