The Hampton Inn in Bluffton, SC, near Sun City Hilton Head, is fairly new and seems absolutely clean and spotless. The service was lovely as well. I had room 218 which looked clean and smelled fresh. The only thing out of place was that there were a few small blue/black marks on the sheets that looked like old ink stains. I didn't think anything of it, because when I check the bed it's for dirt, hair, etc.
My paperback book was on the nightstand, and in the morning when I opened to the page with my bookmark I saw something that i thought was dirt. However, upon closer inspection I realized that it was an insect, reddish brown, and oval. It was odd, but again, i didn't realize what it was, so I brushed it off and continued my day.
That was Sunday morning. It's now Wednesday night, and something about that bug made me check the internet. There's no question that the insect was a bedbug and the marks on the sheets were either fresh droppings or old blood stains. I didn't have any bite marks or reactions so I don't know if I was bitten at all.
Needless to say, this evening I am in a frenzy of vacuuming, washing and re-washing the clothing I had on the trip, and praying I didn't bring any home. I vacuumed every surface on my soft suitcase and duffel bag, then reconsidered and just took them outside to go with the trash. (The suitcase sat on the bed at the hotel all night.) I think I washed all of my clothing right after I unpacked, but I'm doing it again in hot water and a hot hot dryer. The problem is that the suitcase and duffel sat in a spare room for about four days so I may be too late.
Yes, I know I sound paranoid after seeing only one bug, but then again, it only takes one. I have no way of knowing how many were in the room because I didn't identify the issue until I came home.
I tried to call a manager tonight, but there will not be one available until 9 am tomorrow. Promptly at 9 I will call and make them aware of the situation.
It bothers me to even make this posting because everything else about the stay was excellent. Again, I may be going overboard with my paranoia, but I have heard that bedbugs are near impossible to eliminate once they have infested a house. I hope that my brief sighting was just that. If you are looking to stay at this Hampton Inn, it's delightful except for this issue. Just do your homework, thoroughly check your room, and take precautions. (probably good advice for any hotel stay.)
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC