A hotel in Greece has been ordered to pay compensation to a family of German holidaymakers because they couldn’t find any sun loungers in the morning.
Managers at the hotel in Rhodes have been operating a strict no-hogging policy that meant guests who put down towels in their 500 beds had to use them within 30 minutes.
But now they’ve been ordered to pay GBP 280 to German holidaymakers who told Hanover District Court they’d been unable to get any loungers one morning.
The plaintiffs, who spent EUR 5,260 (GBP 4,532) on the break last summer, told the court that staff at the TUI Kids Club Atlantica Mikri Poli hotel failed to implement the policy.
That meant, they said, that on one morning they’d been unable to find loungers around any of the resort’s six pools.
Judges ruled that the hotel, operated by German travel giants TUI, had deprived the family of a portion of their holiday and ordered them to pay them EUR 323 (GBP 278) .
It was estimated at about seven per cent of the cost of their stay.
The family had initially demanded EUR 798 (GBP 687) in compensation from TUI, local media reported on 4th January.
Both parties can still appeal the verdict of the trial and the ruling is not yet legally binding.
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German holidaymakers are notorious for rising before dawn to claim loungers by putting a towel on them and then going back to bed.
The tactics have become so hostile that many hotels now use timers to limit lounger time. And hire security guards equipped with warning whistles.
The TUI Kids Club Atlantica Mikri Poli complex has a 7.8/10 rating on Trivago.
It promises on its website: “Fun and entertainment for the whole family. The different pools and our aqua park are among our many highlights.”
TUI is headquartered in Berlin and Hanover. This is why the trial took place in the latter city.
TUI is one of the biggest holiday enterprises in the world. The company, which runs hotels, travel offices and an airline, served 21 million guests in 2021.
TUI has more than 61,000 employees.
Greece is the sixth-most popular vacation destination abroad for Germans. The ranking is topped by Spain, Italy and Turkey.
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Story By: Thomas Hochwarter, Sub-Editor: Michael Leidig, Agency: Newsflash
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