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SALT LAKE CITY — A former employee of a Salt Lake City hotel said he was fired for telling guests about a bed bug infestation.
The man, who asked to remain anonymous, began working at the Econo Lodge at 715 W. North Temple in July of 2012. He started hearing complaints from guests about the bed bug problem.
“I learned about the bed bug stuff probably about three weeks ago,” he told KSL. “I just got tired of hearing all the complaints.”
A current manager, who also asked to remain anonymous, confirmed that there are at least two rooms with bed bugs. Residents at the hotel who hadn’t been there long said they didn’t know about the issue, but on room 405, the words “bed bugs” were written in permanent marker on the front door.
I was telling the truth. I was not going to lie to the guest that we had bed bugs, so basically that's why I got fired.
–Former Econo Lodge employee
The former employee claimed he was fired because he let guests know about the infestation.
“I was telling the truth,” he said. “I was not going to lie to the guest that we had bed bugs, so basically that’s why I got fired.”
KSL asked the housekeeping staff about the bed bug issue, and they deferred to the manager. The manager confirmed that in “the middle of last week” employees called the health department about the problem and that officials are aware of the situation.
Management said the former employee was let go for “other reasons” unrelated to the bed bugs. Calls to the Salt Lake Valley Health Department have no yet been answered.