The holiday chaos is over. Hotels have had enough. Tourists furious
After the loud verdict of the German court regarding the “decker wars”, hotels in Europe are introducing new rules. In this way, they want to avoid disputes and complaints.
Not long ago, the so-called The “deck wars” were treated mainly as holiday anecdotes. Today, they are increasingly becoming a real problem affecting hotel ratings and the level of guest satisfaction.
New rules in hotels in Europe after a loud verdict
After a loud ruling by a German court, which awarded a family compensation for not being able to use hotel loungers during their holidays, the tourism industry began to introduce new organizational solutions.
The case, which was publicized in the German media, concerns the judgment of the court in Hannover. A tourist vacationing with his family on the Greek island of Kos sued the trip organizer, claiming that despite getting up early every day, he did not have access to sun loungers by the pool, which were previously “reserved” with towels by other guests. The court found that the organizer should have provided an appropriate number of sun loungers in relation to the number of tourists and granted the family a partial refund.
The discussion also moved to the Internet, where users commented on the matter en masse. There are demands for strict enforcement of the rules, as well as more radical opinions about guests “solving the problem” on their own.
As a result, more and more hotels and travel agencies are moving away from the “first come, first served” principle and are considering pool seating systems to avoid similar disputes in the future. Some resorts are testing deckchair reservation systems for the entire stay or specific days.
Holidays 2026. Hotels are introducing new rules around swimming pools
In Cyprus, some hotels have introduced numbered sun loungers and umbrellas, which are assigned to guests upon check-in. Other facilities use controls: if a place remains unused for a long time, the staff removes the towels left behind and gives them to the reception.
Tourism market experts emphasize that the problem does not only concern the comfort of rest, but also the compliance of the offer with the expectations created by advertising and promotional materials. In the case of resort hotels, the lack of real access to infrastructure, such as a swimming pool or sun loungers, may lead to complaints, lower ratings and legal disputes.
The tourism industry is therefore closely watching whether the German ruling will be the beginning of broader changes across Europe.
