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My last new thread, and it's a rant

Phydeaux

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Is this an issue with certain chains? This is not a rocket science problem, just need attendants to monitor and clear when not in use. Also need to review capacity issues. Are there enough loungers to accommodate guests? Are there sufficient pool area(s) to accommodate the number of guests staying e.g. hidden pools at HHV vs. just one pool for everyone.

With regard to resort staff enforcing their own no chair hogging rule, I believe it has more to do with cultures than resort chains. Obnoxious people are everywhere, thus how the problem is dealt with is key. From my own experiences, I can tell you that my TS has a no hog policy, but is very lax in enforcing it due to their culture. They don't want to offend anyone.
 

CalGalTraveler

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With regard to resort staff enforcing their own no chair hogging rule, I believe it has more to do with cultures than resort chains. Obnoxious people are everywhere, thus how the problem is dealt with is key. From my own experiences, I can tell you that my TS has a no hog policy, but is very lax in enforcing it due to their culture. They don't want to offend anyone.

So it sounds like there are 2 issues:

1) Obnoxious people - cannot do anything about that unless they are making excessive noise or other.
2) Staff that are unable to enforce - this is a problem that the TS can solve. Voicing concern to management is the best way to get this fixed. If they are concerned that enforcing will offend someone, it should be known that chair hogs and thiefs are offending guests. If they hear it enough they will enforce - squeaky wheel.
 

sail27bill

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I am so sorry that this happened to you. I hope the rest of your vacation is relaxing and uneventful!
People seem to be getting so much ruder nowadays. It is such a shame. Unfortunately, it isn't just limited to timeshares--hotels, restaurants, supermarkets, etc. The sense of entitlement runs deep in certain individuals, and common sense is not so common anymore. Apparently neither is manners. Just stay safe and keep the patio door to your inside unit locked. I would definitely follow-up with management. Maybe installing combo locks with the info given to guests would help keep those patios secure.
 

easyrider

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I have noticed, in my life anyway, the older I get the less I care. Very often, I find rude people more amusing than offensive. Occasionally they make me laugh. I have noticed, for me anyway, that things have a way of working out in the end so its better to stay cool and roll with it.

Bill
 

Phydeaux

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So it sounds like there are 2 issues:

1) Obnoxious people - cannot do anything about that unless they are making excessive noise or other.
2) Staff that are unable to enforce - this is a problem that the TS can solve. Voicing concern to management is the best way to get this fixed. If they are concerned that enforcing will offend someone, it should be known that chair hogs and thiefs are offending guests. If they hear it enough they will enforce - squeaky wheel.

In a perfect world, perhaps. But as the great philosopher Huey Lewis once said, Ain't No livin in a Perfect world.

Reality? Nope, in the 25+ years at the TS where I am a member, the chair hog problem has been endemic since the resorts were built. People complain all the time; in person, on the TS website forum, directly to management, etc. and nothing changes.
 

VegasBella

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I have not experienced such brazen disrespect from other guests at a resort. Or if I have, I don't recall it at the moment.
I think this has to do with location and size of the resort for starters.
 

WalnutBaron

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I've never had someone be so brazen as to "borrow" the patio furniture from a unit I was staying in, but I've certainly observed the chaise lounge hogs at resorts we've visited over the years. Maybe it's just luck, but the resorts that are part of the Hyatt system just don't have this problem, at least in my experience. Hyatt is a smaller system than the big guys like Marriott and Hilton, and maybe that is a factor in designing resorts that aren't overcrowded and support facilities that serve their guests comfortably.

Others here have made the observation that people generally have seemed to forget their manners and are more rude than they used to be. If that's true, it may partly be because of the effects of social media. Other threads here on TUG have discussed this in the past, but the extreme lack of civility on social media cannot help but carry over to the way people interact with others in person and not just electronically. When you see no problem in demeaning and degrading someone you don't even know on FB or Twitter, what's the problem with stealing their patio furniture or hogging lounge chairs at the pool? After all, you were there first and it's a dog eat dog world, right?

I appreciate this quote from TV journalist Ted Koppel:

"Aspire to decency. Practice civility toward one another. Admire and emulate ethical behavior wherever you find it. Apply a rigid standard of morality to your lives; and if, periodically, you fail--as you surely will--adjust your lives and not the standards."

There's another way of saying it--one that is ancient but no less relevant. It's called The Golden Rule: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
 

Ken555

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Not even free maintenance fees would get TUG members in agreement as fast as a pool chair thread! :)




Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 

WinniWoman

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Come to think of it, we have never had an issue with getting pool chairs until last summer at Smugglers Notch. Everyone was complaining that the chairs went missing from our West Hill Community. People were having to sit on the cement on their towels (at Smuggs we have to bring our own pool towels, though some exchangers and renters don't read the packing instructions before they head up and take the bath towels out of the units which also makes me crazy).

After a few phone calls, the aquatics supervisor came over and got a couple of chairs he found out of the maintenance closet and brought some more up from points unknown. He said he was baffled as to what happened to them.

Very strange as we have our own HOA and separate community away from the rest of the resort and I can't understand how this could be- especially since we are week 30. What about the people that were there the previous weeks? SMH....

I don't do this myself. but I do like a lounge chair in a certain spot at the pool and generally I always am able to sit in it and I will put my bags on the chair next to mine in case my husband or son decide to come over. But- if someone needed it- of course- I would immediately give them the chair.

My parents used to own at Water's Edge Resort and my mom would wake up very early each morning and walk down to the outdoor pool (before it was technically open) and reserve several chairs with her towels. The resort simply never had enough chairs. She only exchanged once or twice, using her consecutive fixed weeks at the resort. She knew the drill. If she didn't "reserve" them there would be none left by the time she went down to the pool. She was very active with the resort management and attended all the owners meetings. She treated the place like her second home. (I guess that is where I got "it" from! LOL!)

She said she would be damned if she waited all year to go on vacation, and not get chairs to sit on with her family. She bought from the developer with money she inherited from her mom, who scrimped and saved, (who actually was fairly poor herself married to a bum drop dead drunk (my grandfather) Of course, she paid the yearly maintenance fees and RCI membership as well. She felt she was entitled to having chairs. She was a very hard worker and had a hard life living with my alcoholic dad and she so looked forward to 2 weeks of rest by the ocean. She would essentially stay at the pool all day, only leaving to come back up to the unit for lunch and then right back.

To me- it is on the resort to make sure there are enough chairs for everyone.

At our Pollard Brook unit they used to have a set of nice and thick pool towels in the unit itself for the number of people it slept. I loved this as it was very convenient. However- last year they changed this and now we have to go to the front desk and we get much skimpier towels. More than likely because of people stealing them. These people ruin it for everyone else. Such a shame.
 
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WinniWoman

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As for beaches- we go to early in the morning to lakes in VT and NH and keep camping chairs in our car and we are good to go. Once it gets crowded or kids camps show up- we are out of there and back to the resort pools. LOL!
 

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...waiting for the brave chair hog to join in and admit '...everyone else does it, so I have to two [purposeful sic].
 

vacationhopeful

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There is a $25 fee for EACH pool towel missing from the unit at the FLBR at check out ... very few chair hogs at the pool.
 

Phydeaux

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There is a $25 fee for EACH pool towel missing from the unit at the FLBR at check out ... very few chair hogs at the pool.


Ahhh, the FLBR!

What's the FLBR?

Someone else suggested this may be a resort/location related issue, thus I would be remiss not to ask.
 

vacationhopeful

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Ft Lauderdale Beach Resort is a VRI associated resort (the management company) and is located in Ft Lauderdale, FL on the Atlantic coast .. beach block. The beach towels used to disappear when taken to the beach verses the pool area.
 

moonstone

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Our DD stayed at an AI resort in the Caribbean a couple of years ago that had a pool chair attendant/monitor. There were signs posted that chair reserving would not be tolerated and doing so would result in removal of personal items to a hut by the bar. DD said the pool attendant had tags with numbers on them and as soon as he saw somebody occupy a lounge chair he hung a tag on the back indicating the hour. If the chair remained unoccupied until the following hour then the personal items were removed. DD said she was afraid to go into the pool or out of sight of her chair (potty break) over the hour change in case her things were removed. She does like to lay in the sun and read or listen to music for hours so her chair is rarely empty. We both thought that resort's idea was great and DD said she didn't hear any complaints while she was there.

I agree with others that resorts often need to supply more chairs but sadly space does not always allow for them. I would be really peeved if chairs from our unit's private patio or balcony were removed by a guest and would report a theft to the management and police if necessary.


~Diane
 

WinniWoman

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Our DD stayed at an AI resort in the Caribbean a couple of years ago that had a pool chair attendant/monitor. There were signs posted that chair reserving would not be tolerated and doing so would result in removal of personal items to a hut by the bar. DD said the pool attendant had tags with numbers on them and as soon as he saw somebody occupy a lounge chair he hung a tag on the back indicating the hour. If the chair remained unoccupied until the following hour then the personal items were removed. DD said she was afraid to go into the pool or out of sight of her chair (potty break) over the hour change in case her things were removed. She does like to lay in the sun and read or listen to music for hours so her chair is rarely empty. We both thought that resort's idea was great and DD said she didn't hear any complaints while she was there.

I agree with others that resorts often need to supply more chairs but sadly space does not always allow for them. I would be really peeved if chairs from our unit's private patio or balcony were removed by a guest and would report a theft to the management and police if necessary.


~Diane


I honestly think that is a bit much. Like the Gestapo! If you have to worry about getting up to go to the bathroom- or like me- who loves to stay in the water a long time- and then come back and your chair is gone- well that would be the last time I ever stayed at a place like that.

People go to the beach usually for the day or a good part of it. They have their coolers, towels, books, and so on. So what should they do with those items when they get up to maybe go get lunch, grab a drink, or swim, or go to the bathroom, maybe play a game of beach volleyball or maybe go back to the unit for something? I mean- come on!

I just as well stay home and sit on my deck and do what the heck I want or go to a small hideaway with my own chair.

One thing I really hate at the resorts if being "tagged" - wrist bands and such. Makes me feel like I am a 10 year old at some darn amusement park!
 

Phydeaux

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I honestly think that is a bit much. Like the Gestapo! If you have to worry about getting up to go to the bathroom- or like me- who loves to stay in the water a long time- and then come back and your chair is gone- well that would be the last time I ever stayed at a place like that.

People go to the beach usually for the day or a good part of it. They have their coolers, towels, books, and so on. So what should they do with those items when they get up to maybe go get lunch, grab a drink, or swim, or go to the bathroom, maybe play a game of beach volleyball or maybe go back to the unit for something? I mean- come on!

I just as well stay home and sit on my deck and do what the heck I want or go to a small hideaway with my own chair.

One thing I really hate at the resorts if being "tagged" - wrist bands and such. Makes me feel like I am a 10 year old at some darn amusement park!

Lunch? Take your stuff and allow someone else to use it. Bathroom or swimming, leave your stuff. No one is trying to be unreasonable. Chair hogs are what the name implies.
 

WinniWoman

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Lunch? Take your stuff and allow someone else to use it. Bathroom or swimming, leave your stuff. No one is trying to be unreasonable. Chair hogs are what the name implies.

Sorry- I wouldn't do it. I would not lug my stuff and then lug it back just to go to the unit for a bathroom break and lunch.

But doesn't matter. We don't go to crowded ocean beach resorts anyway.

I timeshare up north in the mountains and bring my own chair and umbrella and floaty to the lakes and as for the pools, have never had an issue-even when I decide to go into the hot tub and sauna. I come back- my chair and my stuff are always there.
 

Phydeaux

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Sorry- I wouldn't do it. I would not lug my stuff and then lug it back just to go to the unit for a bathroom break and lunch.

But doesn't matter. We don't go to crowded ocean beach resorts anyway.

Thus you have no horse in this game. Others do. As I mentioned, I no longer have the problem either because we moved on and away from our TS, and stay away from resorts of any sort altogether. However, after years of putting up with these rude, self entitled mouth breathers, I still empathize with those that have to deal with them.

Peruse Trip Advisor sometime on the various forums and you'll quickly see how widespread and serious a problem the chair hog issue is. Keeping ones belongings on property that doesn't belong to them for more than 20 or 30 minutes is just plain obnoxious, and wrong. If someone finds it difficult to tote all of their belongings and dislike idea of loading up all of their stuff just to go & have lunch, perhaps they brought too much stuff. You see some people on the beach and they look like they're there to camp out for a week.

Btw, I fully support businesses that are tagging the loungers, and are actually doing something to stifle the chair hogs. Good on them!!!
 

Phydeaux

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Our DD stayed at an AI resort in the Caribbean a couple of years ago that had a pool chair attendant/monitor. There were signs posted that chair reserving would not be tolerated and doing so would result in removal of personal items to a hut by the bar. DD said the pool attendant had tags with numbers on them and as soon as he saw somebody occupy a lounge chair he hung a tag on the back indicating the hour. If the chair remained unoccupied until the following hour then the personal items were removed. DD said she was afraid to go into the pool or out of sight of her chair (potty break) over the hour change in case her things were removed. She does like to lay in the sun and read or listen to music for hours so her chair is rarely empty. We both thought that resort's idea was great and DD said she didn't hear any complaints while she was there.

~Diane

I think your daughter was underestimating the workings of this type of system, and highly doubt any resort employee is going to remove belongings that have only been on a chair for a short while, paying sole attention to a number they placed on the chair. In other words, I'm pretty sure the resort folks would err on the side of allowing belongings long enough before the items were moved. If it's 9:45AM when the staff member is making their rounds, does she believe the number placed on an unoccupied lounger was a 10? Sure it wasn't an 11?
 

pittle

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Years ago, we were at the Mayan Palace, they had wonderful Palapa beds and people would stake them out early in the morning and then not appear until noon. These are super special as they have a king bed with sheets & pillows, 2 chairs and 2 chaise loungers with a giant Palala for shade. There were not as many available as there was demand and became a bone of contention for guests, so now you can pay a fee to reserve one until 2:00PM - the fee is used as a pre-payment for food and drinks for the day - you pay for any amount over the daily fee. After 2:00, vacant Palapa beds are available to anyone.

Back in the first come and it is yours era, hubby would go down and get our favorite one around 5 AM and about 8, I arrived with his coffee and stayed while he went up to the room to get ready for the day. He said he often fell asleep listening to the waves and woke up when the housekeeper came with sheets and pillowcases for the bed. :) But, when we did get one for those in our unit, someone was usually there. We often ordered lunch to be brought to us there. We did not want to leave our prime spot unused for more than 10-15 minutes.
 

am1

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It's almost impossible to have enough chairs for everyone. Cost and space wise.

Everyone that is at the resort should have the same rights as your mother no matter how hard they worked or how they acquired the week.

We only spend a few hours at the beach/pool at a time and can manage to find chairs.


Come to think of it, we have never had an issue with getting pool chairs until last summer at Smugglers Notch. Everyone was complaining that the chairs went missing from our West Hill Community. People were having to sit on the cement on their towels (at Smuggs we have to bring our own pool towels, though some exchangers and renters don't read the packing instructions before they head up and take the bath towels out of the units which also makes me crazy).

After a few phone calls, the aquatics supervisor came over and got a couple of chairs he found out of the maintenance closet and brought some more up from points unknown. He said he was baffled as to what happened to them.

Very strange as we have our own HOA and separate community away from the rest of the resort and I can't understand how this could be- especially since we are week 30. What about the people that were there the previous weeks? SMH....

I don't do this myself. but I do like a lounge chair in a certain spot at the pool and generally I always am able to sit in it and I will put my bags on the chair next to mine in case my husband or son decide to come over. But- if someone needed it- of course- I would immediately give them the chair.

My parents used to own at Water's Edge Resort and my mom would wake up very early each morning and walk down to the outdoor pool (before it was technically open) and reserve several chairs with her towels. The resort simply never had enough chairs. She only exchanged once or twice, using her consecutive fixed weeks at the resort. She knew the drill. If she didn't "reserve" them there would be none left by the time she went down to the pool. She was very active with the resort management and attended all the owners meetings. She treated the place like her second home. (I guess that is where I got "it" from! LOL!)

She said she would be damned if she waited all year to go on vacation, and not get chairs to sit on with her family. She bought from the developer with money she inherited from her mom, who scrimped and saved, (who actually was fairly poor herself married to a bum drop dead drunk (my grandfather) Of course, she paid the yearly maintenance fees and RCI membership as well. She felt she was entitled to having chairs. She was a very hard worker and had a hard life living with my alcoholic dad and she so looked forward to 2 weeks of rest by the ocean. She would essentially stay at the pool all day, only leaving to come back up to the unit for lunch and then right back.

To me- it is on the resort to make sure there are enough chairs for everyone.

At our Pollard Brook unit they used to have a set of nice and thick pool towels in the unit itself for the number of people it slept. I loved this as it was very convenient. However- last year they changed this and now we have to go to the front desk and we get much skimpier towels. More than likely because of people stealing them. These people ruin it for everyone else. Such a shame.
 

WinniWoman

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It's almost impossible to have enough chairs for everyone. Cost and space wise.

Everyone that is at the resort should have the same rights as your mother no matter how hard they worked or how they acquired the week.

We only spend a few hours at the beach/pool at a time and can manage to find chairs.


Exactly what I am saying. EVERYONE should be able to have a chair. If you have 200 guests and only 100 chairs- that's on the resort.
 

am1

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May as well have resorts build stadium seating around the pools then.
 
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