China Launches Unique Bedbug Map App, Over 600 Hotels Marked by Travellers

Beijing: If bedbugs or other insects are found during a hotel stay, the entire journey of the travellers can be spoilt. In such a situation, a unique digital app is becoming increasingly popular among the people in China. Through this app, travellers can mark on the map those hotels where they claim to have found bedbugs. The special thing is that other travellers can also open this map and see which hotels in which city have received such complaints. This platform, which was launched on September 21, has added more than 2 lakh users within a month and more than 600 hotels have been marked. However, the initiative has also raised concerns among hoteliers.

How does the bedbug map work?

The name of this digital platform is 'Bedbug Map'. This is a mini programme of WeChat, through which people can lodge a complaint about finding bedbugs in the hotel. The user registers his complaint by selecting the location of the concerned hotel on the map. After this a mark becomes visible on the location of that hotel. Other travellers can also see this and get information before choosing their place to stay. Its purpose is to protect travellers from places where there is a problem of insects.

Who created this app?

This mini programme has been prepared by an engineer working in a manufacturing company named Wang. Interestingly, he had no prior programming experience. He learnt coding and created this platform with the help of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in July. The idea of  creating the app came to him when he himself was bitten by an insect while moving house. After this he started searching for information related to bedbugs on the internet. They came to know that complaints about bedbugs being found in the hotel were spread on different social media platforms. It takes a lot of time for passengers to collect their information. To overcome this problem, he decided to collect complaints at one place.

Why was there controversy over marking the hotel without evidence?

Initially, any user could mark a hotel on this app without any photo or other proof. Many hotel operators objected to this. He said that some people can harm his reputation by giving wrong information. After the controversy escalated, this mini programme had to be stopped twice in October. After this the developer changed the rules. Now it has been made mandatory to provide photo evidence to file a complaint. The developer examines the photographs himself and, if necessary, with the help of two others, to ascertain whether the insect seen in the photograph is actually a bedbug or not.

Did the hotel operators also get a chance to get the complaint removed?

There is now an appeal option for hotel operators on this platform. The hotel management can submit business related documents, photographs of cleaning and pesticide spraying and third party inspection reports in its defence. So far four hotels have made such appeals. The case of Guangzhou Mansion Hotel in Beijing also came to light. Here a female customer had asked for a refund of 3,000 Yuan (about Rs 42 thousand) alleging that she was bitten by bedbugs after staying for four nights. The hotel got the investigation done by a third party. Bedbugs or their eggs were not found in 23 other rooms, including the customer's room. After this, the hotel's appeal was accepted and the mark was removed from the map.

Can legal action be taken against this app?

Legal experts have also expressed concern about this platform. According to Lin Feiran, a lawyer associated with a Beijing law firm, declaring a hotel bedbug-infested without adequate investigation could damage its reputation. In such cases the dispute may reach the court. He suggested that a written assurance should be taken from the complaining user that the information is correct and the help of experts should also be taken to identify the insects. That is, this app which is proving useful for travellers, is now also facing the challenge of balancing between the rights of consumers and the reputation of hoteliers.