German Tourist Wins €987 Refund Over Towel-Reservations at Greek Resort

A German tourist won a payout exceeding €900 after he could not secure a sun lounger at his Greek resort because other guests reserved them with towels.

The unidentified man vacationed in Greece with his family in 2024. He said he spent 20 minutes each day searching for a lounger, even though they got up at 6 a.m.

He sued the tour operator for permitting the reservation practice, which made the sunbeds unusable so often. Judges at a Hanover district court sided with him. They ruled the family of four deserved a bigger refund on their package holiday because it was defective.

The man originally paid €7,186 to take his wife and two children to Kos, a Greek island.

In court, he argued the operator failed to enforce the resort's ban on towel reservations and did not challenge guests who reserved loungers that way. He said loungers remained unavailable even when his family rose at 6 a.m., forcing his children to lie on the floor.

The operator had offered an initial refund of €350. But the Hanover judges ordered €986.70 instead.

The court stated the travel company did not operate the hotel and could not guarantee every customer a sunbed at all times. Still, the operator had a duty to ensure an organizational setup that provided a reasonable ratio of sunbeds to guests.

Many tourists face sunbed wars or dawn dashes on vacation, the habit of claiming loungers with towels. Last year, social media videos showed holidaymakers in Tenerife sleeping on loungers to hold poolside spots.

Some tour companies fight the practice. Thomas Cook lets tourists pre-book poolside spots for an extra fee.