Repeat resort guests didn’t get good at vacations by accident. While first-timers are still hunting for an open lounger at 11 a.m., the veterans have already locked in their spot, ordered a drink, and mapped out their whole day.
Repeat guests can make up just 8% of a resort’s guest base yet drive 41% of its revenue – and that’s exactly why properties roll out the red carpet for them. They know things the rest of us don’t, and here’s exactly what they do differently, poolside and beyond.
#17 – They Claim Their Chair Before the Coffee’s Done
The “towel reservation” is one of travel’s most argued-about habits. Savvy guests set alarms, claim a chair with a towel or a paperback at sunrise, then vanish for breakfast or a workout.
Repeat guests don’t see this as rude – they see it as survival. At busy resorts, premium poolside seating often runs out fast, especially during school breaks and holiday weekends.
The real insider move isn’t just claiming a chair – it’s claiming the right one. Shaded spots near the shallow end disappear first, and once they’re gone, they’re gone for the day.
First-timers don’t know this rule exists. Repeat guests do, and they act on it before 8 a.m.
But the chair is only the opening move. What they bring with them is where the real edge starts.
#16 – They Know Exactly Which Spot to Claim
Every pool deck hides a handful of loungers tucked under natural shade – a palm canopy, a building overhang. Staff can point to them from memory, and these chairs rarely carry a “reserved” sign.
Repeat guests have already scouted these zones on a previous trip. They know whether the east side gets afternoon shade, or whether the cabana near the bar blocks the worst of the 2 p.m. sun.
That knowledge is worth more than any app or travel blog. Using an umbrella, cabana, or shade during peak sun hours – late morning through mid-afternoon – is one of the smartest moves at any pool.
Veterans book the cabana in advance. Everyone else fights over whatever’s left.
What fills the space between the chair and the shade matters just as much – and that’s where most rookies slip up.
#15 – They Apply Sunscreen Before They Walk Out the Door
Most guests slap on sunscreen poolside, jump straight into the water, and wonder why they’re burned by lunch. Repeat guests know better.
Applying sunscreen 15 to 30 minutes before entering the water gives it time to properly absorb and activate. Jump in too soon, and you’ve basically skipped the step entirely.
Fast Facts
- Apply 15–30 minutes before getting in the water
- Use broad-spectrum SPF 30 or higher
- Reapply every two hours, always
- Up to 80% of UV rays pass through clouds
A single pre-swim application is useless if you don’t wait for it to work. Experienced guests treat sunscreen like brushing their teeth – non-negotiable, done properly, done early.
There’s one more sunscreen mistake even careful people make, and it’s hiding in plain sight.
#14 – They Reapply Every Two Hours Without Being Reminded
Many travelers assume “water-resistant” sunscreen means all-day protection in the pool. That assumption is wrong, and it’s an expensive one for your skin.
Reapply every two hours, and immediately after swimming or toweling off. Water, sand, and pool decks all reflect UV rays and increase exposure.
Most first-timers reapply once. Repeat guests set a phone alarm. Even a cloudy afternoon can still burn skin that’s been in the sun since morning.
Repeat guests know there’s no such thing as a free skip.
Protecting your skin is only half the wellness equation by the water.
#13 – They Hydrate Aggressively and on a Schedule
Sun and heat drain your body fast, and thirst is a lagging indicator – by the time you feel it, you’re already behind. Repeat guests know this and drink ahead of it.
They bring a large refillable water bottle to the pool, not to skip the swim-up bar, but to drink water between drinks. Hot days and alcohol don’t always mix well.
Dehydration is the #1 cause of headaches, fatigue, and cut-short vacation days – and it’s almost entirely preventable. The veterans who look effortlessly relaxed at 4 p.m. have been sipping water since 9 a.m.
But hydration alone won’t save you from the midday sun trap that catches most guests completely off guard.
#12 – They Retreat Indoors Between Noon and 2 p.m.
This is the habit that separates one-trip tourists from the people who look fresh at dinner every single night. The sun peaks between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., and noon to 2 p.m. is the worst stretch of all.
Repeat guests use this window on purpose. They head inside for lunch, a nap, or a spa treatment, then return around 3 p.m. when the UV intensity drops and the crowd thins.
By the time most guests are packing up, the veterans are reclaiming the best chairs. Frequent shade breaks, hydration, and a wide-brim hat aren’t just safety advice – they’re the actual rhythm of a great pool day.
Knowing when to be by the pool is one thing. Knowing how to make the staff work for you is something else entirely.
#11 – They Tip Early, Not After
Resort workers describe an informal ranking that forms within the first hour the pool deck opens. Whoever tips first – before making any request at all – tends to jump the invisible waitlist for the best remaining loungers.
Nobody writes this rule down, but it repeats at resort after resort, coast to coast. It explains why some guests always end up with the best seat by the water without ever asking for one.
The timing of your first tip matters more than the size of it. A modest tip before your first drink order signals you’re a guest worth remembering, and that pays off in service, positioning, and small extras all trip long.
First-timers tip after. Repeat guests tip first.
And being generous with staff goes much deeper than a single poolside tip.
#10 – They Build Real Relationships with Pool Staff
Staff develop relationships with their regulars, and they go out of their way for the guests they know. Sometimes that means little extras for free – a treat, a drink, an early-access pass to the evening show.
Worth Knowing
- Learn and use a staff member’s name
- A genuine “how’s your day” goes further than a big tip
- Staying calm under frustration earns real help later
- Small kindness compounds trip after trip
The repeat guests who seem to get everything without asking have simply invested in the relationship over multiple trips. It’s not favoritism – it’s the natural result of being consistently decent to people working hard in the heat all day.
First-timers treat staff as service providers. Repeat guests treat them as insiders.
And those insiders hold information no travel guide will ever publish.
#9 – They Ask Staff for the Real Recommendations
Which pool bar makes the best drinks? When does the main pool hit maximum chaos, and which section stays quiet on Saturday mornings? Staff know all of it.
Employees are an incredible resource for local tips, cultural norms, and excursion advice – but only if you’ve already built rapport with them. The relationship comes first, the intel comes second.
Most guests read TripAdvisor. Repeat guests ask the towel attendant. That’s how you learn which poolside food order takes 40 minutes and which one shows up in 10 – a tip that changes your entire afternoon.
But even the best insider intel won’t help if your phone is glued to your face the whole trip.
#8 – They Deliberately Leave Their Phone Face-Down
Too many people miss the moment because their eyes never leave their phone. Repeat guests have usually learned this the hard way, often after a trip spent photographing the pool instead of enjoying it.
The habit is deceptively simple: phone goes face-down the second you sit down. It changes the entire sensory experience of the day – the rhythm of the water, the temperature shift when a cloud passes, the conversation at the next lounger that turns into something real.
Long calls should happen away from the pool deck, not on it. Experienced guests know this isn’t just etiquette – it’s self-preservation, because nothing kills poolside peace faster than someone else’s speakerphone.
#7 – They Shower Before Getting in the Pool
Resort pool etiquette includes respecting personal space, keeping noise down, and showering before you get in. Most guides mention it. Almost no one reads it.
Sunscreen, lotion, and sweat react with pool chlorine to form compounds that irritate skin and eyes. A quick pre-swim rinse removes the bulk of that, keeps the water balanced, and makes the pool cleaner for everyone.
Repeat guests shower before swimming automatically, and they rinse off again after – chlorine left to dry on skin is its own kind of irritation. First-timers usually skip both.
The physical comfort habits are locked in. Now comes the mental side of the poolside experience.
#6 – They Bring Exactly What They Need – Nothing Extra
First-timers show up with a rolling suitcase’s worth of gear: three towels, a speaker, inflatable toys, five books, snacks for a week. Repeat guests have trimmed this down to almost nothing.
A tight, purposeful pool bag is the mark of someone who has made this mistake before. Everything fits in a single tote.
At a Glance
- One book or e-reader
- A wide-brimmed hat for face, ears, and neck
- Good sunglasses
- Refillable water bottle
- Sunscreen and SPF lip balm
- A light cover-up
Most people learn the hat rule the hard way – through a sunburned neck that ruined day two.
But even the most streamlined bag can’t fix the timing mistake that ruins thousands of resort vacations every year.
#5 – They Book Poolside Amenities in Advance
Cabanas, swim-up bar reservations, premium poolside dining – all of it fills up faster than people expect. Asking the entertainment director what’s available, and booking early, separates guests who get what they want from guests who get what’s left.
Repeat guests book these before they even pack their bags. They’ve learned the hard way that showing up and hoping for the best guarantees disappointment by 10 a.m.
The move: call the resort about a week out and ask exactly what can be pre-reserved. Most properties are happy to lock it in – they’d rather have confirmed revenue than an empty cabana.
What they also think about is how they phrase their preferences before arrival.
#4 – They Make Specific Requests Before Arrival
“Best” means something different to every guest – one wants a high floor, another wants easy elevator access, a third just wants distance from the pool noise. Vague requests lead to guesswork, and guesswork leads to disappointment.
A ranked list works far better than a general ask. “A quiet room on a high floor, away from the elevator” gets you closer to what you actually want than “the best room you have.”
Repeat guests apply this same logic to the whole poolside experience, not just the room. They specify which section of the deck they prefer, whether they need proximity to restrooms, or distance from the swim-up bar.
Specific guests get specific results. Vague guests get whatever’s left.
The next habit is one most people treat as optional. Repeat guests know it’s the single biggest multiplier of the entire stay.
#3 – They Join the Loyalty Program and Actually Use It
Most loyalty programs hand out basic perks at the entry tier. The real value sits at the higher elite tiers.
Quick Compare
- Entry tier: Wi-Fi, member-only pricing, points earned
- Elite tier: priority check-in, free room upgrades, late checkout
The guests who seem to effortlessly get better service at the pool are often just loyalty members the property recognizes. Stacking promotions – loyalty points, seasonal offers, credit card bonuses – maximizes what you earn on a single stay.
Repeat guests treat their status as a tool, not a card collecting digital dust. They use it to request poolside room proximity, unlock early check-in, and access upgrades first-timers don’t even know exist.
But loyalty programs are just the infrastructure. The next habit is what makes the whole vacation feel effortless.
#2 – They Set the Tone of Their Day the Night Before
This is the habit nobody talks about, but every veteran resort guest practices instinctively. The night before, they check the weather, scan for any resort event that’ll flood the pool deck, and quietly map out the next day.
Most people react to the day. Repeat guests shape it. They know Saturday mornings are chaos, Tuesday afternoons are blissfully quiet, and happy hour runs at 4 p.m. – none of which requires insider access, just one previous trip or a 10-minute call to the concierge.
Asking the entertainment director for the next day’s schedule the night before, not the morning of, means arriving with an actual plan. That quiet preparation is what makes everything else on this list work.
Which brings us to the #1 habit – the one that sounds simplest, and is the hardest to actually pull off.
#1 – They Fully Commit to Doing Nothing
Most travelers can’t sit still at a resort pool. They feel the pull of the excursion, the guilt of “wasting” a day, the anxiety of under-performing their own vacation.
Repeat guests have already been through that cycle – and come out the other side with a strange conclusion: the day where you do absolutely nothing is usually the best day of the trip.
Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you.
Anne Lamott
Deliberately doing nothing is a skill, and most people are terrible at it. Experienced guests protect unscheduled pool time the way they’d protect a dinner reservation – they skip the optional snorkeling tour, say no to the 2 p.m. activity, and let the afternoon dissolve without an agenda.
A returning guest already trusts the property, and that trust is what finally lets them exhale. First-timers spend their vacation trying to optimize it. Repeat guests spend it living it – and no amount of tipping or sunscreen logistics replicates that until you’ve given yourself permission to stop.
The Bottom Line
Repeat resort guests set alarms, claim prime spots at sunrise, and disappear for breakfast – while everyone else is still figuring out where to sit. They tip first, shower before swimming, reapply sunscreen on schedule, and retreat indoors during peak UV hours.
They’ve built relationships with staff, trimmed their pool bag to essentials, and mastered the discipline of doing absolutely nothing on purpose. The real secret isn’t any single habit – it’s the accumulated confidence of someone who knows exactly how a great pool day is built, hour by hour.
Most of these habits cost nothing but attention. Which one are you going to try first – drop it in the comments below.
