Premier Inn was forced to lock down part of its Manchester Airport hotel after guest Ellie Davina discovered bed bugs crawling out of her pillowcase during a stay on June 17, 2025. The 22-year-old self-employed jeweller from Bradford, West Yorkshire, had checked in for one night before a flight to Tenerife.
Discovery of Bed Bugs
Davina said she lay on the double bed for a couple of hours while her friend slept in a single bed. When she got up to use the bathroom, she used her phone's torch to find her way back and noticed bed bugs on the pillow. She described finding at least 10 bed bugs, some as large as her fingernail, crawling from the pillowcase and under the duvet.
"When I was coming back from the toilet, I noticed a bed bug crawling across my pillow," Davina said. "I looked further and the more I looked, the more I found. As soon as I'd seen one, there was another and another and another." She added that she found four bugs in the seam of the pillowcase where her head had rested.
Hotel Response
After reporting the infestation to reception around 2:30 AM, Davina said staff giggled and initially refused a refund until morning. She was eventually offered complimentary breakfast and a full refund of £77, but she had already paid for breakfast. She was moved to another room but remained awake, sitting on the edge of the bed until checkout.
Davina submitted a formal complaint but claimed she had not received the refund. Premier Inn later confirmed the refund was processed. A spokesperson said: "Bed bugs are incredibly rare in our hotels, and we have rigorous processes in place as part of our daily housekeeping processes to both react to and prevent issues on the rare occasion they do arise."
Impact on Guest
Davina suspects a lump she found on her leg earlier was a bed bug bite. She said the experience left her feeling "disgusted" and "paranoid," causing her to check for bed bugs in her Tenerife hotel and even her own bed after returning home. "It's lucky that I didn't open my suitcase in there or else we could have been taking the bed bugs with us," she said.
She vowed never to return to Premier Inn, stating: "Premier Inn used to be the go-to, cheap hotel to use but now I will never go back."
Premier Inn's Assurance
Premier Inn said an expert supplier visited the hotel, treated the room, and checked nearby rooms as a precaution. The supplier confirmed the incident was isolated with no evidence of bed bugs in other rooms. The chain apologized for the "extremely rare" incident and expressed hope to welcome Davina again in the future.
