A video of a woman’s discreet way of securing her spot at a dining venue has gone viral on TikTok.
The clip was posted by @ayeshapat and has garnered 1.2 million views since it was shared on June 10.
A message overlaid on the clip reads: “POV [point of view]: claiming your table at an all-inclusive vacation.”
The clip shows a woman walking towards a table in an outdoor dining setting. She stops in front of the table and puts down what appears to be a reusable water bottle on it.
She briefly sits down in a chair at the table before springing back up immediately. The woman casually walks away, while leaving the water bottle behind on the table, and is seen giggling before the clip ends.
The viral post comes as U.S. hotel occupancy is projected to reach 63.6 percent in 2024, 3.4 percent shy of the 65.8 percent reported in 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic, marking “a significant improvement” over 2020’s historic low of 43.8 percent, according to the 2024 State of the Industry report by the American Hotel and Lodging Association.
More than a third (36 percent) of those surveyed said that the breakfast, restaurant, or bar experience was among the top three things that would lead them to write a positive review of a hotel. The cleanliness of the room and property as well as staff interactions were among the top reasons that they’d leave a negative review, the survey found.
Travel is expected to hit “record highs” in 2024, with global tourism spending projected to reach $2 trillion, driven by leisure demand, according to a December 2023 survey by Euromonitor International, the market research firm.
Travelers say they’ll cut down on other areas of personal spending to prioritize leisure travel this year, according to a survey of over 10,000 travelers across nine countries, conducted by Ipsos and the Hilton hotel group.
‘Why Do We Do This’
TikTok users were amused by the vacation ritual that played out in the viral video, with several admitting they can relate to it.
User mrs_r_bilton91 asked: “Why do we do this. It’s usually my shades on the table to secure it.”
Dodowales asked, “Is that wrong?” Cheeky Chimp noted, “Doesn’t everyone.”
SeriXDre wrote: “I don’t even sit down” Roshan Ebanks simply said: “Hahahahhahaa.”
Newsweek has contacted the original poster for comment via TikTok. This video has not been independently verified.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.