German tourist awarded €1,000 after losing out on sunloungers at Greek hotel

A German tourist has been awarded €986.70 by a Hanover district court after his family was unable to secure sunloungers at their hotel on the Greek island of Kos in 2024. The man, who paid over €7,000 for the holiday, stated that despite waking early daily, he and his children were unable to find available loungers, with his children forced to lie on concrete. The court found the German tour operator responsible, ruling that they failed to ensure a reasonable system for sun lounger availability, despite the hotel's rules against "towel blocking." This ruling highlights the tour operator's liability under package travel laws for issues arising at the hotel.

A German tourist has successfully sued his tour operator for over €900 after being unable to secure sun loungers during a 2024 holiday in Greece. The man argued that the resort's failure to enforce its ban on reserving loungers with towels rendered them unusable, despite waking at 06:00 daily. His family, including two children, were reportedly forced to lie on the floor due to the unavailability of loungers. A district court in Hanover ruled in his favor, deeming the package holiday "defective" and awarding the family a refund of €986.70 on their initial €7,186 payment. The tour operator had previously offered a partial refund of €350.