Influencer's 'nightmare' ordeal after holiday at 5-star hotel: 'Stay safe'

An influencer has detailed how her dream holiday turned into her "worst nightmare" after she got home from staying in a five-star hotel.

Sharing the story on her TikTok account, Aly Henry wanted to warn others so they did not find themselves in the same situation.

Aly, who has more than 85,000 followers on the social media platform, said after her luxury hotel stay she came home with bed bugs, small insects that feed on a human's blood while they sleep.

"I know what you're thinking, 'That's not going to happen to me, I'm staying at a nice place, I'm such a clean person'. All of those things do not matter," she said.

In a video, she explained the ordeal of trying to get rid of the bed bugs she brought home in her suitcase, saying she spent almost $1400 on a specialist to remove them.

"I did reach out to my landlord and had a pest control agent come to take a look. He said he couldn't find any other bed bugs. He looked in all the crevices and said I can spray for general pests and I can also put out these traps," she explained.

"So I put out a bunch of these and [pest control] said, 'Just monitor it and you should be good to go'."

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Ms Henry however had her doubts and washed and dried all of her clothing and bedding. When she started to get bites on her traps, she decided to contact a professional who specialised only in bed bugs.

She put one of the bugs in a bag to show the specialist along with her videos, and he confirmed she had a bed bug problem.

"[He] spent six hours in my apartment, spraying every square inch of everything, quite literally took apart my bed, like the back panel, even sprayed inside my bed," she said.

Three tips to avoid bed bugs

Following the ordeal, the influencer shared three tips to help others to ensure they don't suffer through the same situation she did.

"Number one, no suitcases on soft surfaces. It never touched the bed. Mine was on the couch," she explained.

"It can go on a coffee table and the hard surfaces, a desk, even in the bathroom is better but no soft surfaces."

She added her second piece of advice was "kind of gross".

"They're attracted to your smell and your carbon dioxide. So if you have any clothes that you're re-wearing on a trip, don't store them back in your luggage, store them in the closet or store them in a drawer and then when you're ready to leave take it all with you so they're not attracted into your bags," she said.

"Number three, when you get home, you wash everything. I don't care if you didn't wear it. I do that all the time. I pack things I don't wear.

"You bring it home, you wash it, you dry it – high heat if possible.

"If this saves even one person, God bless."

Ms Henry said in her caption her advice came directly from a pest control professional and urged people to "stay safe".

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