A Brazilian fashion model is suing Hilton Worldwide, after she says that she suffered numerous bed bug bites during a stay at the Embassy Suites Hotel in Palm Desert in 2016.
Sabrina Jales St. Pierre, who has modeled in ads for Avon, Neiman Marcus, the Limited and Tommy Hilfiger, among others.
In her lawsuit, Jales claims the bites led to welts and marks all over her face and body after staying at the hotel, according to the LA Times. Her suit was filed at the Riverside County Superior Court.
“This was especially traumatic for Sabrina because her body is her work so this severely affected her work and her career,” said her attorney Brian Virag, who is dubbed the Bed Bug Lawyer as he specializes in bedbug lawsuits. “She had to continue working during the hotel stay, but the bite marks all over her body made her feel embarrassed, ashamed and humiliated.”
The lawsuit seeks monetary and punitive damages against the management of the hotel as well as the parent company, Hilton Worldwide.
“We understand that the allegations relate to a 2016 stay at an independently owned and managed franchise property, so we will refer related questions to the property’s management,” a statement from Hilton Worldwide stated.
Carlos Mendoza, the General Manager of Embassy Suites in Palm Desert general manager, disputes the claim. He told the Desert Sun that the hotel investigated the room for bed bugs the day the incident allegedly occurred and found no evidence of them. The hotel then called in another company to inspect and that company also found no evidence of bed bugs. hes in a gesture of good hospitality.
“The comfort and health and safety of our guests is most important,” Mendoza told the newspaper. “Our experience with bed bugs though is that people travel with them and bring them to hotels. Once they are in our rooms, we take corrective actions.”
The lawsuit follows an investigative report by NBC Los Angeles reporter Joel Grover featuring Embassy Suites in Palm Desert. Grover used a “cleanliness test” that involved using an invisible washable spray on sheets, towels, and cups to see if the hotel’s cleaning staff actually changed them out.
The test didn’t go well for the hotel.
Following the report, a group of Coachella fest goers reported their room at the Motel 6 in Palm Springs was filled with bed bugs.
