Overview

• Stephanie, a mother of six holidaying in Fuerteventura, placed towels on six to eight loungers at first light before going out for breakfast and shopping.
• Her TikTok clip has drawn over 120,000 views and hundreds of critical comments questioning why she held poolside space she wasn’t using.
• Etiquette experts including William Hanson reiterate that towels should only reserve a sunbed for up to 30 minutes and only when guests are ready to occupy them.
• A YouGov survey for GetYourGuide shows 15% of respondents in the West Midlands admitted to waking early to snatch sunbeds, the highest rate among UK regions.
• Resorts across Spain have introduced measures ranging from fines to strict 30-minute reservation windows and first-come, first-served rules to curb towel-based claims.