What is the etiquette around reserving hotel pool chairs?

The etiquette around reserving hotel pool chairs needs to be cleared up. Here’s what our intrepid travel writer believes tourists should do when needing somewhere to sit.

Let’s dive in.

I was once staying at a hotel in Corfu in the peak of summer. The price for the standard room I was staying in, which looked like it hadn’t received an upgrade since the 80s, was astronomical. So why did I choose to pay for a subpar room? Because of the hotel’s stunning infinity pool perched on a cliff overlooking the Med.

In the months leading up to the trip, I daydreamed about reading a book while bathing in the sun on one of those poolside deckchairs. But once I got there I quickly realised if I wanted to make this dream a reality I would need to rise with the sun. Why? Because hotel guests would get up early, leave their towels on the deck chair, go off and eat their breakfast at a leisurely pace and return at a more decent hour to begin their poolside lounging.

Now, some may argue: “I’ve paid for this hotel, I can use it how I want.” And yes, you have paid for the room in which you are staying. If the room had a private plunge pool this would be a very different discussion, but the hotel’s common pool is part of a public space that every guest is entitled to use and should be treated as such.

If the room had a private plunge pool this would be a very different discussion, but the hotel’s common pool is part of a public space that every guest is entitled to use and should be treated as such.

Let’s define ‘public space’. When in a public space you are entering an unspoken agreement that you’re occupying an area that is meant for everyone to enjoy equally, which is undermined when someone calls “dibs” on a pool lounger and prevents other guests from enjoying the space for extended periods of time.

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So, how long is too long to reserve a chair? Time to clear the murky waters. We’re not saying you have to be glued to the chair the entire time of use. If you forgot something in your room or need to go to the bathroom, then by all means use the towel as a ‘reserved’ sign. But if you plan on leaving the pool area for more than 30 minutes, we think it’s within the rights of other hotel guests to gently remove your towel from the pool chair and claim it as their own after the half hour period. For all they know, you could be done with the chair and have left your towel for the hotel staff to clear.

If you forgot something in your room or need to go to the bathroom, then by all means use the towel on the pool chair as a reserved sign.

Same goes with eating. If you want to quickly duck out to the nearest restaurant to grab some takeaway to eat by the pool, that’s acceptable. But don’t head out for a long lunch and expect the chair to be unoccupied when you return. There’s a reason hotels have a poolside menu.

If you ever find yourself arriving at an empty hotel pool that is surrounded by ‘taken’ chairs, don’t throw the towel in on your lounge session. We give you permission to politely claim one of the chairs.

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Originally published as What is the etiquette around reserving hotel pool chairs?