Chinese App Allows Travellers To Mark Hotels On Map After Spotting Bed Bugs

A digital map that allows people to report bed bug sightings in hotels has attracted attention in China, but it has also raised concerns among hotel owners. The app allows users to mark hotels where they claim to have found bed bugs, making these reports visible to everyone using the platform, according to the South China Morning Post.

Since its launch on September 21, the app has gained 200,000 users, who have flagged more than 600 hotels across China.

However, some hotels have claimed that they were wrongly listed on the map, according to China Business News.

The app allows users to report hotels where they believe they have found bed bugs. Initially, users did not have to provide photographs or other proof to support their claims.

This led to complaints from several hotels, and the app was suspended twice in one week in October.

Following these complaints, its creator, Wang, introduced a new rule requiring users to submit evidence. He now checks the reports manually before allowing them to appear on the map.

Wang also said that he usually takes help from two other people to check whether the insects shown in the submitted evidence are actually bed bugs.

The app also includes a diagram that explains how to identify common insects and the bites they cause.

The app was developed by Wang, an engineer at a manufacturing company.

Wang had no programming experience before he started using artificial intelligence (AI) to write code in July.

He came up with the idea after being bitten by an insect while moving house during the summer.

Wang explained that information about hotels with bed bugs was scattered across different sources, making it difficult for people to find such reports and avoid the affected hotels. 

He wanted to create a platform where people could share this information more easily.

He also said that the app was not perfect because he had developed it alone. Wang described himself as the person who started the project and said he hoped the public would help collect and check information.

So far, four hotels have submitted appeals against reports on the platform. They provided documents such as business licences, photographs of disinfection work and records from third-party organisations.

According to a hotel manager, a guest demanded a refund of 3,000 yuan (Rs 42,210) for a four-night stay, claiming that she had been bitten by a bed bug at the hotel. 

The hotel then asked a third-party pest control company to inspect the guest's room and 23 other randomly selected rooms. The inspection found no bugs or eggs.

The manager said the hotel submitted the inspection reports and records through the app's appeals section. The appeal was approved, and the bed bug mark was removed.

Lin Feiran, a lawyer at Beijing Jindu Law Firm, said online reports about bed bugs in hotels could lead to disputes over their reputation.

He suggested that the app should improve its checking process to ensure that the information shared on the platform follows the law.

Lin also recommended asking users to sign an agreement promising that their reports are genuine. He said the app should also have professionals who can identify insects and check whether they are bed bugs.