More than 100 tourists sprinted across a hotel poolside in a frantic race to claim the best sunbeds after queuing for more than an hour.
Nick Hughes was enjoying a family holiday at the Paradise Park Hotel in Los Cristianos, Tenerife, when he spotted dozens of guests gathering behind a barrier near the pool at around 7.45am.
The 49-year-old said the crowd continued to grow over the next hour until there were more than 100 people waiting for access to the loungers.
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Footage filmed on 29 July shows the moment a member of hotel staff removes the barrier at 9am, prompting holidaymakers to surge forwards from both directions in a bid to secure their preferred spot around the pool.
Some guests can be seen weaving between one another while others throw towels onto empty loungers before they’ve even reached them.
“I would estimate there were more than 100 people involved altogether,” Nick, from North Wales, told What’s The Jam.
“The crowd seemed to approach from both directions and there were people of all ages.
“It was much larger than I would ever have expected.
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“Some people appeared to have been waiting for around an hour and fifteen minutes.
“From what I could see, there were individuals already in position when I first looked out at 7:45am, and they remained there until the barrier was removed.
“That’s a significant amount of holiday time to spend queuing for a sunbed.
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“Before the barrier was opened, everyone seemed very relaxed and friendly.
“People were chatting, laughing and generally behaving as you would expect on holiday.
“The moment the barrier came down, however, everything changed. What had been a calm queue suddenly became a sprint, with people rushing in all directions to secure their preferred spot.
“The contrast between the calm atmosphere beforehand and the chaos afterwards was what made it so remarkable.
”I started filming because I genuinely thought it was funny.
“I’d heard friends and family joke about the famous sunbed race at holiday resorts, but I’d never actually witnessed one.
“This was the first hotel I’ve stayed in where I’ve actually seen such a large-scale rush happen in person.
“It was one of those things you almost don’t believe until you see it with your own eyes.
“As I watched more people gathering, I realised this was likely to be one of those moments that people wouldn’t believe unless they saw it themselves.
“I never expected the footage to attract so much attention afterwards.”
Nick, a contract catering operations manager, who was on holiday with his wife Joanne, 38, and two sons, Finley, 10, and Ellis, seven, said he found the spectacle “absolutely hilarious”.
He said: “Watching more and more people gather in anticipation felt surreal.
“Then, as the rush happened, I found myself wondering whether people realised how much of their holiday morning they were sacrificing just to secure a particular sunbed.
“For me, being on holiday is about relaxing, enjoying breakfast and spending time with the family, so the whole thing seemed quite bizarre but very entertaining to watch.
“What I did see was a lot of competitive behaviour.
“People were weaving around one another, trying to get ahead, and in some cases throwing towels onto loungers before they’d even reached them.
“It almost became a tactical game.
“Watching people reserve beds from a distance while others were still running towards them was probably the funniest part of the whole spectacle.”
Nick said signs around the hotel state that guests should not reserve sunbeds.
He said: “That’s partly why the situation seemed so unusual.
“While the written policy suggests reservations aren’t allowed, the opening of the barrier effectively created a race to reserve beds as quickly as possible.
“It was quite a contrast between the stated rule and what was happening in practice.
“Personally, I think there are several ways hotels could manage it better.
“My preferred option would be allocating sunbed numbers to guests or rooms at check-in, removing the need to queue altogether.
“Alternatively, hotels could operate a booking system through an app or allocate different pool areas fairly among guests.
“In this particular hotel, there are definitely enough sunbeds available across the complex for everyone, so the issue appears to be people wanting specific locations rather than a genuine shortage.
“A better system would remove the stress and ensure everyone’s holiday starts in a more relaxed way.”
Nick and his family enjoyed breakfast before heading to a larger pool area elsewhere in the complex, which opens later.
He added: “That’s one of the reasons I find the whole situation so amusing.
“While hundreds of people were queuing and rushing for beds, we’ve been able to enjoy a stress-free start to the day and still get exactly what we needed.”
The clip racked up more than 2,700 views.
One commentor said: “Why would you want to sit around the pool all day anyway.”
Someone else said: “My idea of hell.”
A third person added: “This was the highlight of our holiday.
“We sat at the window for breakfast just so we could watch.”
A fifth person added: “The best hotels remove towels that aren’t attended to.”
Another commentor said: “I’d be on the next plane home.”
Jam Press has contacted Paradise Park Hotel for comment.
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