They are a nightmare for many vacationers: bedbugs. For hotels, they mean a loss of image and high costs. "Valpas" relies on chemical-free technology - and now also certifies bedbug-free accommodation in Iceland.
In the fall of 2023, Parisian hotels made headlines; they were struggling with an acute infestation of bedbugs. But in many accommodations throughout Europe, pests are also sleeping in the sheets. "Valpas knows how to remedy this: The Finnish company has developed repellent technologies and created a network of "bedbug-free" certified hotels, and is now expanding to Iceland.
When vacationers come home with itchy bites that are not mosquito bites - or even discover small black-brown animals in the hotel sheets, one thing is clear: there is a bedbug infestation. No hotel, no matter how posh, is immune to parasites, reveals exterminator Mario Heising in an interview with Die Zeit: "I've seen infestations in luxury hotels where there were hundreds of animals on the bed frame". According to the expert, a particularly high number of bed bugs are found in establishments where business people from all over the world stay overnight.
The company "Valpas" has developed an efficient technology to prevent bedbug infestations: Devices attached directly to hotel beds monitor a possible infestation and catch individual parasites immediately. This prevents them from multiplying and causing damage in the first place. This process is purely mechanical, which eliminates the use of chemical substances or pesticides in the guest rooms.
Valpas" also certifies bedbug-free accommodation. For example, 300 hotels in 83 destinations and 25 countries worldwide are already part of the network.
The collaboration with Iceland has just been announced. The "Black Sand Hotel", which opens in February 2026 in Ölfus near Reykjavik, is the first Icelandic hotel to be certified for bedbug-free stays.
