BEIJING, Nov 9 — Talk about a hotel nightmare.

A viral bed bug tracking app in China has flagged more than 600 hotels, leaving some establishments itching to clear their names over disputed infestation claims.

The crowdsourced platform has attracted more than 200,000 users since its September 21 launch, allowing travellers to flag hotels where they claim to have encountered the bloodsucking pests.

But there’s a catch: Until recently, users could slap a warning on a hotel with a single click, without providing any photographic evidence.

Unsurprisingly, that has ruffled a few bedsheets.

According to the South China Morning Post (SCMP), several hotels have challenged their listings, claiming they were unfairly branded as bed bug hotspots.

The app was suspended twice in October before its creator, a manufacturing engineer identified as Wang, introduced stricter checks requiring users to submit evidence of suspected infestations.

Wang, who had no previous programming experience, developed the app using artificial intelligence after being bitten by a bug while moving house over the summer.

“Apparently, it is not perfect yet because I developed it alone,” he admitted.

He now reviews submissions manually, sometimes consulting two other people to help identify the insects shown in photographs.

One hotel caught in the controversy was Guangzhou Mansion in central Beijing, where a guest demanded a refund of 3,000 yuan (about RM1,800) for a four-night stay after claiming she had been bitten by a bed bug.

The guest shared her experience on social media and flagged the hotel on the app.

But the hotel fought back, calling in a third-party pest control company to inspect the guest’s room and 23 other randomly selected rooms.

No bugs or eggs were found.

“We sent these reports and records to the app’s appeals section. Our appeal was approved, and the bed bug mark on our hotel was removed,” a manager said.

Four hotels have submitted appeals backed by documents including disinfection records and pest control reports, SCMP reported.

Wang insists the platform is intended to help travellers avoid unwanted six-legged souvenirs rather than damage hotels’ reputations.

“I am just an initiator, and I hope to mobilise the public to contribute to data collection and review on the app,” he said.

Lawyer Lin Feiran, from Beijing Jindu Law Firm, warned that online infestation allegations could spark disputes over hotels’ reputations.

He suggested requiring users to pledge that their reports are genuine and bringing in professionals to verify suspected bed bug sightings.