German Tourist Wins in Court Over Greece Sunbed Towel Grab
A German tourist has won over 986 euros in compensation from his travel agency after sunbeds at his Greek holiday resort were reserved with towels every morning before he could get to them, a court in Hanover ruled last week.
David Eggert, a 48-year-old pilot from Düsseldorf, paid 7,186 euros for a family holiday package on the Greek island of Kos in 2024. He told the court that all 400 sunbeds at the large luxury hotel were covered with towels by 6 a.m. every day, even though many of the guests who claimed them had gone into town or gone back to sleep. His children were left lying on the floor.
Eggert had initially received a 350-euro partial refund from the travel agency, but judges ruled the family was entitled to the full 986.70 euros. The court found that while the agency did not operate the hotel, it still had an obligation to ensure a system guaranteeing a reasonable ratio of sunbeds per guest was in place.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, Eggert described the ruling as a warning to other travel agencies and hotels that allow what he called the "dawn dash." He predicted that if thousands of holidaymakers start suing their travel companies over the same issue, costs could run into the millions.
The ruling appears to already be having an effect. Several resorts have reportedly begun dropping the towel-reservation practice since the decision became public. A hotel in Protaras, Cyprus, and another in Paphos were cited by BBC interviewees as examples where resorts now assign sunbeds at check-in for the entire stay.
Other tourists told the BBC they faced the same problem elsewhere. Andrew Mills from Newcastle said sunbeds at his Zakynthos resort last year were all claimed with towels from 6 a.m., forcing him to spend most days away from the pool.
