The Waldorf-Astoria and Bed Bugs

   I wasn't in New York when the Waldorf-Bedbug story came out and I'm catching up on the news so bear with me. I have to give my point of view on the story.

   The hospitality industry is scared to death of bed bugs but not for the simple reasons that you might think. Sure, bed bugs can be disastrous for a hotel's reputation but think about another scenario for a minute. If an unscrupulous guest doesn't feel like paying his or her bill for the hotel stay, what's the best way to squirrel out of it?

   Scream that you've been bitten by bed bugs, that's how, and make sure you've got a vial of the little critters to boot just in case. Take it a step further. What if the unscrupulous guest wants to be paid for "damages" and wants compensation for pain and suffering? You go to the press and make a big stink about it because bed bugs are on the news every day and a story involving a renowned hotel makes a great headline. Once the brouhaha is brewing, the unscrupulous guest hopes that the hotel will make a settlement to shut the story down.

   Of course, I'm not claiming that this particular case that arose last week is part of a scam. It just smells like one but who knows. Maybe the Waldorf is hosting a teeming colony of bed bugs that are out for blood. In a story from the Daily News last week, here are two salient snippets:

Parent company Hilton Worldwide said outside specialists found no trace of bedbugs in either room the Drabickis' used and had received no previous complaints about those rooms.

Drabicki's lawyer, Alan Schnurman, said the Waldorf has a serious infestation and an obligation to keep bedbugs out of rooms.

   "Serious infestation?" Where are the other guests who have suffered from this "serious infestation" that has apparently taken over the Waldorf? If there is a bed bug plague at the hotel, there should be a lot more claims, suits, and news than this one story that has appeared thus far. You wouldn't happen to be an ambulance chaser would you, Alan Schnurman?