AND THE MANAGER OF BUGS "A" TO "Z,"
A PEST-CONTROL COMPANY
BASED OUT OF WOODLAND HILLS, CALIFORNIA,
AND HE'S DESPERATE TO EXPAND HIS BUSINESS
BEYOND THE RESIDENTIAL HOMES HE NORMALLY SERVICES.
- IT'D BE GREAT IF, I MEAN, WE LAND ANY KIND OF HOTEL WORK.
- JAVIER WANTED A CONTRACT WITH A MAJOR HOTEL,
AND I HAD THE PERFECT METHOD TO WIN HIM THAT DEAL.
RATHER THAN MAKING IT LOOK LIKE THE HOTEL HAS
AN EXTERMINATOR VISITING, WHY DON'T YOU INSTEAD
MAKE IT LOOK LIKE THE HOTEL IS WINNING AN AWARD?
- RIGHT.
- EVERY HOTEL'S GREATEST FEAR IS HAVING TO HIRE AN EXTERMINATOR,
BECAUSE THEIR ARRIVAL IS BASICALLY AN ANNOUNCEMENT
THAT THE HOTEL HAS PESTS,
SO IF JAVIER COULD DISGUISE HIS PURPOSE
TO MAKE IT LOOK LIKE HE'S THERE TO GIVE THE HOTEL AN AWARD,
HE'D NOT ONLY DELIGHT GUESTS,
BUT SURELY WIN A CONTRACT WITH THE HOTEL
THAT WANTS TO KEEP THEIR PEST PROBLEM A SECRET.
- NOW, HOW--I MEAN, DO I SHOW UP WITH--
I MEAN, I JUST-- I-I--AS FAR AS, I MEAN--
- IF CUSTOMERS SEE YOU COMING IN,
THEY'RE ACTUALLY GONNA BE LIKE,
"OH, THIS HOTEL IS REALLY GOOD,"
YOU KNOW, RATHER THAN SEEING AN EXTERMINATOR
AND BEING LIKE, "OH, THIS HOTEL IS NOT SO GOOD."
- [laughs] YOU'VE DONE THIS BEFORE.
YOU KNOW, YOU'RE A BUSINESS MAJOR.
I MEAN, WHAT'S THE WORST THAT'S GONNA HAPPEN?
- JAVIER WAS ON BOARD WITH THE CONCEPT.
SO, TO SELL THIS TO A HOTEL, I NEEDED TO SHOW THEM
EXACTLY HOW THE SYSTEM WOULD WORK,
SO I HAD ONE OF JAVIER'S SERVICE VANS REWRAPPED
TO LOOK LIKE A DELIVERY VEHICLE FOR THE HOTEL EXCELLENCE AWARDS,
A VERY PRESTIGIOUS ORGANIZATION THAT I MADE UP.
THEN JAVIER AND I WORKED TO DEVELOP A DISCREET METHOD
FOR EXTERMINATING EVERY ROOM IN A HOTEL.
LIKE, SOME SORT OF SECRET... - A COMPARTMENT
OR OR AN OPENING. - COMPARTMENT THAT OPENS UP.
WITH THE SYSTEM NOW IN PLACE, I GOT PERMISSION
FROM THE HISTORIC MAYFAIR HOTEL TO SHOOT A DEMONSTRATION VIDEO
OF OUR METHOD THAT WE COULD THEN PRESENT TO THEIR MANAGEMENT.
IT BEGINS BY ARRIVING IN OUR COVERT VEHICLE,
THEN REMOVING WHAT LOOKS LIKE A LARGE TROPHY
THAT'S BEING AWARDED TO THE HOTEL.
THIS SERVES A DUAL PURPOSE OF BOTH GETTING
OUR EQUIPMENT INSIDE, AND IMPRESSING GUESTS,
AS THEY SEE THAT THEY'RE CURRENTLY RESIDING IN THE HOTEL
WITH THE LEAST AMOUNT OF BEDBUGS.
- WITH THE LEAST BEDBUGS? - YEAH.
- SO IT'S A POSSIBILITY OF SOME BEING THERE.
- WE'RE JUST DELIVERING THE AWARD,
WE DON'T KNOW. - OH, OKAY.
- THEN, WE MAKE OUR WAY INTO THE PRIVATE BACK OFFICES
WHERE WE CAN SAFELY REMOVE ALL OUR GEAR
WITHOUT ANYONE SEEING.
ONCE THAT'S DONE, WE CONVERT OUR AWARDS TABLE
INTO A CUSTOM-DESIGNED MAID CART,
AND I CHANGE MY OUTFIT TO LOOK NATURAL PUSHING IT.
THE HOLLOWED-OUT INTERIOR THEN ALLOWS JAVIER TO TRAVEL
FROM ROOM TO ROOM WITHOUT DRAWING ANY SUSPICION
FROM HOTEL GUESTS.
[beeps] YOU OKAY IN THERE?
- YEAH.
- WHEN WE GET TO AN INFESTED ROOM,
THE CART BLOCKS THE DOORWAY AND JAVIER IS ABLE
TO SNEAK OUT WITHOUT ANYONE SEEING.
A QUICK HANDOFF OF THE VACUUM THEN GETS OUR EQUIPMENT INSIDE,
AND JAVIER CAN GET TO WORK
SPRAYING DOWN THE PEST-RIDDEN AREAS.
ALTHOUGH WE DIDN'T FIND ANY IN THIS HOTEL,
JAVIER TOLD ME HE OFTEN ENCOUNTERS MATTRESSES
THAT GET SO INFESTED WITH BEDBUGS
THEY HAVE TO BE THROWN OUT.
SO I ALSO WANTED TO SHOW THE HOTEL MANAGER
THAT WE HAD A METHOD TO SECRETLY DISPOSE OF ONE
WITHOUT GUESTS THINKING ANYTHING FISHY WAS GOING ON,
AND SINCE THE MAYFAIR CATERED TO A LOT OF ASIAN CLIENTELE,
THE PERFECT COVER WAS OBVIOUS.
IN THE GUISE OF AN IMPROMPTU CELEBRATION,
WE WERE ABLE TO TAKE A MATTRESS
STRAIGHT THROUGH THE LOBBY, AND ONCE OUTSIDE,
ALL IT TOOK WAS A QUICK IDENTITY CHANGEOVER
TO KEEP EVERYTHING LOOKING NORMAL TO ONLOOKERS.
THEN, IN THE BLINK OF AN EYE, WE'RE GONE,
WITHOUT ANYONE EVER KNOWING
THE HOTEL HAD A PROBLEM WITH PESTS.
SO LATER THAT WEEK, I WAS HOPEFUL OUR SALES VIDEO
WOULD BE ENOUGH TO WIN OVER THE MAYFAIR MANAGER,
MIKE SCHOEFFIN.
- UNDERNEATH THAT DRAGON IS OUR MATTRESS
THAT WAS COVERED WITH BEDBUGS, INFESTED WITH BEDBUGS.
- AND YOU CAN SEE WE'VE BEEN DEVELOPING A NEW METHOD
OF SPRAYING THE PUBLIC AREAS USING A BLIND MAN'S CANE.
SO TO GUESTS, IT JUST LOOKS LIKE,
"OH, THERE'S A BLIND MAN STUMBLING AROUND THE LOBBY."
- RIGHT. - SO THAT'S WHAT WE'RE ABOUT.
- AND ONCE OUR SALES VIDEO WAS DONE,