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Original poster

People reserving hotel sun loungers with their towels...

118 replies

MoreCatsForMePlease · 18/04/2022 19:26

Arrrggghhhh!

I just returned from a lovely week away in the Algarve.

I was not able to get a sun lounger by the pool during my entire stay! Every time I went to the pool, all of the sun loungers were reserved with towels/ books. There'd only be actual people on around half the loungers.

There were signs up everywhere asking people not to do this, yet every morning, without fail, a scrum of people would run out and do it anyway!

I'm not brave enough to tell anyone off or complain Sad

Has anyone been at a hotel that has actually put a stop to this twattery?

OP posts:
Chocolatecomaday · 18/04/2022 19:29

Surely you just replace a towel with your bum? Can't imagine being scared off by a towel!

Overthebow · 18/04/2022 19:31

I’ve always just taken towels off and sat on the sun lounger.

Highfivemum · 18/04/2022 19:31

Yes. We were in Malta and the hotel would take towels off and put them on the side if the person was not there. They would do hourly checks and stand by the lounger. If no one claimed it ( like if they were in the pool) then they would move the towel. To be honest it worked as only got the odd one or two abusing it.

ComtesseDeSpair · 18/04/2022 19:34

I just take the towel and book to the hotel reception, tell them they’ve been left behind, and will quite happily tell the towel’s owner I presumed they’d been accidentally forgotten and so that’s what I did when they arrive an hour later to claim “their” lounger.

You have to be as bolshy as they are. Hotel staff can’t monitor every lounger and whether it’s in use or not, and don’t want to get into it all.

KitKattaktik · 18/04/2022 19:35

I stayed at a hotel in Minorca that were very hot on this! If towels/books were left and the people weren't in the pool area or actually on the towel, the towels were cleared away to be collected from lost property.

There were always sun beds free to be used. People also warned newcomers not to try to reserve beds too.

BeforeGodAndAllTheFish · 18/04/2022 19:35

Why didnt you just move the stuff?

TheSnowyOwl · 18/04/2022 19:36

Imagine the towel and book is lost property and treat it as such. Then you can enjoy lying down on the lounger.

Jedsnewstar · 18/04/2022 19:41

Where I go in France every few hrs an alarm goes off for everyone to return to their loungers and get out of the pool. The lifeguards run around are remove all towels from
Loungers with nobody on there, all the guests there help, they play funny music while doing it, it’s brilliant. Takes 10mins.
Then about 4is onwards the beach going selfish twats return and seeing their face when they get told off and pointed towards a pile of towels is priceless.

bigbluebus · 18/04/2022 19:41

The one and only time I went on a cruise there was a rule that you were only allowed to be away from your lounger for a maximum of 1 hour. The deck was patrolled and if a lounger was devoid of a body but had a towel on it the staff member wrote the time on a ticket and clipped it to the lounger. If the person hadn't returned after an hour then the towel was removed freeing it up for someone else.

thenightsky · 18/04/2022 19:44

I always type 'sunbeds' into the search box on the hotel's Trip Advisor page. You'll find out if a scrum is the norm. I don't book that hotel if there are people reporting having to get up at 5am to reserve!

maddiemookins16mum · 18/04/2022 19:44

Brits are the worst for this too, despite the many ridiculous jokes about Germans.

HollyShit · 18/04/2022 19:44

I have moved the towels on occasion without a problem as many times people don’t show up throughout the day so they were back in their place by the time they appeared but I have also had an annoying situation with a family who were dressed to go out but wanted me not to use the 6 chairs they were hogging while they were out.

I often fantasise with the idea of having an early walk around the pool at 6 am putting all the towels in empty chairs in the pool but have never been brave enough.

MissMarpleRocks · 18/04/2022 19:49

We have been to hotels where you get an allocated sunbed & can switch around when other guests have checked out. It’s a great system.

Danniotley · 18/04/2022 19:51

One of the best holidays we had was in Cyprus where you are allocated sun beds for your stay. No rushing to get up and if you didn’t like the ones you had been allocated the pool man would try to move you. Made the holiday much easier.

PlasticineMeg · 18/04/2022 19:52

Because I’m too old to give any shits I chuck them off if no one has been on for 10 minutes

Chely · 18/04/2022 19:52

We have folded up towels left on loungers and used them before, we were questioned by the owners upon their return hours later. I told them hotel policy on not reserving and stayed put. If they'd kicked up a stink I would have kicked up a bigger one.

MissMarpleRocks · 18/04/2022 19:52

@Danniotley

One of the best holidays we had was in Cyprus where you are allocated sun beds for your stay. No rushing to get up and if you didn’t like the ones you had been allocated the pool man would try to move you. Made the holiday much easier.
Sunrise Pearl? Mind you a few others do the same - it’s such a great system.
Jaggerdagger · 18/04/2022 19:53

Oh god, it's 100 percent the Brits that are the worst, and it's so fucking embarrassing.

Replace towel with your bum! If the CF turns up, smile, hand them their towel and say "I think you must have forgotten this!"

MissMarpleRocks · 18/04/2022 19:54

@PlasticineMeg

Because I’m too old to give any shits I chuck them off if no one has been on for 10 minutes
What if they’ve gone to the loo or for a swim? When the dcs were young no way could I’ve got to the loo & back in 10 minutes!
bumblefeline · 18/04/2022 19:54

I absolutely hate this, we normally book the Hotel Portavenura or Gold River and there is none of this nonsense.

hamdden12 · 18/04/2022 19:55

The only solution is a hotel with sun bed allocation or a swim up room with your own beds on the decking. Once you've tried these two options you won't go back to anything else.

Mamabananananana · 18/04/2022 19:55

I hate this. Especially when they're not actually ON the bloody things for hours!
Last holiday, i had the audacity to twirl away a parasol ( observed over an empty pair of loungers for an hour) and the woman was black affronted! Her DH wasnt giving a damn. We could hear her whinging on and on ( but still not actually out on the deck haha) i didnt think you owned a parasol either! But there you go ! Grin

Badger1970 · 18/04/2022 19:59

Towels go straight in pool. Then bum goes on sunbed.

Simples.

HELLITHURT · 18/04/2022 20:00

@Jedsnewstar

Where I go in France every few hrs an alarm goes off for everyone to return to their loungers and get out of the pool. The lifeguards run around are remove all towels from Loungers with nobody on there, all the guests there help, they play funny music while doing it, it’s brilliant. Takes 10mins. Then about 4is onwards the beach going selfish twats return and seeing their face when they get told off and pointed towards a pile of towels is priceless.
This is brilliant!!!
Nutellaonall · 18/04/2022 20:00

I had a once had a woman and her mother come sit on my sunlounger while I was actually on it as she decided I didn’t need it because I didn’t have a towel on it and was sat upright therefore not using it properly. She was extremely threatening and no one around me did anything about it.
There were plenty of other sun beds available. She just liked mine as it was near the bar. It was then that I decided I was not going to any more hotels with pools and would stick to euro camp until I can afford to price out the trash.

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