Sunbed wars persist as Britons race to reserve loungers in Turkey

Sunbed wars have spilled into September as Britons abroad in Turkey were filmed sprinting to reserve poolside loungers at a Marmaris hotel. Dayna, who flew from Britain to the five-star Prime Beach Hotel, captured the moment from her balcony as dozens of holidaymakers dashed to the deck chairs at dawn. Dayna captioned her clip: "Sunbed wars at 8am @Prime Beach Hotel. This was our only fault of the hotel, we have NEVER had this problem ever!!" This was followed by a heated exchange as guests claimed front-row spots for the day, with one voice heard asking, "Get off me. What are you doing? Why are you pushing me for?" The video drew thousands of comments and more than 31,000 likes as viewers debated the early-morning scramble for shade and space.

The reel illustrates a widespread trend that has drawn attention this summer: towels tossed over sun loungers in a bid to reserve space, sometimes for hours, with families piling into front-row beds. In Dayna’s footage, the towel tactic was evident as tourists jammed the pool area and claimed multiple loungers for the day. The clash over a bed escalated into a confrontation captured on camera, illustrating how the practice can spark friction even at a five-star property.

Beyond Marmaris, other travelers have reported similar scenes. Nicole, a TikTok travel creator who filmed at Lake Garda in Italy, praised lifeguards for stepping in to curb towel-reservation behavior: "I absolutely love it. You know how people get up early and put their towels on the sunbeds? Well, at this hotel the lifeguard goes round and takes all the towels off the sunbeds." She showed a plastic chair stacked with towels as a keepsake of the morning’s attempt to claim a seat. In another instance, Jay Whitfield, from Devon, said she had taken a parasol belonging to another sun lounger because there were not enough provided, underscoring that the competition for poolside shade extends beyond the sunbeds themselves.

The sunbed debate has resurfaced even as the industry tracks how travelers use resort space. A YouGov survey of more than 2,500 UK adults found that the West Midlands region had the highest share of respondents who admitted waking early to reserve a lounger, at about 15%, followed by England’s North East and North West at around 13% each, Wales and Northern Ireland at roughly 13%, and the East of England and London at 12% each. Other regions—East Midlands and Scotland at 10%, and Yorkshire and the Humber and the South West at 8%—rounded out the regional picture. Overall, about 12% of Brits surveyed acknowledged the habit, a figure that remains well below the 72% who admitted doing so five years ago, GetYourGuide said. Benjy Potter, a spokesperson for the company, said the findings suggest that the days of waking before dawn to simply sit are fading, even as viral videos show the practice continuing in practice.

The varying regional results reflect a broader cultural conversation about how travelers curate experiences at hospitality properties. While some visitors defend the practice as an efficient way to enjoy peak sun hours, others argue that it reduces access for other guests and can create avoidable disputes. Resorts increasingly emphasize towel-removal policies and more visible lifeguard oversight to prevent permanent reserving of loungers. The current wave of videos, shared across social platforms, demonstrates that the sunbed debate remains a live issue for holidaymakers this summer, not only in Turkey but at destinations across Europe."