Originally Posted by Colin

The hotel industry has gone crazy on their pool-side cabana rental schemes.

First, the pricing is so high that the vast majority of cabanas remain available.
Examples include Andaz Maui in winter and Aria mid-week summer at ~$400/d for basic cabanas.
Hardly any are rented.

Second, the all-day-only rental policy sucks.
Don't most people on vacation want to enjoy a cabana for a few hours on maybe a couple of days during a multi-day vacation?
It's not an option to spend $50 for 2 hours - you pay $400 for the whole day or it will just sit empty.

Yes, there are exceptions.
Some resorts like Baha Mar are often fully booked at the above prices and full-day rule.

But overall, hotels seem to be pricing cabanas the way airlines priced domestic first class in the 80s & 90s.
Wouldn't it be better to maximize revenue by reducing the price so that only 10% remain unrented to accommodate walk-ups?
Wouldn't it be smart to cater to guests not wanting to spend the whole damn day at the pool?

My thought would be to have a food & beverage minimum per hour, charged by the cocktail waiter, for the actual time consumed.
Easy & customer focused.