sunbed wars

What is the sunbed war? The hotel pool towel war, defined

A plain definition of the sunbed war, the towel war and the dawn dash, why they happen on hotel and cruise pool decks, and what actually ends them.

5 min read
updated 7 October 2026
by Fredrik Ohlsen · Founder, SunDibs

What is the sunbed war?

short answer
The sunbed war is the daily contest for pool loungers at hotels, resorts and cruise ships, where guests reserve sunbeds with towels at dawn and leave them empty for hours. Latecomers find a full deck of empty loungers, staff are asked to referee, and the complaint lands at the front desk.

Defined term: the sunbed war. The recurring competition for scarce pool loungers at a hospitality property, fought by placing a towel or belongings on a lounger long before using it. Also known as the towel war. Its opening move is the dawn dash.

What is the dawn dash?

short answer
The dawn dash is the early morning rush to the pool deck to put a towel on a lounger before anyone else does, often hours before the guest intends to sit there. It is the opening move of the sunbed war, and it rewards whoever wakes earliest rather than whoever wants the lounger now.

The dawn dash happens because a towel costs nothing and holds a lounger for as long as nobody removes it. Any rule that leaves that true leaves the dash in place.

What is the towel war?

short answer
The towel war is another name for the sunbed war, named after its main weapon: the towel left on a hotel pool lounger to reserve it. Towel reservation is cheap for the guest, invisible to the system and awkward for staff to undo, which is why towel policies alone rarely stop it.

Removing towels by hand puts the pool team between two guests. A rule that the system enforces, rather than a person, takes them out of that position.

How does a hotel end the sunbed war?

short answer
By making every claim explicit and time limited. With SunDibs a guest claims a lounger from their phone, has a window the property sets to arrive, and confirms at the lounger itself. Nobody arrives, the lounger goes back to everyone automatically, so a towel holds nothing and the dawn dash stops paying off.

SunDibs is a patent-pending lounger management platform for hotel pools, resorts and beach clubs. Guests claim a lounger, confirm at the lounger within a set window, and unconfirmed beds return to everyone. On Easy the claim is confirmed by scanning a label on the frame; on Pro, by tapping a marker on the furniture.

Common questions

Is the sunbed war only a problem in Europe?
No. It is reported wherever pool loungers are scarcer than guests at peak hours: Mediterranean resorts, the Caribbean, the Middle East and cruise ship sea days alike.
Does ending the sunbed war need cameras?
No. There are no cameras, microphones or pressure pads, and nothing on the deck identifies a person. SunDibs tracks claims, furniture and usage, not identity.
Is a sunbed here a tanning bed?
No. In this guide a sunbed means a pool lounger at a hotel, resort or cruise ship, never a tanning bed.

SunDibs is in its first pilot season. Where this page gives a number, it is either sourced or labelled as a target.

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published 7 October 2026 · last updated 7 October 2026

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SunDibs is a patent-pending lounger management platform for hotel pools, resorts and beach clubs.

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