Airbnb said there has been no rise in bedbug cases in its Paris accommodation, but that it was taking extra precautions as reports of infestations in France have swept through the media.
"We have analysed our data and have not seen an increase in the reported bedbug rate in Paris," Airbnb co-founder and CSO Nathan Blecharczyk told newspapers of German publisher FUNKE on Wednesday.
"Nevertheless, we are taking the warnings very seriously: if cases are reported, we take the listing offline and ensure that the property is professionally cleaned before it is put back on the platform," Blecharczyk added.
Paris ramped up its war on the infestation in October after social media posts showed footage of the insects crawling around in high-speed trains and the Paris metro, alongside a rash of online articles about bedbugs in cinemas and even Charles de Gaulle airport.
In a report published in July, health agency Anses said that between 2017 and 2022, bedbugs had infested more than one in ten French households.
"Everyone is panicking," pest control store manager Sacha Krief said. "People can really get depressed, even paranoid over it."
Paris is expecting a surge in visitor numbers for the 2024 Olympics.
In September, Airbnb has said it expects to host up to half a million people in its accommodation in Paris and urged Parisians to make their homes available for rent.
Also on Wednesday, Blecharczyk said the company recorded a 19 percent growth rate in 2022 and had rebounded from the Covid-19 pandemic travel restrictions.