When people travel, they divide into two groups before they leave town. Some people like to have a strenuous time on the road. At least these people – this is the harmless version – take care of breakfast and making the bed themselves, even during the holidays. The more hard-core people shoulder a backpack and cross entire mountains.
The others, however, like to take it easy on the road. You use significantly more services on vacation than in everyday life. Because they appreciate it when others take care of the annoying things for at least two or three weeks a year. And you can make yourself comfortable in the meantime. On a pool lounger, for example.
But as we all know, they are a vexing topic. It’s hard to believe given the hotel complex with six pools and around 500 loungers all around. But a German vacationing family almost never found a free lounger on Rhodes – let alone several for the entire family. Not in the morning, not at lunch, not in the afternoon. Not on Tuesday, not on Wednesday, not on Thursday.
However, there were very few loungers where other holidaymakers were basking in the sun. Instead there were towels or bathing bags on them. Mine!, these belongings signal. And: coming straight away!! But mostly no one came. Not after ten minutes, not after half an hour – the hotel rules would have allowed that – not even after several hours.
The hotel guest without a bed therefore moved into the group of travelers who are not afraid of effort. He didn’t become a househusband, but he did become a caretaker. One of those who can’t get to work because of all the controls. He strictly recorded the other vacationers’ violations of the pool paragraph of the house rules and lodged complaints time and time again at the hotel reception.
That didn’t bring him and his family any closer to a place on a lounger. Because the hotel staff did nothing about this matter. The Hanover District Court has now assessed this as a serious omission on the part of the tour operator. If there are enough loungers available, but they are actually not usable because other hotel guests have reserved them contrary to the rules of conduct without using them, the tour operator is obliged to intervene. The court also noted that it was not the holidaymakers’ responsibility to remove other people’s towels on their own.
A possibly groundbreaking judgment that would cost tour operators in Summer dearly: if it sets a precedent because there are enough meticulously collecting evidence and willing to sue vacationers, which one can hardly doubt. The court reduced the travel price by more than 300 euros. By the way, enough money to buy your own lounger that no one will dispute with you.
Stefan Fischer prefers swimming to just lying by the water. He prefers beach chairs anyway.
(Photo: Bernd Schifferdecker (illustration))