Health officials order bed bug cleanup at Cedar Rapids hotel

An Eastern Iowa family's claim of a close encounter with bed bugs at a Cedar Rapids hotel on New Year's Eve prompted an inspection by the Linn County Health Department on Monday.

And health officials found evidence of some type of infestation and ordered hotel owners to bring in a qualified exterminator.

Jackie Tyne said she and more than 15 members of her family were spending New Year's Eve at the Collins Inn & Suites, 2025 Werner Ave. N.E.  It's a family tradition to party and spend the night together at a motel.  Tyne said her family was staying in a total of five rooms.

But that night a commotion in a room across the hall alerted them to an apparent problem with bed bugs.  People in that room caught bugs crawling over their bodies.  Tyne said she checked her room and found bugs at well.  Family members took photos and even caught some of the bugs in a glass.

But Tyne said when she went to the hotel staff asking for refunds, she was refused.

Stephanie Neff, deputy director of the Linn County Health Department, said Tyne made a complaint that prompted an environmental specialist to visit the hotel.  The health department is required by administrative rules to inspect hotels and motels for health issues every two years and respond to complaints.

Neff said the environmentalist found signs of infestation-although the department can't confirm it was actually bed bugs because they don't routinely ship the insects off to Iowa State for examination.  Under the rules, health officials can require hotel owners to bring in a certified extermination company to take care of the problem.  Exterminators make the determination of what kind of infestation they're dealing with and take appropriate steps.  Hotel owners must show proof to health officials that they've address the problem.

A woman identifying herself only with the first name of “Rani” said she was the general manager and owner of the Collins Inn & Suites.  She said exterminators were at working taking care of the problem in two hotel rooms Monday afternoon.

Rani said the hotel would refund money to customers who had to leave those rooms where bugs were discovered, but not the other rooms that did not have a problem.

Tyne said she is expecting to get the money back from all five rooms that her extended family had to leave.  She expected to end up in small claims court if that isn't the case.