If there’s one thing I try to avoid when picking out a hotel for vacation it’s the ‘resort factory’ – the kind of large place where you have to get down to the beach or pool before 8 a.m. and place a book or other belongings out to have any hope of getting a chair.
The term for this first struck me years ago at the Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman. It was supposed to be a nice property, commanding room rates over $1,000 a weekend night in peak season. But if you didn’t put out that book early, you’d wind up four rows back from the beach.
Apparently Hilton’s Grand Wailea is that sort of place as well. And they realize it. Their new solution – at a Waldorf-Astoria branded hotel, where you can easily pay $750 or more a night – is to charge extra for the beach chairs.
Newish beach chair policy to charge $150 for 2 beach chairs is just putting more pressure on the limited pool chairs. People start lining up for pool chairs at 6:00. They lower the rope at 7am and people start running.
Witnessed someone nearly being pushed into the pool over pool chairs. All chairs are taken by 7:02am. We went in the pool for 20 min and another guest had thrown our things on the ground and taken our chairs. …How is this a 5* resort?
There are free chairs. One guest describes the limited supply,
They have about 10 Tommy bahama beach chairs that are first come first serve (the kind that Costco sells). Those are the free chairs. They are also all gone right away. Regular beach chairs with an umbrella are now $150 per day (for 2 chairs with umbrella)
Credit: Grand Wailea
I’ve never understood buying a plane ticket and paying for a resort – and then having to get up at 6 o’clock in the morning just to reserve a pool or beach chair in order to ‘relax’. That puts me out of step with many travelers who flock to resorts where this is the standard.
Just this. Its 7 AM and everything is “taken”.
byu/Krytykx2 inmildlyinfuriating
And how did placing your belongings on a chair to reserve it, when you won’t be back for hours, even become a norm? It’s one thing when your stuff is on a chair and you go to the bathroom or to get a drink. “Saving chairs” for hours with towels or belongings is not acceptable. If hotel staff won’t address it, vigilantism seems like an option – just remove all the towels from loungers.
Otherwise you get scenes like this one. At the Spring Hotel Bitacora in Tenerife here’s video of guests literally lining up at 6:30 a.m. – waiting 90 minutes for the hotel’s pool gates to open at 8 a.m. – so they can storm this relaxation area like it’s Black Friday at Walmart in order to avoid missing out on a chair for the day.
@chloeturner_1 Another day another sunbed war 😂 #holiday #tenerife #playadelasamericas #sunbeds ♬ original sound – Chloe Turner
In Tenerife, Spain I suppose this would be called “the running of the guests.”
Here’s one dad making the rounds in social media again, trying to prepare for his family’s relaxation by the pool – by sprinting from lounge chair to lounge chair, putting a towel on it to mark territory.
If you’re like me, and this isn’t how you want to spend your vacation, research your spots carefully and avoid places where this is necessary – or acceptable.
That’s why I stay at a small luxury hotel/resort in the south of France instead. Similar prices, much smaller properties on the Mediterranean and not all of the dog eat dog Americans
These are the same trash that try to save seats on Southwest with a crumpled tissue or some other such bills**t
Was just there over Christmas and it was not that bad. Had two rooms on points. 5th night free. Check in was great. They upgraded both rooms to club level with ocean view. The club was surprisingly nice. Good selection for breakfast and evening snacks. Good bar. The pool chairs do go fast especially if you want more than 2 together, you’ll need to be down there by 7:30 or 8 at the latest. There are also chairs in the grass area just outside the pool that are easier to come by. The beach chairs are a joke so I didn’t even bother with those as it’s literally a 1 minute walk from the pool. The place never felt that crowded though. It is expensive but you should know that when you book it. Does anyone look at prices for things like food, drinks, services, before they go? Hotel could use some minor improvements with valet and some other small areas but service was fine overall. Nothing mind blowing. Don’t complain when you knew what you were booking. Would return as a family but for couples try the Andaz.
Personally, a towel on a lounger means nothing to me. If I get to the pool and it’s noticeable no one is actually there and hasn’t been (not in the pool, 6 loungers without a person, etc). I’ll remove the towels and regain the space. 95% of the time no one shows up for 30 minutes or more and I shrug and just say “I don’t know, we’ve seen management taking towels though….”
What are they going to say?
If you don’t have your own, then rent or borrow a relative or friend’s house with a pool and/or by a beach of its own and avoid this kind of mess.
Home can be a relaxing vacation too.
These are the people that paid $20 to an employee to reserve chairs and umbrellas.
I am guilty of that too. Gave 40 dollar tip to a staff member and had 4 chairs and umbrellas every day. Either do that or get up at 6am
The hotel could just charge a reservation fee to guarantee a lounger and let the poors fight over the free ones.
First mistake: Tenerife. The Canary Islands are the equivalent of the Cancun or Montego Bay, but for Europe’s retirees. While there may be a few gems, most of the resorts are dated, all-you-can-eat low-quality norovirus-inducing cesspools. Nope.
Second mistake: The Ritz-Carlton at Grand Caymen is also dated; try the Kimpton Seafire nearby next time. Same great beach. But, wow, such an improvement!
Finally, avoid crowds and lines. Tourists love Times Square; locals know better.
I was confronted by an extremely rude couple in Miami Beach as they accused me of stealing ‘their’ lounge chairs. Well that’s true but it’s not ‘theirs’, it’s the hotel’s. And if you disappear for 2+ hours, you have no right to expect your towel will be there.
Some resorts in Asia are rather religious about clearing pool/beach chairs after 60-90 minutes of going unused. It’s a good thing if you ask me.
I would rather have a bungalow than a chair and then find my own dinner. Places like that exist, and I doubt if they are more expensive.
If I don’t see anyone using them within a half hour or so, I throw those towels on the ground. This seat saving crap has gone too far and unless it’s occupied and the person is, say, swimming or getting some food, they can find a place when they’re ready to sit by the pool.
I agree that seat saving is out of control. I wish that the resorts would take a more active role in resolving it, rather than making guests sort it out for themselves.
One idea that I had is that the resort could employ a person to just periodically walk by all the chairs, leaving some sort of token on the seat marking it as being empty when they passed by. If the chair is still empty the next time the employee walks by, all items ‘reserving’ the chair would be removed, freeing up the chair again.
It is in the resorts’ best interest to make sure that everyone who wants a chair can get one, that’s how they can increase customer satisfaction, and get more repeat and referred business. They can either install a huge number of chairs, or they can police the ones they have.
Not sure if I’m allowed to post this, but there was a WSJ article on this recently
https://www.wsj.com/lifestyle/travel/vacation-resort-etiquette-pool-chairs-778c3975?st=cQc6L1&reflink=article_copyURL_share
Why would anyone want to use a public pool anyway? I never go in a pool outside my home.
Last time I was at the Grand Wailea was ~20 years ago. Same crazy pool lounger BS at 7am. I guess that’s what you sign up for.
So, $900/day just to do that which your dermatologist hates. I gotta find a way to get in touch with these people who like to p!$$ money away.
Just rent a house with a pool and ocean views.
That’s why the I go on cruises. Luxury with shows and casino for the price of one night in this place! Stupid behavior to catch sun. S towel in the floor does it anywhere.
Nothing about this looks luxurious to me.