German man wins €900 refund after suing tour operator over towel-reserved sun loungers in Greece

Holidaymakers have described to the BBC how some hotels and resorts are clamping down on guests reserving sun loungers with towels, following a man's successful lawsuit against his tour operator.

Last week, the man sued the operator for permitting the practice during his family's 2024 holiday. He claimed he spent 20 minutes each day searching for a sun lounger, even though he rose at 6 a.m. every morning to catch some sun.

Judges at a district court in Hanover awarded his family a €900 (£850) refund this week.

In comments to the Daily Mail, he called the ruling a "warning" to tour operators and hotels that permit what is known as a "dawn dash."

Some hotels now assign sunbeds at check-in to address the so-called "sunbed wars."

The man had paid €7,186 (£6,211) for the package holiday to Kos, a Greek island, with his wife and two children.

He argued in court that the tour operator failed to enforce the resort's ban on towel reservations. Loungers remained unavailable even at 6 a.m., forcing his children to lie on the floor.

The operator had initially refunded €350 (£302), but Hanover judges ruled the family deserved €986.70 (£852.89).

The judges noted the company did not operate the hotel and could not guarantee sunbed access for every guest at all times. Still, they said the operator must ensure an organizational setup for a "reasonable" ratio of sunbeds to guests.

David Eggert, a 48-year-old pilot and father of two from Dusseldorf, told the Daily Mail on Sunday that the hotel was large and upscale, with about 400 loungers. "And all 400 loungers had towels on them," he said. "The people were not actually using the loungers, and the guests went into town or went back to bed and slept."

He described it as a "very, very important ruling."

"When the holiday season starts in June and July and people face the same problem, they will say: 'Look, somebody sued a tour operator over this. I'll do the same,'" he said. "If thousands of holidaymakers start suing travel companies, the costs will run into the millions."

Other vacationers have reported similar problems to the BBC since the ruling became public this week.

Andrew Mills from Newcastle said he spent most days away from the pool during a trip to Zante last year because sunbeds were reserved with towels by 6 a.m.

Another traveler just back from Antalya, Turkey, said the early towel reservations took the shine out of the holiday.

Some resorts have introduced fixes. Visitors to two holiday camps on France's Mediterranean coast said staff sound a horn twice a day; if no one is at the lounger, items go to lost property.

One man described a hotel in Protaras, Cyprus, as "very strict" about "sunbed tenants" who reserve a lounger for the entire stay and notify the hotel of any spot changes.

Colin Davison, 73, from Newcastle-upon-Tyne, called a similar sun lounger allocation system at a Paphos, Cyprus, resort "brilliant." The hotel website states guests receive a sunbed at check-in and can request a preferred spot, assigned with fairness and attentiveness; changes are allowed.

Ashley Herman from Watford told the BBC that at a Cyprus hotel, numbered parasols are allocated at the start, one per two people. Sunbeds flank each parasol, so a family of four gets two parasols and four beds.