A quarter of Aussies think it's fine to 'reserve' a hotel sunbed using a towel
Getting a prime spot by the hotel pool is a hotly contested issue, with the now infamous sunbed wars making headlines regularly over the past few years.
Countless videos and photos show holidaymakers using towels to 'reserve' a sunbed by the hotel pool, or on the beach, long before they actually decide to use it.
So in a recent Nine.com.au reader survey we decided to see what Aussies thought of the habit, asking the question: "Should people be allowed to use a towel to 'reserve' a hotel sunbed?"
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Should people be allowed to use a towel to 'reserve' a hotel sunbed? Nine
Most recently, two Aussie holidaymakers in Bali were praised for 'deleting' someone else's towels from sunbeds after they didn't show up for hours.
A few weeks ago a UK tourist faced social media backlash after sharing she got up at 6am to save her spot by the resort pool.
TikTok user Sophie, who goes by @welcometosophiesworld, shared a video to her almost 60,000 followers of her friend putting their towels down on the first row of sunbeds at their resort in Marmaris, Turkey.
And last year, another video showing tourists rushing for sunbeds in Spain was dubbed a 'nightmare'.
A UK tourist faced backlash for reserving resort sunbeds at 6am. TikTok
These examples are just some that left many people seeing red, with the vast majority of respondents (76 per cent) agreeing it was a no-go.
"Only rude selfish people use towels to reserve sun beds," one survey respondent said.
"It has been my bug-bear for as long as I can remember! A towel and an old magazine on the prime sun-beds; not a person in sight; sometimes all day," another person said.
"My opinion, if you're there you're there, if you're not, well there ya go, badluck!" was another response.
But somewhat surprisingly, a quarter of Aussies think it's fine to do, though with a few 'rules'.
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This clip of holidaymakers in Spain rushing for sunbeds was dubbed a 'nightmare'. TikTok
Many said it was fine for "1-2 hours".
"The reserving the hotel sunbed is okay, but for up to an hour, not more than a 'lunch break'. Like, don't be rude, selfish and disrespectful about it, there are other people on holiday too," one person said.
"They can use a towel to reserve a chair if they're using it and have to go to the toilet or for a dip in the pool," another agreed.
While another said: "Gotta put your towels somewhere while you're in the pool!"
