Germany: Holidaymaker wins €1,000 in ‘sunlounger wars’

The man, who holidayed with his wife and two children on the island of Kos in 2024, told Hanover district court that he woke early each morning to search unsuccessfully for available loungers.

Despite carrying out what he described as a daily 20-minute “dawn dash”, he said he was never able to claim a spot and his children were forced to lie on concrete around the pool area.

The family had paid more than €7,000 for the package holiday. Although the hotel offered a partial refund after complaints were made, the court ruled that the German tour operator was liable and awarded the family €986.

The judgment is a rare legal intervention in the long-running European “towel wars” or or handtuchkriege, in which holidaymakers reserve poolside loungers by leaving towels unattended for extended periods.

The tourist told the court that neither the hotel nor the operator had enforced rules intended to prevent “towel blocking”.

The judge said that while guests could not expect guaranteed access to loungers at all times, tour operators were responsible for ensuring a “reasonable” ratio between sunbeds and holidaymakers and for preventing disputes arising between guests.

The court also noted that holidaymakers should not be expected to resolve such conflicts themselves by removing other people’s towels.