Beat the rush! Book your sun lounger for £22
NO matter how many sangrias you had the night before or how late you crept into bed, there’s no lie-in for the Brit abroad.
In time-honoured tradition, you have to be up at the crack of dawn to beat rival tourists to that prime spot by the hotel pool … with a strategically placed towel left on the sunlounger.
But it seems the early morning battle of the sunbeds could be over. Thomas Cook is offering holidaymakers the chance to book their favourite lounger for their entire stay.
However, it comes at a price. The fee will be 25 euros (£22) per sunbed, meaning a cost of £88 for a family of four.
Some will see it as just another way to hit tourists, who already face charges for everything from a sandwich on the plane to booking a window seat.
But Thomas Cook argues that the sunbed charge is something holidaymakers would be more than happy to pay for.
Travel firms often receive complaints from customers unable to use hotel loungers because fellow guests monopolise them, piling them with towels or books.
A number of videos have been posted online in recent months showing families waiting for hotel pools to open in the early hours of the morning so they can bag the best sunbeds.
Chris Mottershead, Thomas Cook’s UK managing director, said the service, called Choose Your Favourite Sunbed, would be perfect for families who wanted to ensure they could all lounge around the pool together in a specific spot.
‘Holidaymakers today want to personalise their package, mixing and matching elements that best fit their needs and lifestyle,’ he said.
Sunbeds will be displayed on a map featuring a compass to help customers work out whether certain areas will be in the sun or shade a different times of the day.
Only a proportion of a hotel’s sunbeds will be bookable, in a bid to ensure there are still enough sunbeds for those who do not want to pay the premium.
The scheme is being trialled in three hotels from the end of next month, and will be available in 30 hotels this summer.