When I started working as a hotel housekeeper, I noticed something strange. Some guests placed their suitcases inside the bathtub instead of using the luggage rack.
At first, I assumed they were worried about dirty floors or water damage. One afternoon, I asked a guest whether she wanted me to move her suitcase while I cleaned.
She immediately became defensive.
“Don’t touch it,” she said. “It’s there for a reason.”
Her reaction made me even more curious, so I later asked my supervisor.
She explained that experienced travelers often place their luggage in the bathroom—especially inside a dry bathtub—when they first enter a hotel room. The reason is bedbugs.
Bedbugs are more likely to hide in mattresses, headboards, upholstered furniture, carpets, and luggage racks. A bathtub’s smooth surface gives them fewer places to hide and makes it harder for them to reach the suitcase.
Guests may leave their bags there while checking the mattress seams, sheets, headboard, and furniture for dark spots, shed skins, or live insects.
The woman hadn’t been hiding anything suspicious. She was simply protecting her belongings.
From that day forward, whenever I traveled, I stopped placing my suitcase on the bed.
I put it in the bathtub first—and inspected the room before unpacking.
