Overview
- A district court in Hanover found the family’s package holiday was defective and ordered a €986.70 (about £850) refund to the customer.
- The father said that during an August 2024 stay on Kos, most loungers were reserved with towels before dawn despite a hotel ban, leaving his children on the floor and the family searching 20 minutes each morning for four seats together.
- Judges said a tour operator that does not run the hotel must still ensure a reasonable ratio of sunbeds to guests and an on-site system that prevents towel reservations from blocking access.
- The tour operator, which was not named in proceedings, had previously offered €350, and the family’s package cost €7,186.
- The decision highlights recurring “sunbed wars” across European resorts, with some places such as Calpe in Spain warning of fines for early reservations.