Sunbed Wars Erupt at 6am as Tourists Battle for Loungers at Mallorca Hotel

A British tourist has exposed the daily chaos at a Spanish hotel where holidaymakers queue from the crack of dawn and race to claim sun loungers the moment the pool opens. Edward Lawton, 58, from Wesham, Lancashire, filmed the scenes at the Globales Santa Lucia Hotel in Palma Nova, Mallorca, describing them as "absolute carnage."

Lawton, who runs his own company, said he stayed out of the fray and watched from the sidelines. He told reporters that guests would begin lining up as early as 6am, up to two hours before the pool area opened at 8am. Video he shot on August 19 showed every sunbed claimed within five minutes of the doors opening.

"There are 170 bedrooms and they've got 130 beds. Work that one out," Lawton said. "It was absolute carnage again this morning. There are no beds available at all."

He described the morning routine in vivid terms: "It's absolute mayhem. As soon as the doors open at 8am, because they're on a timer, everybody runs. It's like a mad dash to grab the sunbeds. They're throwing their belongings onto them, there's pushing and shoving, and they're just grabbing everything. It's very, very competitive."

Lawton, who posted updates on social media, said the scene was far from relaxing. "People walk away with smug looks on their faces because they've managed to get one," he said. "I was an observer from the sidelines because I was just laughing. I thought the hotel should have a better policy on this because it's absolutely crazy."

He added: "I couldn't believe that people are queuing up on their holidays from 6am in the morning, with their bags. They're standing there with pots of coffee around, as you'll see in the videos, just to get a sunbed. Absolutely horrendous."

The hotel, which is adults-only, has been approached for comment by both the Daily Star and the Manchester Evening News.

The incident echoes a similar scene in June at the Spring Hotel Bitacora in Playa de las Americas, Tenerife, where holidaymakers were filmed rushing to claim sunbeds after queueing for thirty minutes before the pool area opened. That video was captured by Hope Davies, 29, who said guests began assembling from approximately 7:30am.