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Soprano sues Arizona hotel over bedbugs
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NEW YORK - An opera singer has sued the Hilton Hotels Corp. for $6 million, complaining she suffered 150 bites from bedbugs on her arms, chest, neck and face when she stayed in one of its hotels in Arizona.
Soprano Alison Trainer claimed she was bitten at Phoenix's Hilton Suites between Nov. 20 and Nov. 26, and said the bites were a "horrific" experience that left her afraid to sleep in a bed, caused her to lose weight and made her uncomfortable about her physical appearance.
"She looks like a piece of wood that has been attacked by termites," said Trainer's attorney, Kenneth J. Glassman.
Court papers say Trainer noticed the bugs on Nov. 26 and reported "brutally conclusive proof" of the infestation to hotel officials.
"She noticed the itching and the blood on the sheets right away, but she didn't know that this was being caused by bedbugs," Glassman said, explaining why Trainer stayed in the hotel for six nights.
Despite the bites on her face, Trainer, who has appeared several times with the New York City Opera, the Phoenix Symphony and other music companies around the nation, has kept her singing commitments since the bedbug attack, Glassman said.
"She's a professional," he said.
A spokeswoman for the Hilton Hotels Corp. did not return a telephone call seeking comment Wednesday.
Hilton's Web site says it is the leading global hospitality company, with nearly 2,800 hotels and 485,000 rooms in more than 80 countries.
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