A German tourist has won over 900 euros in compensation after he was unable to secure a sunbed by the pool during a family holiday in Greece because other guests were "reserving" them with towels, writes the BBC.
The man, whose identity has not been made public, had spent his holidays with his wife and two children on the Greek island of Kos in 2024. He claimed that he spent around 20 minutes every day looking for a free sunbed, even though he woke up at 06:00 in the morning.
He then sued the tour operator, arguing that the hotel was not enforcing the rule against reserving sunbeds with towels and that holidaymakers were "blocking" them for hours.
The Hanover court ruled in favor of the family, calling the vacation "deficient" and ordering a larger refund for the tour package.
The family had initially paid 7.186 euros for the vacation, while the tour company had only offered 350 euros in compensation. However, the court ruled that they should receive a total of 986.70 euros in damages.
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According to the judges, even though the operator did not directly manage the hotel, it had an obligation to ensure a reasonable arrangement of sun loungers for guests.
The phenomenon known as "sunbed wars" has become common in tourist destinations, where vacationers lay out towels early in the morning to "reserve" a spot by the pool.
