Frequently Asked Questions
How did you come up with the name RoomSpook?
Spook is what a sleuth or investigator is called. It is also, of course, another name for a ghost. Since our company searches for incidents in a room, such as a hotel room, to find out if a person died in the room, RoomSpook was the perfect name for our company. Boo!
Where do you get your information?
We get our data from many different public sources including news reports, newspapers, eyewitness reports, police investigations, etc. Due to the rather secretive nature of death scenes and bed bug infestations, RoomSpook cannot guarantee that an incident has never happened on a floor or in a room.
RoomSpook Reports give peace of mind to business and vacation travelers.
How far back does your information go?
RoomSpook has death information going back to 1893 when a woman accidentally fell down an elevator shaft during the grand opening ceremonies at the famous Waldorf Hotel in New York City.
I am a business traveler. Can I expense my RoomSpook report?
A RoomSpook Report should be viewed as a legitimate travel expense, no different from a tip or a cup of coffee in the airport. Be sure to submit your receipt from RoomSpook on your next expense report.
Does a hotel have to disclose if there have been bed bugs in my room?
No. Hotels are not required to tell you if there was a prior bed bug infestation in your room. Hotels will not voluntarily disclosure this information when you check in. You should always ask but the attendant may not tell you, or the attendant may be unaware. Bed bugs will not be shown on a hotel app when you are checking in on your cellphone. Always be sure to run a
RoomSpook Report.
Does a hotel have to disclose if there has been a death in my room?
No. It is just the opposite. A hotel has no legal duty to tell you if a hotel death (even a murder) happened in your hotel room. This applies to the hotel at large, even the hotel pool. It has been reported that hotel employees have been instructed to keep any death at the hotel as highly confidential. Search your hotel room now.
Is a travel agency required to tell me if a death or bed bug infestation happened at my hotel?
No. A travel agent is not required to tell you if a death or bed bugs were reported in your room. Travel agents do not have this information as they are only providing a booking service. Request your travel agent to run a
RoomSpook Report when booking your reservation.
Can I just search the Internet to see if there was a death at my hotel?
By doing this you run the risk of spending a lot of time reading web pages and are likely to not find the most relevant information. RoomSpook takes great pains to uncover and report hotel information such as deaths, bed bugs, assaults, suicides, etc. that happen at hotels. We include the name of the person who died, the date, and description of the event. Some of our data is over a decade in the past and it might not show up on an Internet search. Save time and get much better results by conducting an instant
RoomSpook Report.
I am a business traveler. When is the best time to use RoomSpook?
We recommend a RoomSpook Report when checking in on your phone app. If you are concerned about bed bugs at the hotel, you can search an entire floor for any bug bug incidents. If none are found, you can book a room on that floor. Many travelers run a quick search at check-in, whether standing in line at the hotel or when online and checking in on a phone app, to ensure there have been no reports of bed bugs or a suicide in their hotel room. If so, they can change the room or floor to one that did not have any incidents.
I ran a RoomSpook Report while in my hotel room and learned that bed bugs or a death happened in the room. What should I do?
You have three options at this point. You can request a room change. The hotel will likely accomodate you unless the hotel is full. Second, you can ask for a discount to stay in the room. Third, you have the option to ask for a refund. If granted, you can move to a different hotel. Be sure to run a RoomSpook Report before checking into the new hotel.
How can I tell if there are bed bugs in my hotel room?
Bed bugs are typically large enough that they can be seen with the human eye. Be sure to inspect the mattress and sheets when you enter your hotel room. You should also look in the corners of the room and bathroom. It is also recommended to to bring along a garbage bag to tie around your suitcase when not in use. The last thing you want is to bring bed bugs home with you in your suitcase. Also check your room for strong fumigation odors that might evidence the room has recently been sprayed for bed bugs.
What are some clues a person has died in my hotel room?
One sign is mismatched carpet or a section of carpet that is newer than another section. If there is fresh paint on only one part of the wall or ceiling, that could be an indication that a suicide happened in your hotel room. Often at death scenes the cleanup crew will try to overcompensate for bad odors by covering them with heavy scents. A pervasive smell of cleaning solution could indicate a large clean up area in the room.
I am staying at the very large XYZ Resort that is 50 years old. My RoomSpook Report did not uncover any deaths on my floor. Why?
There could be a couple reasons. Expensive hotels and resorts are very secretive about deaths that occur on property for fear it might scare away customers. As a result, there might be no public records on deaths on that floor of the resort. Hotels sometimes change names, too. Remember that it's good news no deaths have been found on the floor of your hotel. "Search. Sleep Well."
Does RoomSpook support any charitable organizations?
Yes. We feel it is important to support charitable causes. A percentage of every purchase on RoomSpook.com is donated to the International Association for Suicide Prevention. For suicide prevention help, immediately contact one of the numbers for your country at this
link.
I witnessed an event at my hotel. What should I do?
First, contact hotel management to report the event if they do not know about it.
Second, take note of the room and floor of the hotel where the event happened. Also note the date.
Third,
let RoomSpook know the particulars of the event so it can be tracked for future guests.
What "Events" does RoomSpook track?
RoomSpooks tracks many undesirable events that, unfortunately, happen in hotels. They include: accidents, accidental deaths, assaults, bed bugs, communicable diseases, deaths by natural causes, murders, rapes, shootings by police, and suicides.
