THE hotel where ITV’s Benidorm is filmed is removing towels from deserted sunbeds — and creating some real-life drama.
Staff launched a crackdown as guests queue for two hours each morning to bag spots by the pool.
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If they wander off, they risk having their stuff lobbed into lost property — sparking heated rows in the sun.
Guest Guy Gibson, 46, from Newcastle, said trying to chill at Benidorm’s Sol Pelicanos Ocas was a “nightmare”.
“All day long we’ve got to keep an eye on the beds and watch out for the ‘fun police’.
“Even if you’re in the pool they try to take your towels.”
The Sun yesterday watched guests bring chairs to queue from 7am at the hotel, called The Solana in the show.
A red tape was removed at the 9am opening, and tourists sprinted into the pool area to claim sunbeds.
Most covered theirs with towels before heading off to breakfast.
But staff soon slapped notices on empty loungers, warning guests “it is not allowed to reserve sunbeds with towels or other belongings”.
They had an hour to return or their stuff would be “deposited at lost property”.
The hardline tactic infuriated some holidaymakers — though a few agreed with it.
Mum Jo Burnham, 43, from Portsmouth, said: “A man started shouting about it.
“People got really heated. I think it’s a good system.
“It means you don’t have to worry too much about finding a bed.”
Sunbed wars have flared up across the Med, with some hotels employing security.
Sol Pelicanos Ocas’ owner Melia Hotels International said it currently had 1,800 guests and only around 700 loungers.
It added: “Although we understand that this measure is not satisfactory for all guests, it aims to improve the experience of our customers by offering better management of the sunbeds.”
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