Sunbed wars persist as Brits scramble for pool loungers in Turkey and beyond

The sunbed wars continued into September at Marmaris, Turkey, where holidaymakers at the Prime Beach Hotel were filmed sprinting to reserve pool loungers. Dayna, a British traveler visiting this month, watched dozens of holidaymakers race from their balconies to the pool, tossing towels on chairs to secure a space for the day. The scene underscores how the scramble for prime poolside real estate has become a recurring feature of summer getaways in popular resorts.

Video footage from the scene shows guests racing to deck chairs and claiming multiple sunbeds for family groups, with dawn lines forming as the resort opened each morning. The clash over beds and shade has repeatedly shown how quickly loungers can go from available to claimed, sometimes with others arriving to find spaces already spoken for. Dayna described the moment as the notable tension of her stay, noting that the early-morning routine has become a routine in some hotels. The clip drew thousands of views and engagement online, illustrating how travel culture and social media amplify the competition around poolside seating.

The sunbed scramble is not unique to Marmaris. In Lake Garda, Italy, a traveling content creator named Nicole posted footage of lifeguards clearing towels from sunbeds to free up seating, a practice she credited with reducing crowding and easing tensions at the pool. She described watching the towels removed and chairs made available, a move that many holidaymakers view as a practical countermeasure to the overly aggressive reserve-and-occupy approach. Separately, a separate anecdote from Devon highlighted a parasol dispute: Jay Whitfield admitted taking a parasol from another sun lounger because there were not enough provided, reinforcing the common theme of scarce amenities fueling disagreements.

The rise of such scenes has coincided with broader discussions about resort etiquette and the balance between comfort and competition at poolsides. While some hotels manage sunbed demand more effectively than others, the videos and firsthand accounts suggest the issue persists across destinations and price ranges. The tournament-like feel of early-morning bed-hunting has a spike in social-media visibility, turning a housekeeping challenge into a cultural talking point about travel norms and expectations.

A UK-wide spotlight on the behavior comes from a YouGov survey of more than 2,500 UK adults, which examined attitudes toward waking early to reserve loungers. The regional breakdown shows the West Midlands with the highest share, around 15%, followed by Wales, North East England, North West England, and Northern Ireland at roughly 13% each. Regions such as the East of England and London hovered around 12%, with the South East also at 12%. The East Midlands and Scotland were each around 10%, and Yorkshire and the Humber and the South West trailed at about 8%. Across the United Kingdom, about 12% admitted to this practice. The figures reflect ongoing regional variations in travel behavior and the social norms of securing space in crowded resort environments.

GetYourGuide, which has tracked sunbed behavior for several years, notes a decline in the share of travelers who admit to reserving sunbeds compared with five years ago, when about 72% reported engaging in the practice. Benjy Potter, a spokesperson for the company, said the era of heading out at dawn to simply sit seems to be fading, even as contemporary travel clips show that the dawn scramble remains a visible, if less pervasive, ritual in some resorts.

Taken together, the episodes from Marmaris to Lake Garda and the survey data frame a nuanced picture of modern vacation culture: competition for comfort and shade persists, but media attention and evolving hotel policies are shaping how travelers approach poolside seating. While many guests experience smooth access to loungers, others encounter crowded scenes that highlight a broader conversation about resort etiquette, amenities management, and the social psychology of shared spaces during peak travel seasons.