• Legal dispute over overcrowded resort loungers
• Court holds travel company liable for poor facility management

A German tourist has won more than €900 in compensation after being unable to find a poolside sunbed in Greece, as other guests reserved them early by placing towels on them.

The unnamed man was on holiday with his family on a Greek island in 2024, saying he would wake up at 6 a.m. and spend around 20 minutes daily trying unsuccessfully to secure a sunbed.

He filed a lawsuit against the travel company that organised the trip, accusing it of allowing the practice of reserving loungers and failing to enforce the hotel’s ban, leaving sunbeds unavailable most of the time.

He noted that his children were sometimes forced to lie on the ground due to a lack of available seating.

The company had already paid €350 in compensation, but a court in Hanover ruled that the family was entitled to a higher amount of €986.70, describing the holiday as “ruined” due to poor organisation.

The court stressed that travel operators, even if not directly managing the hotel, are responsible for ensuring a reasonable balance between guest numbers and available facilities.

The practice of reserving sunbeds with towels—often referred to as “sunbed wars”—is a common issue in resorts, with some countries introducing rules or fines to curb it.