How hotels are stopping the 'dawn dash' for sunbeds after man wins payout

Key Points:

• A man successfully sued his tour operator for allowing the practice of reserving sun loungers with towels, receiving a €900 refund after spending significant time trying to find available loungers during a family holiday in Kos, Greece.
• The district court in Hanover ruled that while the tour operator did not run the hotel, it had an obligation to ensure an organizational system providing a reasonable ratio of sunbeds to guests, highlighting the issue known as "sunbed wars" or "dawn dash."
• Following the ruling, some hotels and resorts are implementing stricter sunbed allocation policies, such as assigning loungers at check-in, removing unattended items, and allocating sunbeds fairly for the entire holiday to prevent early morning towel reservations.
• Holidaymakers from various destinations, including Zante and Antalya, have reported similar frustrations with sunbed reservations, prompting calls for more effective management to enhance guest experience.
• Innovative solutions at resorts in Cyprus and France include numbered parasols, allocated sunbeds per guest or family, and enforced policies that remove items if guests are not present, which have been praised by visitors for reducing conflicts over sun loungers.