We visited Shawnee on 3/4/11-3/6/11. Friday morning 3/4, my daughter woke up w/bites on her arm and hand that were itching her pretty badly. We didn't think much of it until she woke up Saturday 3/5 and had even more bites on her arm, elbow, chin and behind her ear. She was the only one who slept in this bed during our entire visit. My husband and I slept in the other double bed and my other daughter slept in one of the bunk beds. No one else in our room was bitten during the entire trip.

Needless to say I had my daughter sleep in the other bunk bed for our last night there. I also inspected the beds and bunks that night. I got on my computer that evening and researched bedbugs and what to look for, etc. The sheets on her bed had 2 black places, which looked exactly like the ones from the internet, which were bedbug 'dropppings'. Sort of looked like it was embedded into the fabric, sort of resembled a + sign. Also found one on the pillow on her bed. Then lifted the sheets and mattress pad off and found what the internet described as bedbug 'casings' resembling popcorn hulls on the mattress under the mattress pad. I took pictures of everything! Although I never saw any bugs definately did not mean there weren't any because I found proof on the bed and the bites on my daughter was proof enough! The internet also said bedbugs come out at night when they sense heat and w/the lights off you should check the bed and area around w/a flashlight. Well, I didn't want to let my daughter sleep in that bed again so checking at night w/a flashing wasn't going to do me any good. We did however sleep with all the lights on in the room that last night!

We quickly got up that morning and packed to leave. At checkout I asked for a manager so I could explain my situation and to show them the bites all over my daughter. The only manager on duty was the housekeeping manager. So that manager, myself and one of the cleaning ladies went back to the room to have a look. Everything I pointed out to be bedbug remains they denied had anything to do w/bedbugs. The black 'remains' she said "that's just a black mark is all that is"! I said, "Ok, so you have 3 black marks that look EXACTLY THE SAME, doesn't cause you any concern? When I showed them the 'casings' (popcorn hull things) I found, they disregarded them as "just crumbs or something" Since they were coming up w/excuses for everything else I asked them what their excuse was for the bites all over my daughter! They didn't have much to say about that one! They didn't find any bugs, so they were denying the whole incident.

They never asked if there was anything they could do for me....anything! I guess because that would mean they would be admitting they had bedbugs which they weren't going to do!

No one from the lodge has since tried to contact me regarding this incident AT ALL! As I left, I told the manager this..."You don't have to believe me now, but when the next guests complain you have bedbugs, you WILL believe me then!"

In my interent search I also read about what to do w/your belongings after returning from a hotel in hopes to not carry these pests back to your home!! Leave EVERYTHING outside for at least 48 hours! I am doing just that! Everything that came into contact w/that bed I have washed in hot water and put in the dryer! If I bring these bedbugs home I will be SOOOO ANGRY! Shawnee will be hearing from me if I do!

I have spent the last hour writing this report in hopes that someone reads it so they do not have the same experience I did and hopefully Shawnee will do something about their problem.