German Tourist Wins €987 Refund After Failing to Secure Sun Loungers on Greek Package Holiday

A German tourist has won a payout of more than €900 after he was unable to secure a sun lounger due to other guests reserving them with towels. The man, who has not been identified, was on holiday in Greece with his family in 2024. He spent 20 minutes a day trying to find a sun lounger, despite waking up at 06:00 each morning in an attempt to secure one, BBC News reported.

He sued his tour operator for allowing guests to reserve sun loungers with towels despite a hotel ban on the practice. The tourist argued that even when his family rose at 06:00, loungers were unavailable and his children were forced to lie on the floor.

He added that his tour operator failed to enforce the resort's ban on towel reserving and did not confront guests engaging in the practice, according to court arguments reported by BBC News.

Judges at a district court in Hanover ruled in the tourist's favour. The family of four was entitled to a larger refund on their package holiday because it was ruled defective. The man had paid €7,186 to take his wife and two children on the package holiday to Kos, Greece.

The tour operator initially paid a refund of €350. 70. The court determined that although the travel company did not run the hotel, the operator had an obligation to ensure an organisational structure guaranteeing a reasonable ratio of sunbeds to guests.

The ruling highlights a practice many tourists encounter, often called sunbed wars or the dawn dash, in which loungers are claimed early with towels and then left empty for hours. BBC News reported that last year videos showed holidaymakers in Tenerife sleeping on sun loungers overnight to hold poolside spots.

Some tour companies have responded by offering pre-booked poolside spots for an extra fee, while authorities in parts of Spain have imposed fines of up to €250 for the practice.