The beginning of the end for the sunbed war?

Until I went on a Mediterranean holiday last year I'd lived under the impression that the sunbed wars - that atypically xenophobic British tabloid trope - were over. On consecutive previous holidays - to Florida, Sicily and California - I'd not once found the issue of lounger larceny an issue. But no.

There, as I breakfasted at a reasonably early hour (actually, unhealthily early, despite being meant to be on holiday...), most mornings in Sardinia last September I saw the telltale flapping of an unaccompanied towel, unsecured on a sunbed in a strategically viable location for catching the sun for the best parts of the day. I won't mention the nationality of the owners of said towels, because they know who they are and, I'd suggest, you do, too.

That said, it's not just the you-know-whos who are responsible for these lapses of poolside etiquette: on my Caribbean cruise in October, the mania for people queuing for the free breakfast buffet at dawn was accompanied by sun loungers being not-too subtly 'reserved' in the most strategic sunspots. And that was on a cruise ship notably free of any continental Europeans.

So the travel company Thomas Cook has come up with a solution to the problem, one which The Sun today trumpeted in its inimitable style. In what is clearly an extension of airlines charging for reserving a seat, Thomas Cook has launched the excitingly-named "Choose Your Favourite Sunbed" online service, in which - for £22 - holidaymakers will be able to reserve a sunbed for the entire length of their stay. The scheme will be trialed in three hotels from the end of February before being rolled out in 30 hotels this summer.

Thomas Cook (which, perhaps significantly, competes with the German travel group Tui) has diplomatically positioned the new service as being a family-friendly scheme for groups of hotel guests who want to spend more time together in a preferred spot. The service follows a trial last year by the firm of a similar scheme  which allows customers to select their hotel room before they arrive in their chosen resort. More than 10,000 holidaymakers used it.

"Traditional package holidays are a thing of the past," said Thomas Cook UK managing director Chris Mottershead in a press release. "Holidaymakers today want to personalise their package, mixing and matching the elements that best fit their needs and lifestyle. We're excited about the opportunity with Choose Your Favourite Sunbed, particularly among families that want to secure a number of beds together in a specific spot."

The scheme will work much like airline seat bookings over the web, with a certain proportion of sunbeds in each hotel bookable, and selected using an online map displaying the beds as well as a compass to help people work out where the sun will be at different times of the day. For those who don't want to pay the convenience premium, other beds will be available in the usual way.

Source: Thomas Cook

Now, there are going to be people who think it all a bit unnecessary, that Johnny Foreigner should simply play more fairly. And there are those who'll think it a bit petty. And there's me, who thinks that we should all just get on with each other, and spend our holidays lacing daisy chains in each other's hair, while joining in rousing choruses of I'd Like To Teach The World To Sing.

But the truth of the matter is, in the words of Ben Elton, we are all at root selfish farties: we want a relaxing holiday, where we don't bother setting the alarm clock, but we can handle the fact other nationalities are up before us. On the other hand, should we be charged even more money - on top of our Speedy Boarding and Premium Economy seats simply for a piece of furniture? Well, perhaps if it matters that much, the Thomas Cook scheme isn't a bad idea, if it means that families - in particular - can enjoy the peace of mind of knowing their precious two weeks away will be spent together.

Speaking of Mr. Elton, however, here's a 32-year-old reminder of how spot on he was when describing just how protective we can be of personal space...