"Saving" lounge chairs at a beach or pool

[JustCurious]

My SO and I were staying at a hotel directly on a beach, and the hotel provided lounge chairs for guests on the beach directly in front of the hotel. You can walk directly onto the beach from the pool area, and the the lounge chairs are kept on the beach but they are stacked up every night after sundown and locked together with a cable so that you cannot remove any of them. Sometime in the morning after sun-up, they unlock them and guests are then allowed to use them and place them anywhere on the beach area in front of the hotel.

It seems that the number of available beach lounge chairs is less than the total number of guests, so they are in high demand, especially during the first half of the day until people start to leave the beach in the afternoon. So some people get up early in the morning as soon as the chairs are unlocked and "save" chairs by moving a couple of chairs to a designated area of the beach and putting a towel or some of their stuff on and around the chairs to make it appear as if they are using the chairs, and then they go back to the hotel and do whatever...take a nap, have breakfast, go shopping...and then come back sometime later, possible midday to use the chairs.

So my SO and I did not "save" any chairs and we go to the beach for the first time sometime around midday and all of the hotel lounge chairs are either occupied, or they have towels or other stuff in and around them to make it appear as if they are occupied. Of course I was aware that some people "save" chairs, but it was also possible that people could be in the water or taking a walk on the beach and coming right back, so the only way to know is to watch for a while. So I started watching, and I focused on two chairs that seemed suspiciously inactive and it did not appear that anyone was using them or nearby, and after a while I decided to remove the stuff (towels, a beach bag) and put them on the sand next to the chairs and move the chairs to a different nearby location and use them for us.

I'm sure you know where this story is going... so we are using the lounge chairs and enjoying the beach, and after a while, maybe 30-60 minutes, a couple walk from the hotel to the beach (they had clearly left the beach and left the hotel property to go get something to eat and they were returning to the beach, they told us that they "went out to get a bite to eat") and walk up to us and start saying to us "You took our chairs!" (Apparently they followed the trail in the sand caused by me dragging the chairs) I responded "These are our chairs." They said "No, these are our chairs, we had our stuff on them, and we went for a bite to eat." I responded "Is your name on these chairs?" They said "We are guests at the hotel, and we had our stuff on these chairs" and I responded "We are guests at the hotel too and our stuff is on the chairs now." Needless to say they were not happy and stormed off...they ended up going back to the hotel and they returned with their own fold up chairs (they must have been in their car). It was obvious that they were not happy with us and they kept pointing at us, and at one point the female of the couple walked by and said "Karma is a [b-word]."

So I am curious...what do you think about this? It seems to me that there are two sides to this and different people have different opinions. Do you think that people should have the right to “save” lounge chairs at a beach or a pool by putting towels or other stuff on the chairs for an indefinite period of time, and leave the beach or pool area and come back later and expect no one else to use them?

I want to be clear that there was no extra charge to use the lounge chairs, they were openly provided for guest use, and there was no way to reserve the lounge chairs. I also want to be clear that the couple had left the beach and had left the hotel property to go out to eat before returning to the beach. Had they been gone for a long walk on the beach and walked back to the chairs from the beach I would be more sympathetic to them.

 

[Dawg52]

For an indefinite period of time......no. But I wouldn't have had the guts to remove someone's items not knowing how long they had left the area. Sometimes people take long long walks down the beach so how do you really know if someone just placed stuff there to save the area?

 

[JustCurious]

For an indefinite period of time......no. But I wouldn't have had the guts to remove someone's items not knowing how long they had left the area. Sometimes people take long long walks down the beach so how do you really know if someone just placed stuff there to save the area?

I do have the guts. The only way to know is to watch the chairs for a period of time and see if there is any activity, and if there is no activity for say 30 minutes, then you have your answer.

 

[Just_Steve]

I'm with you, I think it's selfish and inconsiderate.
I have been known to hijack a chair on occasion. Never have been confronted.

 

[athena53]

Oooh, this is one of those flammable topics on cruisecritic.com! It's a big problem on cruise ships.


Many ships have posted rules that if a chair is vacant for a certain period, others can use it, but crew are reluctant to enforce it. I think that's the answer, though. Many people will actually turn over the stuff on a long-unoccupied chair to the crew and occupy the chair. If that were freely permitted and enforced, maybe people wouldn't "reserve" chairs for long periods while they were eating breakfast, getting lunch, etc. I see no reason anyone should expect that their chair remain vacant while they go enjoy a meal elsewhere unless they've rented the chair for the day (which apparently some places allow).

 

[jazz4cash]

I would've used the chairs too but I would've surrendered them gracefully.


Sent from my iPhone using Early Retirement Forum

 

[Midpack]

First world problems.

 

[Taxman59]

If there is a posted time limit, I wouldn't have a problem with taking a "saved" chair, if it isn't posted, I would be more hesitant. Too many crazy people out there, I didn't retire just to get some crazy @$$ person trying to go to town on my face!


I haven't done it when there were personal belongings, but I have if it is just towels and generic stuff. And Jazz, if I take it, I wouldn't give it up except at the hotel staff's request, and even then, not too gracefully!

 

[pb4uski]

Easy answer... next time pick up the chair so there is no trail... walk down to the water... take a right or a left and walk as far as you want and then go back up to where the chairs are used and sit down and relax.

Unless they have superior tracking skills (or GPS trackers on the chairs) you should be safe.

 

[Dawg52]

I do have the guts. The only way to know is to watch the chairs for a period of time and see if there is any activity, and if there is no activity for say 30 minutes, then you have your answer.

People go on walks for longer than 30 minutes. If someone had ousted my stuff in that time frame, I would've been chapped too.

 

[pb4uski]

People go on walks for longer than 30 minutes. If someone had ousted my stuff in that time frame, I would've been chapped too.

+1

 

[2017ish]

Weird. I don't think we've ever stayed somewhere with that type of a situation.

If we did, and our planning failed to alert us to the fact that we were essentially required to stay in chairs around a bunch of other people, it would depend. If we were in the surf right in front of the chairs, no problem with keeping my kindle etc. on the chair. If we were departing for lunch, no. Can't imagine going out early and then leaving an empty beach only to come back when it was crowded, so that wouldn't happen either.

So, I'm one of the "Other" votes.

 

[aaronc879]

What they did was bad, what you did was far worse. Leaving your stuff on the chair while you go for a 30 minute walk or snack break is reasonable. If it's much more than 30 minutes I would go to the hotel staff and ask them if they would allow me to take the "abandoned" chairs. What I would not do is touch someone elses property just because I think it's okay. If I came back and my chair was taken and I knew who took it, I would take it back by any amount of force that was necessary. If you end up in the hospital and I end up in jail, so be it. Don't touch other peoples things.

 

[W2R]

First world problems.

+1

I just don't think it's a big deal, one way or another, or worth getting upset over. Go to the pool or beach, enjoy swimming, and if no chairs are available then spread out a towel to lie on.

Seems to me that it makes more sense to have fun and enjoy the water, rather than to engage in arguments with other guests over something as trivial as a lounge chair.

So, I voted "other".

 

[aaronc879]

+1

I just don't think it's a big deal, one way or another, or worth getting upset over. Go to the pool or beach, enjoy swimming, and if no chairs are available then spread out a towel to lie on.

Seems to me that it makes more sense to have fun and enjoy the water, rather than to engage in arguments with other guests over something as trivial as a lounge chair.

So, I voted "other".

The problem is if you let people get away with stealing/moving your stuff without consequences then it keeps happening.

 

[Aerides]

If it were just towels, fair game. But a beach bag implies personal belongings - so I'd have found another pair to grab.

We go for weekends at a hotel where this is a problem at the pool, and now the employees actively monitor the chairs and assign you to them, and watch when you leave.

 

[garyt]

It's a problem on cruises and all inclusive resorts,too. I've seen people reserve chairs at 7 am and never sit in them till after noon while other people can't find a chair who want to actually use them now. People are generally selfish A-holes.
Anything over 30 minutes is too much. You want to take an hour walk on the beach? Find a chair after you're done.

 

[W2R]

+1

I just don't think it's a big deal, one way or another, or worth getting upset over. Go to the pool or beach, enjoy swimming, and if no chairs are available then spread out a towel to lie on.

Seems to me that it makes more sense to have fun and enjoy the water, rather than to engage in arguments with other guests over something as trivial as a lounge chair.

So, I voted "other".

The problem is if you let people get away with stealing/moving your stuff without consequences then it keeps happening.

Solution: Don't bring "stuff". Just bring a hotel towel. If you plan to be lying out there for long enough to need "stuff", then one of you can go and retrieve it from your room after you swim. Bonus: You don't have to keep an eye on your "stuff" while you swim.

 

[JustCurious]

Easy answer... next time pick up the chair so there is no trail... walk down to the water... take a right or a left and walk as far as you want and then go back up to where the chairs are used and sit down and relax.

Unless they have superior tracking skills (or GPS trackers on the chairs) you should be safe.

I don't think so.... there are likely to be witnesses...I think walking with two lounge chairs propped up in the air into the water and then walking down the beach and doing the same again back up the beach would be pretty obvious to say the least.

I saw the couple talk to other people nearby and the other people pointed to us...it was pretty clear that they confirmed it by talking to witnesses to the crime.

 

[JustCurious]

People go on walks for longer than 30 minutes. If someone had ousted my stuff in that time frame, I would've been chapped too.

People go for walks longer than an hour or two hours too...are you saying people can walk as far and as long as they want and expect that no one else can use the chairs even if people are waiting and there are not enough chairs to go around? If that is your view we will have to respectfully disagree.

 

[Just_Steve]

The majority of the time there are no personal items, just a hotel pool towel.

 

[JustCurious]

If I came back and my chair was taken and I knew who took it, I would take it back by any amount of force that was necessary.

I disagree that it is your chair.

 

[Big_Hitter]

taking stuff off of beach chairs and using them is a yankee move

bad juju

 

[JustCurious]

taking stuff off of beach chairs and using them is a yankee move

What about leaving stuff on beach chairs for hours while you leave the beach and expecting that no one else will use them while you are gone for hours, what kind of move is that?

 

[Big_Hitter]

What about leaving stuff on beach chairs for hours while you leave the beach and expecting that no one else will use them while you are gone for hours, what kind of move is that?

If hours, an Uber yankee move - two wrongs don't make a right tho - I guess I was raised differently

did you watch those chairs for hours?