My towel on the pool chair at 7 a.m., moved at 11: who’s wrong?
Editors' DilemmaOctober 28, 2026· Be the first to vote
A story made up by our editors to get the debate going, not a real account.
My side
On vacation at a hotel with a pool, there are never enough lounge chairs. So, like a lot of people, I go down at 7 a.m. and put my towels on two well-placed chairs, in the shade of the umbrella. Then I head back up for breakfast, take a walk, and come back around 11. That morning, my towels were folded on a table, and a retired couple had settled into “my” chairs. I politely explained that I had saved them. The man told me that towels sitting alone for four hours aren’t a reservation. I think you don’t touch other people’s things.
Their side
The couple explains that they came down at 9 a.m. and every chair was covered in towels, with nobody on them. They waited an hour and a half before folding mine, carefully. According to them, the hotel even has a sign saying chairs can’t be reserved. For them, the pool belongs to the people swimming in it, not to the early risers.
So, who's wrong?
One vote per person. Results show up after you vote.