Tourist wins hefty payout after losing 'dawn dash' race for holiday sun lounger

A German father has won a legal battle against a tour operator after his family holiday on the Greek island of Kos was spoilt by the rampant reservation of sun loungers.

The anonymous man had spent €7,186 (£6,206.66) on a package trip for himself, his wife and their two children at a large hotel in August 2024.

Despite the hotel maintaining an explicit ban on guests claiming sunbeds with towels at the crack of dawn, the rule was routinely ignored.

Even rising at 6am proved futile for the family, who found most loungers already claimed.

When they sought assistance, hotel staff refused to intervene on their behalf.

The family was forced to spend up to 20 minutes each day hunting for somewhere all four could sit together, with the children frequently having to lie on the ground instead.

A Hanover district court sided with the holidaymaker, ordering a refund of €986.70 (£852.09) after the tour operator had initially offered a mere €350 (£302).

The judges determined the package holiday was "defective", as it failed to deliver the "character" the customer was contractually entitled to expect.

While the travel company bore no responsibility for hotel operations and was not required to guarantee sunbed access at all times, it was obligated to ensure provision of a "reasonable" ratio of loungers to guests.

The practice of early-morning towel placement, commonly dubbed the "dawn dash", proves contentious among holidaymakers of all nationalities.

Polling indicates nearly 66 per cent of German tourists consider the behaviour distatsteful, with 14 per cent admitting they have removed towels left to reserve spots.

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Perceptions of who bears responsibility varies considerably, as British tourists surveyed identified their own compatriots as the primary offenders.

Meanwhile, a separate poll of German holidaymakers published last summer found 71 per cent believed towel reservation was a "predominantly German" custom.

While most holiday destinations are loose on sunbed reservation restrictions, one local council in the Spanish seaside town of Calpe threatened €250 (£215) fines to holidaymakers trying to reserve early-morning spaces on the beach.

Sunbed wars are an evergreen event across Spain, where one incident in May last year saw two men in Benidorm photographed lying by their hotel pool on as many as three loungers piled on top of one another.

Hotel pools are not the only place holidaymakers will run into this problem, as private beaches are an increasing problem for tourists across Europe.

Although all beaches in France are technically free to access, some of the best sections of the Côte d’Azur have been snatched up by big-budget beach clubs, charging for admission to the prime spots.

In Italy, about half of the coastline is leased by private operators, and in some parts of the country including Liguria on the Riviera, it’s estimated about 70 per cent of the coast is occupied by private clubs that can cost a small fortune to access.

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