Travel CO Safety Check

Carbon monoxide poisoning in hotels and vacation rentals is more common than most travelers realize. A peer-reviewed study documented 115 CO incidents at U.S. hotels, motels, and resorts between 2005 and 2018 - poisoning more than 900 guests and killing 22. In nearly every case, the CO source was located outside the guest room: pool heaters, boilers, generators, and adjacent parking garages.

The regulatory picture makes this worse. There is no federal law requiring CO detectors in hotel guest rooms, and the bill that would create one, the Safe Stay Act, has been introduced in four consecutive Congresses without a vote: H.R.3755 in the 119th, introduced by Rep. Angie Craig on 5 June 2025 and referred to committee the same day, where it still sits. State law is where the answer lives, and the commonly quoted "only 14 states" counts hospitality-specific statutes. Reading all 51 jurisdictions ourselves, a duty reaches a hotel in 46 and a conditional one in 5 more, because most states get there through an adopted fire or building code instead.

This 2-minute safety check evaluates your specific travel situation, accommodation type, room location, CO detector presence, whether you carry a portable detector, and your awareness of CO symptoms. Based on your answers, you will get a risk-level assessment and a clear set of pre-trip and arrival actions.

Note: This check provides general travel safety guidance based on CDC, CPSC, and NFPA recommendations. If you smell gas, feel unexplained symptoms, or hear a CO alarm while traveling, leave the room immediately and call 911 or local emergency services.

In 2 Minutes

• 900+ hotel guests poisoned and 22 killed by CO in U.S. hotels between 2005 and 2018, and those are only the documented cases.
• No federal law requires CO detectors in hotel guest rooms. The figure you will see quoted, 14 states, counts states with a hospitality-specific statute. Our own reading of all 51 jurisdictions finds a duty reaching a hotel in 46 of them and a conditional one in 5 more, because in most states it arrives through an adopted fire or building code rather than a law with the word hotel in it.
• Pool heaters are the deadliest hotel CO source. In the 2005-2018 case series they caused 28 of the 115 incidents and 12 of the 22 deaths, more fatalities than every other identified source put together. Rooms near indoor pools or mechanical rooms carry higher risk.
• A portable CO detector fits in a carry-on, and Airbnb tells guests to pack one: "Carbon monoxide alarms aren't common in many parts of the world, so we recommend bringing one with you, especially if the place you're staying in doesn't list one."
• Ask before you book: Does the property have CO detectors? What type of heating system? When were detectors last tested?
• On arrival: Look for a CO detector in your room. If there is none, deploy your portable unit near the bed.

What This Check Covers

• What type of accommodation you are staying in (hotel, Airbnb, vacation rental, cabin, resort).
• Whether the property has confirmed CO detectors in or near your room.
• Your room's location relative to known CO risk zones (pool equipment, garages, mechanical rooms).
• Whether you own or plan to carry a portable CO detector.
• Whether you know the symptoms of CO poisoning and what to do if they occur.
• Whether anyone in your travel group is at elevated CO risk.

Start the Check

How to Interpret Your Result

This check evaluates your travel CO preparedness against CDC, CPSC, and travel safety best practices.

• Well Prepared: Your travel CO safety setup aligns with best practices recommended by the CDC, CPSC, and travel safety organizations. You have confirmed CO detection at your accommodation, carry a portable detector, and know what to do if symptoms appear.
• Gaps to Address Before You Go: Your travel setup has one or two CO safety gaps that are straightforward to close before your trip. Specific actions are provided below.
• Elevated Risk: Your travel situation has multiple CO safety gaps that, combined, create meaningful risk. Immediate pre-trip actions are detailed below.

Sources & References

1. PMC/NIH, Hampson (2019), CO poisonings in hotels and motels . "From January 1, 2005 to December 31, 2018, 905 guests were poisoned in 115 identified incidents, including 22 fatalities." Children were 16 per cent of those poisoned and 27 per cent of the deaths, and 76 incidents (65 per cent) happened at properties belonging to national chains. Table 2 gives the sources: swimming pool heater 28 incidents and 12 deaths, boiler 24 and 1, water heater 22 and 3.
2. CDC, CO Poisoning Basics . More than 400 unintentional deaths a year, more than 100,000 emergency department visits and more than 14,000 hospitalizations. It says nothing about travel or about portable alarms.
3. CPSC, CO Information Center . "More than 200 people in the United States die every year from accidental non-fire related CO poisoning associated with consumer products", with the generator and heating alerts. Nothing on travel here either.
4. NCSL, CO Detector Requirements by State . State-by-state table. Written for legislators and, in its own words, it "may not be reflective of all requirements". Behind a bot challenge for us; read from the 1 March 2026 Wayback snapshot.
5. The Jenkins Foundation, Hotel CO Incident Data . "Database of U.S. Hotel/Motel CO Incidents 1967 - 2024", built by the foundation created after the Jenkins deaths, plus its NFIRS analysis identifying 3,405 CO incidents in the U.S. lodging industry, 1989 to 2018.
6. U.S. Congress, H.R.3755, Safe Stay Act, 119th Congress (2025-2026) . The bill itself, so the status is checkable rather than quoted: sponsored by Rep. Angie Craig, introduced 5 June 2025, referred to the Committees on Science, Space, and Technology and on Energy and Commerce the same day. Congress.gov's tracker still reads "Introduced", step one of five.
7. Kidde, Travel & CO Safety . A manufacturer's travel checklist, and the one source here written for the traveller rather than the operator.
8. Hotel Dive, Hotel carbon monoxide alarm rule reintroduced in Congress . Trade coverage of the bill's June 2025 reintroduction, and the origin of the "only 14 states" figure, which it attributes to the John Wesley Heathco Legacy Foundation. Note that it calls the bill the "Stay Safe Act"; the title on the bill is Safe Stay Act.
9. Airbnb, Safety Expectations . Airbnb "encourage[s] hosts" to fit alarms rather than requiring them, which is the whole reason this check asks the question, and it tells guests to travel with their own.
10. Consumer Reports, Portable CO Detectors . Lab-tested ratings for portable units, "5 Best Portable Carbon Monoxide Detectors of 2026". Membership-gated: the ratings themselves are behind a paywall.