Early morning queues for sunbeds, with holidaymakers braced to pounce with towels in hand, are a common sight across popular resorts in Spain, Cyprus, and Turkey. But sunbed hoggers are facing tighter restrictions, and the management techniques have spread to cruising.
Norwegian Cruise Line Enforces New Policy
Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) has reportedly begun enforcing a sun lounger policy to handle unused but reserved sunbeds. Crew members on the popular liner have been actively marking unoccupied chairs and removing towels and personal items from loungers left unattended, according to Instagram account @unrealcruises.
Some passengers have spotted staff members putting stickers on reserved beds at 10am. If the loungers are not occupied an hour later, they remove the belongings to make them available for others. On the Norwegian Viva ship, workers have even been placing time-stamp stickers on loungers to track how long they are left.
The methods have been widely praised by passengers. In its guest conduct policy guidelines, the liner states: "Pool, deck and theatre chairs may not be reserved." The Daily Mail has contacted NCL for comment.
Broader Crackdown on Sunbed Hogging
Last summer, several clips went viral of guests rushing in the early hours to secure sunbeds for their family. Some hotels have introduced security guards to manage the situation. One holidaymaker, David Eggert, was recently awarded £851.75 after taking his tour operator to court. The German said he got up early every morning during his ten-night stay but never secured a sunbed.
Hotels have also been clamping down on those guilty of throwing a towel on a lounger. An application called Reservato has been launched, usable by hotels worldwide. It pitches itself as "the ultimate resolution to the sunbed wars" and allows guests to book a lounger. Users enter their name and room number in the app and hold their smartphone near a Reservato device attached to a sunbed. The app then shares whether the lounger is available to reserve.
Guests can stay on the sunbed as long as they like, but once they leave it unattended, they can only hold it for 30, 45, or 60 minutes before someone else can book it. A countdown in the app shows how long is left. There are even options to pay for premium sunbed bookings. If a guest leaves belongings after their booking ends, a hotel staff member can remove the items and log them in the app, informing the guest.
Other Hotel Initiatives
Other hotels seem to be hiring staff to help clamp down on the issue. A guest at a holiday camp on France's Mediterranean coast told the BBC how twice a day they sound a horn, and if you are not at the lounger, all items are removed to lost property. Meanwhile, St George Beach Hotel and Spa Resort in Cyprus has a sun lounger allocation policy that gives guests a specific sunbed for their entire holiday. The hotel is flexible to changes, and its website reads: "Recognizing that preferences may change, we offer the flexibility for guests to adjust their sunbed allocation." Staff promise to go above and beyond to ensure guests are happy with their sun lounger.
Other hotels are taking different approaches, including simply removing items from unused loungers. One holidaymaker shared on Reddit: "I went to a resort in the DR once that had a lifeguard who would patrol around and gather left behind towels and belongings and take them to the towel return area. It was amazing and every resort should do this." Another person experienced a similar tactic: "Recently stayed some place with a very simple rule posted by their pools: all items left unattended for 45 minutes will be moved to the Lost and Found. I assume it must be enforced because it seems to work pretty well."
Security guards and bouncers have even been hired in some locations, like Sunset Beach Club hotel in Benalmádena, Costa Del Sol. The Sun reported in 2023 how the hotel had security workers to unlock gates to the pool and sunbed area at 9am, and if any sunbeds were unoccupied by 10am, the towels would be removed.
