"Reserving" a chair at the pool...
 

Reading other posts about busy, crowded hotel pools where people go an "reserve" chairs by putting their towels on them early in the AM (and not using them for several hours later) got me thinking...

If you go to a pool and all the chairs are taken by towels, would you or have you ever sat down in the chair anyway?

I think this practice (reserving the chair) is so rude, that I think I'd take my chair of choice anyway. Of course with my luck the towel would belong to someone who would want to kick my a**.

In theory I agree with you and it'd be great know that chairs really are available.

However, the problem is that not everyone looks at it the same way. So, I can not have a chair and be comfortable knowing that I stuck to my guns while walking around like a schmuck trying to wait someone out - or I can simply toss my stuff down on my way to breakfast.

My approach is to see the lay of the land first. If people are rationale about it, fine with me, I'll grab a chair when I get to the pool. But, if they are like the Germans and English I encountered in Portugal last summer, I'll be damned if I get the broken chair because I didn't grab one by 8:01.

I remember seeing a lot of this at our resort pool in Cancun. Since there were 3 of us, there were never 3 chairs together, anyway, except way back from the pool in the shade, so we always ended up sitting there. Of course, all of the towels were the same seafoam green resort towel, so who would have known ...

To answer your question, YES, I think it is very rude to reserve a chair hours ahead of time. Unless someone is in or very near the pool, they should relinquish the chair to someone else. Really, I would only consider my chair "saved" if I had my swimsuit cover, shoes, or some other personal item in it.

Donna

I'm not sure I follow your point Ryan...

Are you saying you would do it or not?

I think it's rude to claim a chair unless you are ready to stick your butt in it.

Donna - if there were a sea of green towels, I'd have NO problem removing them and sitting in a chair! ;-)

If having a chair is so important you'd be rude to a strange, then go early and place your towel on it, just like everyone else. Don't be so lazy!

During our stay at the Hilton Hawaiian Village, the Hilton did go around and remove towels from chairs that nobody ventured to for an hour. However, on our second from last day at the hotel, we were at the pool for about two hours or so. There were NO chairs to be had, even though the number of people in the pool itself was nowhere near the number chairs claimed. Sure enough, right before we left, an entire family came from the beach and reclaimed their FIVE chairs. The Hilton didn't remove their towels because the family had also left personal items; I guess they were well aware just leaving a towel wouldn't do the trick. Grrrrrrrrrrrr.

I think it is the heighth of rudeness to "reserve" a chair and not be using the pool. Probably the same people who butt in lines and use the emergency lane of the freeway to merge. It must be nice to be more important than everyone else.

Mary2Go: Are those the same people who park their car in handicapped spaces, and then run into the store hoping no one will see them?

Once we were on Lanai for a day outing, hammocks and rafts were at a premium. One incredibly rude family grabbed rafts and laid them on hammocks to reserve both even tho they were not using either at the time!

Sobe - that's kinda backwards logic - What I see is the mom or dad getting up early, bringing out the towels, then heading back to the room till about noon and coming to the chair. Who's the lazy one?

We were at a resort a few weeks ago. I was on my patio about 7 AM, having some coffee and I watched people come out put their towels down, and then go back to their room. Even tho signs said it was forbidden. Two of them took up tables and didn't get to the pool till after noon.

Amazing the issue people fixate on. Now somebody is going to claim not getting the right pool chair spoil your day. Get a life, folks, and stop fretting about nothing. Act like adults, will you!

I think it is extremely rude to reserve chairs, but on the other hand, it is also extremely rude to remove someone's personal belongings from a chair. We just had such an experience at a very quiet and uncrowded Bermuda beach. We had our towels on the chair along with personal items - I went off to the restroom while my husband went off to get us drinks from the pool bar and when we returned a couple gathered up our belongings and placed them on another chair! Now mind you, there were other chairs available, they just wanted THOSE particular chairs. Their behavior was rather disgusting if you ask me.

Sobe - I have this sneaking suspicion that you are one of those who runs down to the pool and claims a chair... Come on, fess up!

Austin, seriously, only a few of you care. Sorry, but that's life, I've seen the same thing as you ar resorts, and hey, it simply doesn't matter.

I can say that I have never saved a chair early in the morning, and certainly not if I didn't plan to sit in it in the next 5 minutes. So, I really haven't anything to fess up to. But I wish you better luck with chairs the next time you go.

If I owned a resort, people would not be able to "reserve" chairs. If you are not IN the pool or at the pool bar getting a drink, you could not have a chair reserved! There has to be a better way than how the resorts do it now......

Seetheworld - THAT would chap my beehind too. That has happened to me. I've told them that was my chair and luckily I got it back.

SoBe - no one is fixating. Just asking a question. Chill.

perhaps I've underestimated the seriousness of savings chairs. OK, I admit I did sneak out one day at 5 a.m. and place wet towels and dingy swim clothes on three lounge chairs, when I needed only two. I apologize.

Austin: Regarding watching from your patio as people took towels to the pool area to reserve chairs at 7 a.m. (!) ... that's when I would have been tempted to go down to the pool, gather up said towels, and deposit them in the used towel bin!

Donna