August M
A German holidaymaker has won compensation after claiming his family struggled daily to find sun loungers during a package holiday in Greece.
DR News reported that a court in Hanover ruled the family’s trip to the island of Kos was “defective” because there were not enough loungers available for guests at the hotel.
Family frustration
According to the BBC, the man told the court he woke up at 6am each morning during the 2024 holiday in an attempt to secure poolside chairs for his family.
Despite the early starts, he reportedly spent around 20 minutes every day searching for free loungers.
The tourist also claimed his children were sometimes forced to lie on the ground because no chairs were available.
Court increases payout
DR News reported that the travel agency initially offered the family compensation of €350.
However, the Hanover court later increased the amount to €986 after deciding the hotel had failed to provide a reasonable number of loungers for guests.
According to the BBC, the court accepted that hotels cannot guarantee every guest a chair at all times, but ruled they still have a responsibility to provide sufficient facilities.
Expensive holiday
The family had reportedly paid more than €7,100 for the package holiday covering two adults and two children.
The dispute reflects a wider problem often referred to online as “sunbed wars”, where tourists compete for loungers at popular resorts.
DR News noted that videos from destinations including Tenerife and Benidorm have shown holidaymakers reserving chairs early in the morning or even sleeping on them overnight.
Resorts fight back
Some travel companies and tourist destinations have started introducing measures aimed at limiting the problem.
According to DR News, travel operator Thomas Cook now allows customers to reserve loungers online for an additional fee.
Several regions in Spain have also introduced fines of up to roughly €240 for tourists who reserve sunbeds and then leave them unattended.
Sources: DR News, BBC.
