THIS is the dramatic moment tourists – armed with towels – raced to hog a sunbed at a hotel in Tenerife.
Footage filmed by Hope Davies during her stay at Spring Hotel Bitacora in Playa de las Americas shows shows dozens of people sprinting towards the prime poolside spots.
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A security guard keeping an eye on the queue for the pool Credit: Jam Press/@joanna00127
Guests rushing to snatch a sunbed Credit: Jam Press/@hopedaviesx1
Like a hawk, a security guard watched as guests queued for the pool – as early as 7.30am.
As soon as they were given the green light at 8am, the panicked crowd charged ahead.
“I was awake early so slowly, I saw it building up from about 7.30am, ready for the gates to be opened at 8am,” said Hope, from Cardiff.
“Then at 8am everyone was allowed to put their towels on the loungers for the day. There were around 40 people rushing for sunbeds.
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“People were panicking trying to secure the sunbeds directly next to the pools, mainly as this is a family hotel so I guess it’s to keep an eye on their children without having to be in the water.
“This happens daily. I honestly thought ‘surely there has to be a better system for this’.
“It’s a big, busy hotel so there should be enough for everyone without the panic.”
The HR worker admitted she found it “funny” that guests were running to secure loungers as if “they were going to disappear.”
Hope Davies filmed the video from her balcony Credit: Jam Press/@hopedaviesx1
Hope said that within an hour and a half, almost all beds were taken Credit: Jam Press/@joanna00127
By 9.30am, almost every sunbed at Spring Hotel Bitacora had already been snatched.
“When I was filming, I honestly thought ‘why on earth do people queue for this,’” she added.
Hope, who was holidaying with her husband and two friends, admitted that they were unable to find loungers together later in the morning.
Instead, the group often ended up heading to the beach or nearby water parks.
She said: “There should be enough sunbeds for everyone… It is unfair for those who cannot get down at 8am with younger children, or adults that may want a lie in.”
Hope was not the only holidaymaker shocked by the latest round of the so-called “sunbed wars” that have plagued Spain for years.
Last month, another guest at the hotel Joanna Wright could not believe her eyes when she looked out from her balcony window and spotted the guards by the pool, who were stopping people from getting a spot before the official opening time.
As soon as the gates opened, guests raced to the pool area. She recalled that all loungers were occupied within five minutes.
“I found it quite surreal seeing security guards protecting sunbeds like they were guarding a major event,” Joanna, from Kent, said.
“Most guests seemed amused and shocked by it, and a lot of people were filming or talking about it.
“Some guests appreciated that the hotel was at least trying to make things fair, while others thought the whole situation was ridiculous and showed how competitive the sunbed situation had become.”
Some resorts in Spain have been working to crack down on the annual scramble to reserve prime loungers.
To avoid disputes, hotels are adopting “sticker” systems – which puts a timer on seemingly unoccupied sunbeds – booking apps as we as time limits.
