Guests bitten at Myrtle Beach hotel ‘infested’ with bed bugs, lawsuit claims
People staying at a Myrtle Beach hotel were bitten by bed bugs, according to a lawsuit filed in Horry County on Tuesday.
Two adult residents of Horry County and four minor children were staying at the Diplomat Motel located at 608 N. Ocean Blvd. when they noticed the bites. They were living at the hotel from Jan. 17, 2025, to April 24, 2025, and were bitten by bed bugs while they slept, the lawsuit claims.
The residents notified hotel management about the bugs, which were in the mattresses, bedding and carpet, according to the lawsuit.
The hotel did not answer a call from The Sun News requesting comment on Friday, and the line would not go to a voicemail box.
The lawsuit claims that the hotel should have known about the infestation and treated the area before the bugs were able to harm the people staying there. It further asserts that the infestation caused “severe and permanent emotional distress, humiliation, mental anguish, indignity, loss of pleasures and enjoyment of life,” which will require psychological and psychiatric treatment.
The infestation also required the victims to spend money on medical care, and caused lost wages, according to the suit.
By allowing their residents to be bitten by bed bugs, the hotel engaged in unfair labor practices and a breach of contract, according to the lawsuit, which also puts forth claims of negligence, premises liability and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
The bites from the bugs caused severe injuries, the lawsuit claims, which caused a “significant amount of pain and suffering.”
The guests are suing for damages and legal costs.
