The 90 Minute Towel Rule

I have just come back from a delightful 10 days in Agadir, Morrocco. I highly recommend the RIU Tikida Beach Hotel (although if you are vegetarian: beware! Some of the dishes that you would think were veggie are not! I eventually had the Chef de Cusine giving me a tour of the buffet each evening to point out which dishes I could eat and which I should not!) But overall, lovely staff & great service. Thank you!

But...

There always seems to be a problem with people 'booking' the beds and sun loungers. (Yes: they had real waterproof beds by the pool too...) It seems as if, despite Hotel 'rules' about not booking spaces, people still do with a variety of towels, magazines, footwear and even cuddly toys. And usually this happens from 6am (I am told).

I would not mind quite as much (though I would still mind) if people then actually used the space during the day. But on several occasions I saw 'booked' beds lie empty for whole days aside from the lonely towel 'occupying' them. This is either (at best) absent minded or (at worst) very selfish behaviour by the people concerned. I raised this issue with the Hotel who declared there was little they could do (Why have the rule then?!?!)

However, I have a solution which I am calling the 90 Minute Towel Rule. Here is how it works:

• You spot a desired lounger/bed 'booked' with a towel (or whatever) 
• You photograph it on your mobile / camera (with a date time recorded)
• You wait 90 minutes (in the bar, on another less desirable lounger etc) and, if the item 'securing the booking' has not been disturbed, you photograph it again to prove 90 minutes of absence.
• You then carefully remove said item, place it nearby in safety.
• You then occupy the bed / lounger
• If the owner of said item returns, you say they broke the 90 minute rule and therefore you have made a new claim. 

What do you reckon? Could this work? Should hotels be told? 

And (as often) I am indebted to @SimonJGuilfoyle for his excellent blog about Holiday systems matters which highlighted a similar problem with tables in cafeterias. His blog prompted me to write this one.