A Chinese app designed to report hotels that allegedly have bedbugs and other pests has been updated and re-released following controversy over the validity of the claims. The app attracted more than 300,000 users at its peak, flagging over 600 hotels nationwide, according to its creator.

In a Sunday post on lifestyle platform Xiaohongshu, also known as RedNote, the creator of the app, a WeChat mini-program called “Bedbug Map,” announced that he alone would now review bedbug reports — previously, evidence was approved if a majority of users verified it. He also clarified that users are required to upload photographic evidence of bedbugs. The next day, he also posted a review of nearly 300 rejected bedbug reports, explaining why each had been declined.

Released Sept. 16, the mini-program lets users report hotels with bedbugs, cockroaches, or other pests, resulting in a bug or question mark icon over the hotel’s location. Tapping it reveals the number of user reports. 

Controversy arose after reports that multiple hotels were asked by customers for refunds after they reported having found bedbugs via the app after their stay. One hotel was allegedly asked to refund 3,000 yuan ($450) in room charges after a report citing “two bumps” on a guest’s body was posted on the map and approved by users. According to the report, the hotel later asked a third party to inspect the premises, but found no traces of bedbugs.

The creator, a 26-year-old manufacturing industry worker who asked to remain anonymous, told Sixth Tone that in the past few days he had personally reviewed more than 700 pieces of photo evidence submitted over the previous two months. 

A Wednesday check by Sixth Tone revealed that 232 hotels are now marked on the mini-program’s map, down from the more than 600 reported before Monday. The mini-program currently lists 36 hotels as having successfully appealed reports after submitting third-party evidence.

The app has also been taken down twice, most recently in late October, by WeChat parent company Tencent, citing its restrictions on applications run by and registered to individuals. 

The creator told Sixth Tone that Bedbug Map was created with the help of AI in under two weeks. He said he got the idea after searching online for bedbug information after he and his girlfriend developed bites following a move, discovering most bedbug posts involved hotels.

On the day of its release, the mini-program attracted over 100,000 users, according to the creator. Under his release announcement on Xiaohongshu, many commented asking him to expand the function to public transportation, which he then added to the app. However, the function was removed in subsequent updates.

“I guess the reason the app was well-received is that it addresses a key pain point for the average traveler: the lack of cleanliness and the resurgence of bedbugs.” 

The mini-program previously allowed users to submit reports without photo evidence. However, after users raised concerns about the potential for people to maliciously target hotels without evidence, the program was updated in late September to allow users to upload photographic evidence. Photos can be either uploaded or taken directly via the mini-program — in the latter case, the app automatically adds a watermark showing the time and location. 

“I’m simply the initiator,” he said. “The goal is to get everyone involved in managing the mini-program’s data and reviews.”

Hotels can also appeal bedbug reports — indicated on the map by blue semicircular icons above such locations — as well as upload disinfection records, business licenses, and photos of pest-control operations. 

The creator said he even recruited volunteers at one point to inspect the hygiene of hotels that filed appeals. However, the function was soon taken down because of concerns about volunteers’ safety, among other issues.

He said that managing the mini-program alone has “brought pressure and criticism,” adding that he hopes the government will “provide professional guidance to improve (the app’s) credibility.” 

In an interview with domestic media, Lin Feiran, a lawyer at Beijing King & Capital Law Firm, suggested the company bring in professionals to identify insects reported at different locations.

State media outlet CNR News wrote in a Monday commentary that “a map pieced together by internet users being used to fill the gap in hygiene information shows that formal (reporting) channels are lacking,” encouraging hotel booking platforms to display bedbug records publicly.

Editor: Marianne Gunnarsson.

(Header image: Visuals from Weibo and VCG, reedited by Sixth Tone)