Paying to reserve a sun bed.

[Tinkerbec]

Would you do this?

I have just seen this on the news that one company is doing this.

I personally think they should just ban people from reserving them with towels.

AIBU?

I dream of staying in one of those hotels that have their own beach and a minimum of 4m between each pair of beds. I am quite unfriendly though.

No, I would expect to be able to reserve on check in without a fee. If they tried to charge for a reservation I would judge.

I was wondering what happens if everyone in the hotel wants to reserve a lounger as surely they would need to make sure they have enough on the off chance that this might happen...

This is a bonkers idea. What happens when all of the bed allocations are booked? Are they going to tell you before booking? If yes then they would lose bookings cos if I looked at a hotel and found all the beds had been reserved then I wouldn't bother booking it.

Another ridiculous way to get money from us I think.

I've been to hotels where there is literally nowhere else to go except on a lounger by the pool.

Also what about hotels which are not exclusive to Thomas cook, will all the Thomas cook sun beds be in a cordoned off area to stop others using them.

What if your reserved beds are on the shady side of the pool

Pathetic.

I go abroad for excitement and adventure and sightseeing. Not to lie on a bloody sunbed all day. I can do that in my back garden.

People just need to be less selfish in the first place.

Problem solved.

In theory it’s a good idea. Last time I went on a beachy type holiday I rarely got a sun lounger by the pool. People would queue up before opening, lay down half a dozen towels, then bugger off for a leisurely breakfast. But the lifeguards would do nothing about it.

It’s an expensive idea though. It’d be £75 for the three of us just to get space to lie down. That’s a bit grim.

"Hotels just need to say 'no reserving' when towels and then enforce it by removing them if people leave."

This ^^

We have stayed in hotels who have operated this policy, and it works very well.

Love the comments from the "worthies" who wouldn't lower themselves to lounge on a sunbed. I like to sight see, walk, take in some culture, eat and drink local food and drink and spend the occasional hour or so reading while on a sunbed.

I read its only 20% of beds that would be likable and you pick which beds you want so there is still plenty for the masses

Shouldn't be necessary.
Recent holiday in Tenerife, all guests given a hotel towel. Lifeguard removed hotel towels if they had been laid on a bed/beds, but not being used for x hours, say 2-3 hours.
Seemed to work perfectly.

Petbear its not very nice to call people pathetic just because they like a different kind of holiday than you.

I went to a hotel once where you had to pay to reserve front row sun beds on the beach. But you also got a chiller with beer, water and soft drinks and a basket of crisps nuts and snacks for your money. And a windbreak and a cabana thingy. It was about £20 a week.
I think nowadays I'd rather pay out for a top notch hotel where the staff see you coming and pull out extra sun beds if necessary (and then ask if you'd like your usual pina colada when you're settled).

Maybe it would be better if there was a reservation fee, and if you used the bed at that time, you'd get your money back. People would be less likely to be swanning around town for three hours with 6 beds taken.

I haven't been on one of these types of holidays since I was a kid but been to many water parks abroad. I never see the point of a three-year-old having one to themselves. Surely they could sit at the end of their parents, or share with siblings especially when kids spend most of the time in the water. Annoys me when you see Granny enjoying her day reading her book but taking up 8 beds just incase her kids and grandkids want somewhere to eat their lunch- there's usually benches for that!

Logistical nightmare

Gladly never been on a holiday where this is or would be an issue. Would be my idea of hell. And would never stay at a hotel like that in peek season.

The sad thing is I have never seen all the bed occupied at once except with towels. If people only used them when they needed there would not be this problem. I would only need a lounger once or twice a holiday so this system just wouldn’t work for me.

I just move someone's towel, and take the lounger.

If they then come and claim ir, I say "sure, no problem" and get up.

Never use one for more than 30 minutes or so anyway.

I rarely get confronted

I am a one person rebellion against this ridiculous claiming of chairs through towels

Just stop letting people reserve them with towels. It's selfish.

I would consider paying for me and DH. Although like another most we shade bathe and relax with a kindle or good book.
Agree with another poster who said hotels should have room numbered sun bed say if your in room 321 your sun beds would be 321 A and B with shade 321 so your not allowed to reserve sun beds for umpteen kids or visiting friends who aren’t even staying at the hotel. The kids can have a sun bed if their is one left.
What annoys me is some people that get up very early go back to bed and reserve 6 beds together 2 for kids and 4 adults then barely use them all day and the kids are lucky if they spend 5 minutes on them all day.

A lifeguard or another hotel employee should move them even if they have popped for a dip. If getting an icecream etc only one person could go and partner/ friend hold it.

Zero tolerance would stop the selfishness.

I don’t think it is reasonable to put your towels down and then trot off for a two hour breakfast, a trip into town and a short excursions before rocking up to use your bed.

However, it hasn’t occurred to me that it is bad etiquette to leave your stuff on a bed if you’ve gone for a swim. Is this really the case? Have I been being selfish for years?!

Wen I was last on holiday it was impossible to get a bed unless you were there at the right time when they were u locking the stack, then put your towel on before breakfast. We did this once after being annoyed that we didn’t get a bed all week.

The CFs on the next beds to us, reserved 6, and didn’t actually use them all day until later on in the afternoon. This was the case for many other beds of course.

If you could reserve your bed for the whole week in advance, there will be those beds not being used for days at a time while the family is off doing other things, while others will not be able to get a bed at all. This to me is absolute madness.

I think that no one should be able to reserve beds at all, you should only be able to use the bed if you are actually at the pool area. And anyone leaving towels then heading off elsewhere, the towels should be removed.

This is clearly the solution. Payings for bed s is just capitalising on the current problem, rather than solving it.

When we last went to a resort like this the pool watcher man went round at 11am throwing reserved towels in the pool I was quite in awe

See ^ that is the solution!

It's pandering to the selfish entitled people.