A German tourist won a court case against a tour operator after being unable to find any free sun loungers during a holiday in Greece. Even though the family woke up at 6 am, all the spots by the pool had already been taken, with towels left by other guests. This meant the kids had to lie on the floor. The court in Hanover said the holiday was ‘substandard’ and told the tour operator to make sure the hotel had a good system for allocating sun loungers. So, the traveller got €1,000 as compensation.
Many tourists find it really annoying when holidaymakers book sun loungers and towels in advance at hotel pools or on beaches.
But one German tourist wasn’t having any of it and took the tour operator to court for not providing his family with sun loungers during their holiday in Greece, according to The Mirror.
It’s worth mentioning that the man was on holiday on the Greek island of Kos in 2024 with his wife and two kids. He complained to the court in Hanover, Germany, that even when he woke up at 6 am, he couldn’t find a free sun lounger because other tourists had reserved them with towels the night before. So, his kids had to lie on the floor.
The guy accused the tour operator of not making sure the hotel had a good system in place for allocating sun loungers. This was so that tourists couldn’t book one in advance and then leave the hotel for a few hours.
After hearing both sides, the judge said the family of four was entitled to some of their money back for the package holiday, which they’d paid €7,186 for. The judge said the holiday was ‘substandard’.
The court said that even though the tour operator didn’t manage the hotel, it had to make sure there was a system in place to make sure there were enough sun loungers for the number of guests.
The tour operator had agreed to a refund of €350, but the court decided the man should get €1,000 instead.