Two British tourists have been captured in a heated debate over a sunbed at a hotel in Lanzarote as annual “sunbed wars” continue to grip Europe.The row took place at the Hyde Park Lane apartments, a three-star resort in Puerto del Carmen on the popular Canary Islands.
In the video, captured by fellow guest Callum Lines, a woman dressed in pink accuses another British tourist of occupying sunbeds that her group had allegedly used throughout the week. She threatens to report the matter to hotel management, leading to a tense exchange between the two parties. “You’ve picked on the wrong person,” the woman on the sun lounger responds. “Turn around and walk away.”
Mr Lines, 31, from Leamington Spa, can be heard calling the woman in pink a “Karen” during the exchange.
“There were plenty of available beds – all with equal sun exposure – so this really wasn’t needed,” he later commented. “You come away for a rest and some relaxation.”
A sign near the pool, though not visible in the video, clearly stated that reserving sunbeds was not allowed, the Brit added. However, it is unclear whether that policy has been enforced.
The woman in pink then accused the others of moving her group’s belongings – to which the woman on the sunbed said that was not true and to get her facts right. A male guest beside her told the woman to “go away,” while another holidaymaker wearing a black bikini and cap tried to intervene.
Lines said the woman in pink eventually left to speak with hotel staff, but no manager appeared during the incident.
No police were called, and the hotel has not commented on the incident.
Meanwhile, in Tenerife, tourists have been caught trying to reserve space for sunbeds on the floor before hotel staff even put out the loungers. In a scene dubbed “surreal” by fellow tourists, guests at several popular resorts have been spotted placing towels, flip-flops, and beach bags on the ground hours before the sunbeds were set out for the day.
“It’s like a military operation out there,” wrote one social media user. “People are literally reserving tiles.”
Several hotels have been forced to step in, reinforcing rules that ban guests from reserving sunbeds they are not using.