Are Restaurants Obliged to Serve Water to Guests for Free: The Case Reached the Supreme Court of Italy
Are restaurants obliged to serve visitors tap water for free? In Italy, this question reached the highest judicial authority. The cause was a conflict between a tourist and a luxury hotel in the Dolomite Alps, where the woman was offered only bottled mineral water for 7 euros instead of regular water.
After several years of legal proceedings, the Supreme Court of Italy put an end to the case and effectively confirmed the right of establishments to independently determine the rules of guest service.
The incident occurred during the 2019 ski season in the restaurant of the five-star Hotel Sassongher in the resort town of Corvara. A tourist from Rome asked to be served regular tap drinking water, but the waiter offered only bottled mineral water.
After that, the woman went to court. She stated that "water is a natural resource and a universal human right," and the establishment's refusal violated her consumer rights.
The woman also argued that serving drinking water should be part of basic service—just like clean bedding or soap in the bathroom.
In her lawsuit, she demanded 2,700 euros in compensation for moral and material damages. However, courts at all levels, including the Supreme Court of Italy, denied her claims.
The hotel's lawyer, Silvio Belardi, explained to the BBC that the establishment's policy provides for serving only sealed bottled water in the restaurant—as in many expensive hotels.
According to him, the court concluded that Italian law does not require restaurants or hotels to serve tap water to visitors for free.
The judges also noted that the decision whether to serve such water to guests remains at the discretion of the establishment itself.
The lawyer emphasized: if guests wanted to use tap water, they could do so within the hotel itself, but not directly in the restaurant.
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