In this month’s Dear Fodor’s, we answer the divisive question of whether it’s morally acceptable to claim pool loungers, then leave them unattended all morning.
Dear Fodor’s, when staying at a resort, I like to wake up early, go down to the pool, put a towel and book on a lounger, and reserve my spot. I then go to breakfast and enjoy my morning, enjoying the peace of mind that I will have a place to sit when I head to the pool. Apparently, this is controversial amongst travelers, but I figure I pay enough to stay at a resort, and it’s my right to save a space by the pool. In my mind, it’s a failing on the resort’s part to not provide a pool lounger reservation system, leaving it up to the travelers to fend for themselves. I’m curious what you think. Am I in the wrong?
You’re certainly not alone. The Germans actually have a word for this: morgendlicher liegestuhl sprint—the “morning deck chair sprint” to describe the habit of guests at resorts rising early and sprinting down to the pool to save their spots.
One German tourist actually won a monetary settlement earlier this year because a resort he stayed at in Greece didn’t have enough pool loungers available. Because he had booked through a German tour operator, German law allowed for him to sue for damages (he wouldn’t have been eligible had he booked directly with the resort in Greece, where the sales terms would have been governed by Greek law).
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Compensation aside, it’s still a fascinating question—what is a resort (or cruise line’s) role? Both resorts and cruise lines rent accommodations to guests for their exclusive use, but many of the other amenities included in the rate are public, and limited by how much demand exists for them. Hotels and cruise lines also don’t guarantee their facilities won’t be crowded, and there won’t be waits for guests trying to use them.
Matthew, a consultant from South Florida, has said that he’s gotten up early to reserve a pool chair, but he notes that he doesn’t typically go for prime locations, and doesn’t hold the chair all day—often just securing a spot before a quick breakfast.
Some Hotels And Cruise Lines Manage Pool Chairs
Some hotels and cruise lines actually do quite a bit to manage their inventory of pool seating. Many cruise lines, including Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, and Norwegian, have staff actively monitoring whether guests are using their pool chairs or just saving them with their stuff. If personal items stay on a chair too long (usually between 30-40 minutes) without a guest returning, the cruise lines will clear the chairs and hand the belongings over to security for safekeeping.
Some resorts also do this, but it’s not typically an advertised amenity. At JOIA Aruba by Iberostar, hotel marketing and brand experience director Rudolfo Dirksz confirmed to Fodor’s that staff at the resort’s three pools enforce a 45-minute unattended chair policy. But travelers visiting the property for the first time wouldn’t know that prior to arrival—they’d have to make a phone call or send an email if they were curious. Guest reviews also tend not to mention policies that are actually working. We found some reviewers who were upset that the prime spots were reserved early, while others pointed out the staff were on top of moving belongings that had been sitting too long.
Another way they manage the situation is by setting aside the most coveted spots for fee-based reservations. The Royal Hawaiian, A Luxury Collection Resort, Waikīkī has a smaller pool and a coveted section of beach where it rents pool cabanas ($250) and beach chair sets with umbrellas ($75) for guests who want to make sure they get a good spot. We’re also fans of this approach, because it’s a good compromise—guests who choose the hotel for its pool amenities still have access to them, but if they want to save time and hassle, there’s also a premium option available for those who really value it.
Some Hotels and Cruise Lines Don’t Manage Pool Chairs
Back to the legal case of the German tourist in Greece. The resort in question in that case did in fact maintain a policy that prohibited the reservation of pool chairs, and the resort even went so far as to clearly post signage in the pool area to that effect. Much of that guest’s legal case hinged on his claim that neither the resort nor the tour operator made any move to ensure their own policies were being enforced after he complained to them multiple times.
It stands to reason that when hotels and cruise lines leave it to guests to work out pool loungers on their own, they’re going to get burned—simply because different travelers have different ideas of what’s acceptable. And those of us who don’t benefit from Germany’s consumer protection laws have much bigger battles to fight when we’re not able to find somewhere comfortable to sit on the pool deck.
It’s also worth noting that the reason why some hotels and cruise lines don’t actively manage their pool deck chairs is that they don’t have to. Luxury cruise line Crystal maintains a huge ratio of space per passenger on their ships, and it seems there’s virtually never competition for a pool lounger. Massive expanses of seating at resorts on Tahiti (the InterContinental and Hilton both have large pools) also never seem to have a shortage.
The Etiquette of It All
Property policies aside, what should be considered acceptable behavior for reserving pool lounge chairs? First, we recommend following the instructions of hotel staff. If reserving lounge chairs isn’t permitted, don’t do it, and complain to staff if you observe other guests doing it. It’s perfectly reasonable to request hotel workers to enforce their own policies to give you a fair shot when you’re playing by their rules.
In situations where it’s more ambiguous, we’re inclined to agree with the resorts and cruise lines that are clearing belongings after about a half hour. If you’re saving a chair while you make a quick run through the breakfast buffet in the early morning, that doesn’t sound unreasonable. But if you’re wiling away several hours at a late brunch while your book and towel are working on their tan, we’d probably raise our eyebrows too.
Hotel Design Questions
It’s also worth noting that the habit of dashing down to the pool to secure a lounge chair is a learned behavior—its utility is largely driven by scarcity. Absent that scarcity, the practice becomes less common (although there are certainly those guests who have their preferences).
When it comes to scarcity, hotels are squarely in charge. Most hotels are aware of how their guests are behaving when it comes to pool chairs, and they’re also aware of when there’s a scarcity of pool chairs. But it’s also worth noting that guest interest in pools as amenities tends to ebb and flow. One of the reasons why hotel pools in Waikīkī are on the smaller side is that many of the historic hotels in the area simply didn’t include pools when the hotels were first built—they simply expected their guests would prefer to swim in the ocean. Now, in the age of social media, the “infinity pool shot” (which naturally requires a pool chair “up front”) reigns supreme, although we’ve begun to hear whispers that the trend is starting to itself age.
Avoiding the Problem Through Savvy Booking
It’s perhaps better still to avoid the scarce pool chair question up front by booking the right resort. But how does one go about that? Hotel and resort websites tend to mention whether or not they have pools (or, more commonly in the case of larger resorts, how many pools they have, and whether there are designated adults-only pools), but they rarely go into the gory details about how they manage the chairs.
As a general rule, five-star brands like St. Regis, Four Seasons, The Ritz-Carlton, and Waldorf Astoria have staff allocating pool loungers throughout the day—even for the free, non-premium seating options. We’ve also found that several of these brands also offer premium seating for free, like The Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea, where the standard pool cabanas are free (some premium ones have a charge), or the Waldorf Astoria Costa Rica Punta Cacique, where shaded loungers and cabanas are set up for guests by staff—and there always seems to be numerous available options.
Another trick is to seek out intimate resorts with more than one pool, and other amenities that might draw guests away from the pools themselves. On Sint Maarten, the all-inclusive Sonesta Ocean Point Resort on Maho Beach has just 130 suites and two oceanfront pools—but there are other attractions keeping the pool decks blissfully uncrowded. 24 of those suites are swim-outs, which keep pool-interested travelers within the confines of their own suites. The resort is also located close to Maho Beach and a retail and entertainment district, which competes with the pools for attention.
Another easy way to find out if pool chair availability is going to be a problem is by reading online reviews. If a property consistently has difficulty managing their pool chair situation, it’s likely to show up in guest reviews.
At the end of the (pool) day, however, everybody we chatted with seemed to agree that the onus is on the hotel’s management to, well, manage their amenities to ensure guests can use them, and guests who are having trouble using an amenity what was part of what drew them to book the hotel in the first place should absolutely make their concerns known to the hotel staff.
“I do hate when resorts turn a blind eye to it,” Matthew says, “That I am absolutely adamant about.”