Civil Code

The Greek Civil Code of 1946 includes regulations on the rights and obligations of hoteliers as well as and hotel guests (articles 834 – 838). These regulations specify among others that:

• The hotelier is responsible for any damage, destruction or removal of objects brought in the hotel by the guests, unless the damage is due to the negligence of the guests themselves, their visitors, companions or aides, to the nature of the object itself or reasons beyond the power of the hotelier.
• The liability of the hotelier is limited to a certain amount per guest for damage or loss of money or valuables.
• The guest’s claim on any damage or removal is void if the claim is not made promptly .
• The hotelier can legally use part of the objects brought by the guest to the hotel as warranty for claims on accommodation and related services provided by the hotel and not compensated by the guest.

Code on the relations between hotel guests and hoteliers (1652/1986)

Regulations of relations between hotel guests and hoteliers (Code of relations) were initially drafted as decision of the secretary general of the Greek National Tourism Organization, No. 503007 / 76 and were later modified in the decision of the secretary general of the Greek National Tourism Organization, Nr. 535813/79. The regulation was ratified as law by the Greek Parliament within Article 8 of Law No. 1652/1986. The above law regulates aspects of daily relationships between hoteliers and individual guests or tourists travelling in groups organized in tourist packages. Among others, the regulations specify that:

• The hotelier is obliged to rent the rooms of the hotel and to offer all advertised services to any guest that requests them, with some exceptions (for instance if the guest is obviously drunk).
• The hotelier can request a deposit up to 25% of the total cost of the guest’s stay, which is calculated as agreed days of stay X daily price.
• Every room includes a poster with the hotel’s prices.
• On the day of departure, the guest should leave the room by 12 noon. They can agree with the hotelier to keep the room longer if it available. If the stay is extended until sometime before 18.00 pm, the guest should pay a supplement that amounts to half the cost of daily price. If the stay is extended after 18.00 pm, then the guest should pay the full sum of a day’s price to the hotelier.
• The price of a double room equals the price of a twin bedded room, as long as the room is officially characterized as double.
• If a double room is used by a single person, then the guest is charged 80% of the regular double room price, provided that this sum is no smaller than the price of a single room in the same hotel.

Addition of an extra bed in a single or double room increases the price of the room by 20%.