It has become one of the strangest rituals in luxury travel. Across Europe, videos of so-called sunbed wars show guests sprinting to the pool at dawn or even sleeping on loungers overnight to secure a spot. The clips may look ridiculous, but Hawaii is facing its own version of the same problem. At resorts charging more than $1,000 a night, guests are learning that even a hefty room rate does not guarantee a chair in the sun.
A morning race in paradise.
During a recent stay at the Mauna Kea Beach Hotel on the Big Island, we saw firsthand how quickly chairs disappeared. At 7:30 am, some of the best spots were available. By 8, only the worst remained, and soon after that, there was nothing at all. It turned what should have been a slow, peaceful morning into a competitive ritual.
The scramble clashed with the image of Hawaiian resorts as effortless escapes. Instead, it left many guests frustrated, watching as prime chairs sat empty for hours with only towels holding the space.
At the Royal Hawaiian (pictured in the lead photo), complimentary loungers are only available at the pool. Two beach chairs with an umbrella are available by reservation only and cost $70 a day.
What hotels do, and what they don’t.
European resorts have tried opening pool gates at set hours, leading to stampedes, or enforcing rules that require towels to be removed after 30 minutes of inactivity. In Hawaii, most hotels take a hands-off approach, but some have a 1-hour limit to be away.
Chairs are officially available on a first-come, first-served basis, which in practice means that those willing to wake up earliest will have the best chance. At the same time, loungers are removed from the beach every evening and are available the next morning.
That may be acceptable at a budget property, but at over $1,000 per night, the expectation is different. Travelers believe basic access to a chair should come with “the price of admission.” When it does not, resentment builds quickly.
Psychology of the pool chair wars.
Why do people pay thousands of dollars for a Hawaii vacation only to set alarms at sunrise? Some fear missing out, others want the convenience of shade or a prime poolside view. Whatever the reason, the result is often stress, not relaxation.
We heard guests discussing the idea of sending one family member down early to reserve loungers while everyone else slept. That may solve the problem for them, but it adds pressure to others. Instead of a slow morning in paradise, it becomes a strategy game.
When towels take over.
Few images capture the frustration more clearly than rows of towels marking chairs that sit unused for hours. Guests arrive to find dozens of “reserved” loungers, yet only a handful are occupied. Staff rarely intervene, creating a system that rewards selfishness and leaves latecomers wandering.
The towel system also undermines the spirit of aloha. Hawaii vacations are meant to be welcoming, but this practice breeds tension between guests who are left glaring at one another across the pool deck.
The solution is not simple.
Some resorts assign chairs in advance or create morning and afternoon sessions, ensuring every guest has a turn. Others might police the towel system with time limits. A few luxury properties on the mainland have even monetized the problem, charging for guaranteed loungers much the way airlines now charge for seat selection.
In Hawaii, any of these approaches would be controversial. Guests already complain about resort fees and add-ons. Charging extra for a pool chair might ignite backlash. However, continuing to ignore the issue can lead to unhappy visitors, even at otherwise world-class properties.
A sign of a larger problem.
The pool chair wars echo a broader question about the Hawaii hotel experience. Visitors are paying record-setting rates yet finding that many basics are no longer guaranteed. From limited housekeeping to parking battles to fees piled on top of high taxes, it is easy to see why some travelers leave feeling shortchanged.
The lounger chaos is a small but telling example. If guests cannot rely on something as simple as sitting by the pool without stress, what message does that send about value in Hawaii?
Bottom line.
Sunbed wars may have become famous in Europe, but Hawaii is living its own version. For many travelers, waking up early to compete for a pool chair has become an unwelcome part of the trip.
Are you willing to set an alarm to claim a pool chair in Hawaii, or do you think hotels should guarantee access as part of the room rate, or have a reservation system in place?
Lead Photo Credit – Royal Hawaiian Hotel at Waikiki.
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In addition, resorts commanding the supposedly shared public beach space with their sprawl of private guest chairs is taking away the magic of the open space and magic feel of the Hawaiian beaches.
This has been a problem for years. I have seen th daybreak rush to put out towels and books from the balcony many times. 20 minutes later there is rows of towels on unattended chairs while guests go back to breakfast for a couple hours. Often one brave guest will towel several chairs for there entire group in case they decide to come down later, zealously guarding their compound. Some guests think a towel gives them the chair from dawn to dusk evwen while they go back to the room for lunch or as nap. This is especially bad at the mega resorts in MX. The resorts need to enforce time limits on unused chairs. Perhaps a tag system where a clip-on is issued from the towel hut with room # and time stamp so other guests could remove unused towels without a potential poolside conflict. Tough problem to solve. I would be offended with paid “chair time” after the huge resort amenity fees, parking gouging etc.
Why is having a chair by the pool so important when you’re amongst some of the best beaches in the world?
I agree with you, Joe, especially since beaches are public in Hawaii. On the other hand, most of West Maui resorts are timeshares which may explain this behavior. Sometimes I wonder if they even know where they are ….After all, there are cheaper options, if all you want is a pool chair!
Why can’t the resorts guarantee chairs with the room, assign a chair# at check in? Also, my biggest pet peeve is the resort making additional money by renting pool access to non guests or day rentals to locals. I couldn’t use the pool at Kaanapali Ocean Resort because a family was having a birthday party. The pool was filled with a baseball team and thier fathers.
The resorts need to consistently use the timer method on vacant chairs and first thing in the morning tell those people that they can’t just put towels down and leave. Mgmt. leaves it up to the kids to handle and they just don’t want to get involved. Selfish people are everywhere and they make it awful everyday for everyone else. If they sit for half hour they should be pulled and given to someone else. It’s wrong and creates a lot of animosity and stress. If they stopped allowing it to be done in the am it would put an end to it. Real simple, just don’t let them come stake out chairs. You have to be in the chair to reserve it. Problem solved.
Hawaii is no longer our look forward to vacation spot. Pricing, extras, lack of Aloha. A shame. Mahalo. Goodbye 👋
What if you brought your own chairs?
I think it’s doubtful hotels would allow that.
Hotels do not own the beaches
You mean to the pool or the beach? You wouldn’t be allowed to bring your chair to the pool, but obviously to the beach, since it’s public.
The beaches are public here and the hotels have no right blocking access abd space gor locals to place a towel or open a chair. The State needs ro reinforce with hotels they can’t monopolize the beach w the chairs and umbrellas. Let thec tourist rent them at the pool stand.
I agree, but so far, it seems that it’s mostly in Waikiki where resorts have been taking over the beaches with their lounge chairs and umbrellas. I was disappointed that they allowed this in the South of France as well. Either way, I am not shy of putting my towels where ever I want, regardless if there are lounge chairs near me …as you said, beaches are “public” in Hawaii and I hope they will keep it that way.
I think the issue is that everyone wants a place to put their stuff.. if they made a place for that then I think chairs would never be a problem.
As a former representative of the Hawaii Visitors Bureau in the 90th, I would no longer accept such a job because of what the experience of visiting the islands has become: overpriced, greedy, crowded, bad service. Bye-bye, Aloha spirit.
Sad but Hawaii has been over run with tourists and with that comes disrespect for the land and water of Hawaii the eco system in Hawaii is only found in Hawaii. Sacred areas tourism has invaded and yes some areas even destroyed I really have no sympathy for for tourists going to Hawaii. I lived there and saw what they have done I don’t think it’s going to change.
The way it works now at royal Hawaiian which does not cost $1000 per night is you reserve them on the website so at least you don’t have to leave the room.
With all that tension and stress over lounge chairs and additional Hotel fees, is it really worth it? I would go elsewhere.
First come, first serve is how we’ve always done things here in Hawaii. No saving seats. You need to be occupying your seat if you want it, if not then sorry, you don’t get a seat. If I were to go poolside or beachside and see towels on those chairs and no one anywhere in site then trust me, your towel will be gone and I’ll occupy the seat.
Loungers left unattended for more than 30 minutes are fair game for someone seeking a lounger. The selfishness of saving a lounger for hours without using it is appalling, inconsiderate and sad.