Hotels and motels are the second most common location for fatal drug overdoses in the United States, trailing only private homes and apartments, according to a new CDC Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report published June 25, 2026. The analysis, covering 2022 through 2024 across 47 states and the District of Columbia, found that 9,651 overdose deaths, representing 5% of all overdose deaths during the period, occurred in hotels and motels. In 2024 alone, at least 2,327 people died from overdoses in these settings.
The data identify a specific, addressable gap: nearly one-third of those fatal hotel and motel overdoses occurred when a bystander was nearby and could potentially have intervened, but in the majority of those cases, no timely response occurred.
Why This Matters
The public conversation about overdose prevention has focused primarily on private homes, streets, and increasingly on public facilities such as libraries and transportation hubs. Hotels and motels represent a setting that is simultaneously private and transient, creating conditions that make intervention especially difficult. A guest in distress in a hotel room may not be found for hours. Hotel staff are rarely trained in overdose response, and naloxone is almost never available at the front desk.
The MMWR findings suggest that targeting hotels and motels with the same overdose prevention infrastructure that has been deployed in other high-risk settings, including naloxone distribution, staff training, and clear emergency response protocols, could save lives. In at least 24 deaths in the dataset, a hotel or motel employee administered naloxone. More would have survived if that access had been available and the training in place.
What We Know So Far
The CDC analysis used data from its State Unintentional Drug Overdose Reporting System (SUDORS), which collects information from death certificates, postmortem toxicology reports, medical examiner and coroner reports, and emergency medical services records across 47 participating jurisdictions. Restricted to unintentional or undetermined-intent overdose deaths, the analysis covered 191,575 total overdose deaths from 2022 to 2024, of which 9,651 (5.0%) occurred in hotels and motels.
Key findings from the MMWR include:
- 71.3% of hotel and motel overdose decedents were male
- 74.6% were between the ages of 25 and 54
- 64.6% were White
- 56.2% died in the same county where they lived, not while traveling
- Opioids were involved in 85.5% of hotel and motel overdose deaths, higher than the 73.4% to 81.7% opioid involvement rate across all overdose deaths
- Illegally manufactured fentanyls were the most common specific opioid, involved in 81.1% of hotel and motel overdose deaths
- Stimulants were also involved in 69% of cases, reflecting the common polysubstance pattern in modern overdose deaths
Where the Risk Is Highest
A finding that may surprise readers is that the majority of people who died from overdoses in hotels and motels were local residents, not travelers. More than 56% of the deaths occurred in the same county where the decedent lived. This suggests that for a significant portion of these individuals, hotels and motels were being used not as travel accommodations but as a place to use drugs, possibly because using drugs at home carried too great a risk of family or landlord discovery, or because the person was in housing instability.
This finding points toward a different policy frame than "traveler safety." Hotels and motels in high-overdose communities are functioning as de facto drug-use settings for local residents. Cities with high overdose rates and large budget-hotel sectors, including Las Vegas, Phoenix, Miami, Memphis, and parts of Los Angeles, Baltimore, and Philadelphia, may have populations of local residents using drugs in budget lodging facilities who are never reached by prevention services.
What Doctors and Experts Say
The CDC MMWR report authors, Andrea Stewart, Amanda Dinwiddie, April Wisdom, and Thomas Gilson from CDC's Division of Overdose Prevention and the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner's Office, concluded that "including hotels and motels in overdose surveillance data analyses and, depending on the local context and resources, partnering with hotel and motel operators when planning overdose prevention programs might help public health officials improve the safety of guests and help prevent overdose deaths in these locations."
The report identified three specific evidence-based strategies: training hotel and motel staff to administer opioid overdose reversal medications, providing staff with education on overdose recognition and Good Samaritan laws, and making overdose reversal kits and local substance use disorder treatment information available in common areas of hotels and motels.
The bystander data are particularly striking. Among the deaths where a bystander was present, substance use by the bystander was identified as a reason for delayed or absent response in approximately 30% of cases, which is three times the rate seen across all overdose death settings. This finding suggests that some people are going to hotels and motels specifically to use drugs with others, and that both individuals may be impaired when an overdose occurs.
What the Evidence Shows and What It Does Not
MedicalDaily Evidence Check
- Study type: Descriptive analysis of CDC SUDORS data, published as MMWR Notes from the Field
- Data period: 2022 to 2024
- Jurisdictions: 47 (46 states plus the District of Columbia)
- Total overdose deaths analyzed: 191,575
- Hotel/motel overdose deaths: 9,651 (5.0%); in 2024 alone, at least 2,327
- Opioid involvement in hotel/motel deaths: 85.5% (higher than the overall average)
- Naloxone administered: In 20.7% of opioid-involved hotel/motel deaths; hotel staff administered naloxone in at least 24 cases
- What it does not prove: That mandatory hotel naloxone stocking would prevent a specific number of deaths; this is an observational analysis, not an intervention trial
- Key limitation: SUDORS relies on states submitting contextual data for at least 75% of deaths; not all deaths in all states are captured
- What readers should know: This report identifies an underused opportunity, not a crisis exclusive to hotels; most overdose deaths still occur in private homes
Who Faces the Greatest Risk?
Based on the MMWR data, the population most at risk of dying from an overdose in a hotel or motel setting includes:
- Adults ages 25 to 54, who comprise nearly 75% of hotel and motel overdose deaths
- Men, who represent over 70% of this subgroup of deaths
- People using opioids, particularly fentanyl, often in combination with stimulants
- Local residents in housing-unstable circumstances who are using transient lodging as a drug-use setting rather than as accommodation
- People using drugs with others who may also be impaired and unable to provide an emergency response
This population overlaps significantly with the broader overdose crisis demographic but may be particularly underserved by prevention outreach that is designed for people in stable housing or definable treatment pathways.
Symptoms and Warning Signs of Overdose
If you encounter someone in a hotel or motel who may be experiencing an overdose, the warning signs include:
- Unresponsive to shouting, shaking, or a sternal rub
- Slow, shallow, or absent breathing
- Blue or grayish color of the lips or fingertips (cyanosis)
- Choking or gurgling sounds
- Limpness of the body
- Pinpoint pupils
If you observe these signs: call 911 immediately, administer naloxone if available, perform rescue breathing if trained, place the person in the recovery position, and stay with the person until emergency services arrive. Good Samaritan laws in most states protect people who call 911 to report an overdose from prosecution for drug possession. Hotel staff should know the law in their state.
What You Can Do Now
For individuals:
- If you or someone you know is at risk for overdose, carry naloxone. It is available without a prescription at most pharmacies.
- If you are in a hotel or motel and concerned about someone in the room, call 911. Do not assume the person is asleep.
- Contact the SAMHSA National Helpline (1-800-662-4357) for free, confidential treatment referrals 24 hours a day.
For hotel and motel staff:
- Ask your employer whether the property has naloxone kits available and whether staff are trained to use them.
- Familiarize yourself with the overdose recognition signs listed above.
- Know your state's Good Samaritan law so you understand the legal protections available for calling 911.
For public health practitioners and hotel operators:
- Review the CDC MMWR recommendations for partnering with hotel and motel operators on prevention programming.
- Explore the Overdose Resource Exchange for evidence-based training materials appropriate for non-clinical settings.
Cost and Access: What Patients Should Know
Naloxone is available without a prescription at CVS, Walgreens, Rite Aid, and most major pharmacy chains under the brand name Narcan, as well as under generic formulations. Most insurance plans and Medicaid cover naloxone. Community organizations and local health departments in many cities distribute naloxone at no cost, including through mail programs.
For hotels seeking to implement naloxone stocking and staff training, the CDC's Overdose Data to Action program provides resources, and many state health departments offer free training materials and naloxone kits to businesses in high-burden communities.
What Happens Next
The MMWR report is a "Notes from the Field" publication, which is descriptive rather than intervention-based. Future research could quantify the potential impact of mandatory or voluntary naloxone stocking and staff training in hotel and motel settings. State-level and city-level public health programs are beginning to incorporate hospitality sector outreach into overdose prevention strategies. MedicalDaily will track policy developments, new surveillance findings, and any state or local programs that pilot hotel-specific overdose prevention interventions.
The Bottom Line
Hotels and motels are the second most common location for fatal drug overdoses in the United States, and a new CDC MMWR report shows that in many of these deaths, a bystander was present but did not respond in time. Over half of those who died were local residents, not travelers. The data make a clear case for bringing overdose prevention tools, including naloxone access and staff training, into the hospitality sector. For individuals, carrying naloxone and knowing how to recognize an overdose remain the most immediate protective actions available.
