Resorts Across Europe Scramble To Stop Pool Chair Towel Hogs - After Court Rules Missing Loungers Mean Refunds

Key Points:

• A German family successfully sued their tour operator after their hotel in Kos, Greece, failed to provide adequate usable pool loungers, despite having many loungers and a no-reservation policy; the court ruled this constituted a travel defect under German package travel law.
• The court ordered the tour operator to pay €986.70 in compensation, emphasizing that guests should reasonably expect hotel amenities like loungers to be practically usable, not just theoretically available.
• The ruling holds tour operators responsible for ensuring an appropriate ratio of guests to usable loungers, even if the hotel is technically the service provider, and that guests should not have to remove towels placed by others.
• This case has prompted European resorts to reconsider policies on sun-lounger availability, including stricter enforcement of no-reservation rules, removal of unattended towels, increasing lounger supply, and introducing reservable chairs.
• Critics argue that early morning “lounger wars” and strict reservation systems undermine the relaxation aspect of vacations, turning resorts into stressful “resort factories” where guests must compete aggressively for basic amenities.