A German tourist has succeeded in having the justice system in his country rule in his favor after reporting the difficulties he faced in getting a sunbed during his family vacation in Greece. The man, whose identity has not been disclosed, received financial compensation of over 900 euros after a court considered that the travel conditions were not adequate according to the package he had booked through an agency, which had cost him over 7,000 euros.
The trip took place in August 2024 on the Greek island of Kos, where the tourist stayed with his wife and two children in a holiday resort booked through a tour package. As explained in front of the court in Hannover, every morning the family had to spend around 20 minutes searching for available sunbeds around the pool, as many were occupied only with towels placed by other guests.
The affected person stated that the hotel expressly prohibited reserving sunbeds in that way, but he reported that neither the establishment nor the tour operator enforced the rule. Even getting up at six in the morning, he claimed, it was practically impossible to find a spot, to the extent that his children ended up lying on the floor most days.
The German justice system concluded that the operator had the obligation to ensure a reasonable organization of space and to ensure that there was an adequate ratio of sunbeds to customers. Although it acknowledged that the company did not directly manage the hotel nor could guarantee a sunbed for each guest at all times, the court considered that the holiday experience had clearly been compromised.
The controversy over the so-called "sunbed wars" is common in numerous European tourist destinations. The practice of reserving sunbeds with towels even before dawn has become a frequent scene in hotels and resorts. In some Spanish destinations, authorities have already warned of possible fines for those who occupy sunbeds for hours without using them, while some travel agencies have started offering advance sunbed reservations by the pool for an additional fee.