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Jul 28, 2023

Resort Guest Takes Revenge On Everyone 'Saving' Beach Chairs At 8 A.M.

by Gary Leff on June 3, 2023 I’m an introvert, and that doesn’t just

by Gary Leff on June 3, 2023

I’m an introvert, and that doesn't just mean that I’m shy. I find being around a lot of people draining. So business and first class is nice not just for a bigger seat, but to avoid being in a crowded sea of people. Similarly at a resort, I tend to like smaller properties or at least hotels with a lot of space per guest or where people tend to enjoy luxurious rooms rather than congregating in communal space.

"Resort factories" where you have to get up before 8 a.m. to place a book or beach towel on the chair if you don't want to wind up four rows back from the ocean aren't my idea of a relaxing vacation. But that excludes a lot of otherwise-great places, and often means staying someplace more expensive (either in dollars or points).

One guest, though, took a rogue approach to the reserved beach chair problem. They didn't want to get up and play the reservation game, which is also unfair to other guests – it selfishly takes up a space that goes unused for hours at a time. So they literally removed all the towels from loungers.

I was on holidays in an all inclusive resort. First day, we couldn't find any lounge chairs by the beach or by the sea, fair enough – we arrived in the afternoon. Next day, we go to find a spot.. but most of the spots were ‘taken’ by towels. We find an empty seat and to our surprise – many of the chairs stay reserved almost the whole day or never get used..

Third day, we decide to take some towels off two loungers, and enjoy our day. Four (!!) hours in, an older couple shows up that they had towels there, and kick us off with help from an attendant.

That pissed me off, so every following day I went to take the towels off of every unattended lounger after breakfast, and then went to watch the chaos from my balcony. Many many people complained and by the end of the week there was a sign that unattended towels would be removed. Success!

I took away all the ‘towel seat reservations’ at the resort by u/konijn12 in pettyrevenge

Travelers flock to resorts where they get up at 6 a.m. just to reserve a pool or beach chairs and call that ‘relaxing’. I’ve seen this even at expensive resorts, like the Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman. So I have to applaud those who are fighting back. Why do great hotels even allow scenes like this dad sprinting from lounge chair to lounge chair, putting down towels to mark territory? He's ‘doing what he has to do’ for his family, but it's a shame he has to do it!

Or at this resort in Tenerife, Spain where people lined up at 6:30 a.m., 90 minutes before the pool even opened, in order to be first in line to reserve chairs. Then they storm this relaxation area like it's Black Friday at Walmart.

In Tenerife, Spain I suppose this would be called "the running of the guests." Your resort fees probably include the pool chairs, too.

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