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German Court Awards Tourist €986.70 Over Sunbed Shortage on Package Holiday

Hanover judges found package-holiday rules make the tour operator responsible for a reasonable lounger supply.

Overview

  • The ruling increased a previous partial refund to €986.70 after a family’s August 2024 stay at a Kos resort where early towel reservations left pool loungers effectively unavailable.
  • The court said the package was defective because the trip did not deliver the promised character of a relaxing resort stay when loungers could not be used.
  • Judges held that, although the operator did not run the hotel, it had to ensure an organisational system that kept a reasonable ratio of loungers to guests.
  • The family had paid €7,186 for an 11‑day trip and reported 6 a.m. starts, 20‑minute daily searches, and children lying on the ground as staff declined to intervene.
  • Coverage links the case to the wider European “sunbed wars,” noting weak rule enforcement and local crackdowns such as threatened fines in Spain’s Calpe.