Key point in one sentence: The most practical way for travellers in Hong Kong and Macau to guard against bed bugs is to check the bed seams as soon as they check in, keep luggage off the floor, and treat clothing with heat on the way home — while stepped-up hotel inspections date back to around 2023, not a sudden 2026 outbreak.
The most practical thing for travellers in Hong Kong and Macau is to check the bed seams as soon as they check in, keep luggage off the floor, and treat clothing with heat on the way home. The industry stepping up housekeeping training and third-party inspections dates back to around 2023 — it does not mean there was a sudden city-wide hotel outbreak in 2026. There is currently no evidence that bed bugs spread disease.
2023 background: what the Macau hotel industry said
Macau Daily Times (13 November 2023) reported that the Macau hotel and hostel industry said at the time that no hotel had been affected by bed bugs, that the industry had taken part in prevention seminars, and that it had hired third-party pest control companies for inspections, spraying and cleaning or disinfection-related treatments. This was a public statement by the industry plus stronger prevention — not a list of Macau hotels hit by a major outbreak.
The Hong Kong side: airport leaflets and traveller reminders
In November 2023, the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department, together with relevant departments, handed out bed bug prevention leaflets to travellers at Hong Kong International Airport, reminding airlines and the Airport Authority to pay attention to environmental hygiene. When checking in, inspect the mattress and pillow seams and keep luggage on a rack; when returning to Hong Kong, inspect your luggage and wash clothing in hot water.
A self-protection checklist for travellers now
In the first 10 minutes after checking in, check the bed sheet folds, mattress seams, headboard and pillowcases; if there is any sign of bed bugs, ask for another room straight away. During your stay, keep luggage on a rack — not on the carpet or the bed. Before checking out, check the compartment zips and the insides of shoes; seal clothing and wash it according to how heat-resistant it is, tumble-dry the heat-resistant items, and seal and freeze items that cannot take high temperatures at about −18°C for 24 hours.
For Hong Kong readers
For a day trip or overnight stay in Macau and back to Hong Kong, check the bed first when you enter the room, keep luggage off the floor, and seal clothes before washing them on the way home. Check the seams of handbags too; in public housing or subdivided flats, don’t tip unprocessed luggage onto the bed when you get home — isolate and inspect it first. The stepped-up industry inspections and airport leaflets of 2023 were preventive education; don’t read them as a sudden Hong Kong–Macau hotel outbreak in 2026.
Frequently asked questions
Are Macau hotels definitely infested now? In 2023, the association said publicly that no hotel was affected at the time; individual cases should be judged by an on-site inspection.
Can I use a fogger in a hotel room? Travellers should not use foggers in a hotel room themselves; rely on checking, changing rooms and handling luggage.
Sources
Macau Daily Times: https://macaudailytimes.com.mo/hotel-sector-to-strengthen-room-cleaning-amid-global-bed-bug-infestation.html
Food and Environmental Hygiene Department: https://www.fehd.gov.hk/tc_chi/pestcontrol/bedbug/index.html
Centre for Health Protection: https://www.chp.gov.hk/tc/healthtopics/content/460/107441.html
Government press release: https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/202311/08/P2023110800685.htm
Further reading: for how to check a hotel room so you can sleep well, see Travel Bed Bug Prevention Checklist. For a case of bed bugs in a hotel, see Pregnant Guest at Sha Tin Hotel on HK$37,000 Monthly Rent Suspected Bitten by Bed Bugs, Blisters Appear.