4-Jan-17 – A guest of a River North hotel last August says he was bitten by bed bugs while staying in two separate rooms.

Allen Brown is suing Courtyard Management Corporation and Marriott Hotel Services, two subsidiaries of Marriott International, Inc., that operate and manage Courtyard Chicago Downtown/River North.

Brown, a 36-year-old sales account manager on a business trip to Chicago, says while sleeping at the hotel on August 16, 2016, he suffered “numerous bed bug bites” and, after notifying hotel staff, was moved to another room. But there were bed bugs in that room, too, he claims, and he sustained additional bites. (Left) Photo taken by Brown showing bites on his arm.

According to Brown’s premises liability lawsuit filed in Cook County Circuit Court on December 27, 2016, the hotel knew or should have known the rooms were infested with bed bugs and was in violation of two chapters of municipal code. He is seeking at least $50,000.

His attorney, Tyler Kobylski of Staver Law Group, says he has been contacted by other former guests of Courtyard Chicago Downtown/River North who say they, too, were bitten by bed bugs.

“It seems quite clear that the Marriott had an active bed bug infestation and that they failed to reasonably address it,” said Kobylski, reached by email on Thursday.

Bed bugs are insects that often hide in mattresses and feed exclusively on blood. They can feed from a sleeping person for three to ten minutes, then crawl away unnoticed. Later, the bite can become inflamed and itchy.