Making it in the hospitality industry means hard work, long hours and meticulous attention to detail. With all the competition, anyone attempting to run a successful restaurant, catering service or hotel will tell you that stress comes from every direction, from customer service to style of venue to food quality. The last thing a hotel operator or restaurant manager want to worry about is pest control.
Unfortunately, facilities that specialize in hospitality have the same pest control issues as a single-family home, but on a much larger scale, and with their reputation on the line. Preventive pest control may be a challenge, but it is absolutely crucial if your business is to compete successfully in today’s market.
Any lodging operation in an urban setting is likely to deal with bed bugs, cockroaches and rodents. The key is to educate your staff and address a report of pests immediately.
- Contain the area in which a pest was reported to keep the infestation from spreading.
- Perform a full inspection of the location and the adjoining areas, including laundry facilities.
- For bed bugs, a thorough cleaning of everything in the room is necessary to assure bugs and nymphs have been removed.
Restaurants also face the challenges of rodents and cockroaches, which are naturally attracted to warmth and food. Additionally, small flies can be a big problem as food debris and grease can quickly clog drains in a busy kitchen. In either case, prevention is best.
- Seal off places where pests can enter, including cracks and crevices in walls and around windows, as well as keeping doors and windows closed.
- Use tightly covered trash bins to dispose of waste, and clear drain traps frequently to avoid debris slipping into pipes.
- Inspect all shipments before bringing them into your establishment.
- Keep counters clean and clear of debris and spills, storing food away from floors and walls.
Whether you are running a hotel, restaurant or both, cleanliness is your best weapon against pest infestation. A staff trained in the importance of detailed cleaning and organization will make your job easier.
Finally, contact a pest control company that specializes in pest prevention in the hospitality industry. These companies generally have prevention packages that treat your facility proactively for all types of pests, as well as using the latest techniques to eradicate pest problems once they occur.
If you are working in the hospitality industry and have concerns about pest control and prevention, contact TNT Exterminating, which specializes in commercial pest control for hotels, office buildings and restaurants. Click here for more information about their Small Fly Program using bioremediation, and their state-of-the-art Bed Bug Remediation Program.