Tourist demanded 2700 euros over refusal to serve tap water but lost the court case
The highest court in Italy ruled that a five-star hotel in the Dolomite Alps acted lawfully when it refused to provide a tourist with tap water.
A woman from Rome tried to prove in court that "water is a natural resource and a universal human right" after, during the 2019 ski season, a waiter at the restaurant of the five-star Hotel Sassongher in the town of Corvara offered her only bottled mineral water for 7 euros instead of tap water.
However, the court rejected her claim for 2700 euros in compensation for alleged moral suffering and economic damages, reports BBC.
Hotel lawyer Silvio Belardi told the newspaper Corriere Alto Adige that the court concluded: "There is no obligation to serve tap water."
According to the lawyer, the lawsuit was initially dismissed by a court in Rome, then by an appellate court, and later by the Court of Cassation, which ultimately sided with the hotel.
The tourist claimed that her consumer rights were violated due to the staff's refusal to fulfill her request to serve tap water. In her opinion, this is an integral part of hotel service, just like having bed linen on the bed or soap in the bathroom.
Meanwhile, hotel representatives emphasized that the policy of the establishment, like many other high-class restaurants, is to serve only sealed bottled water at the table.
"The woman claimed to have suffered harm, including financial and moral. However, these claims were rejected due to lack of evidence," Belardi noted.
The judges established that Italian law does not require restaurants or hotels to provide visitors with free tap water. The decision to serve it remains at the discretion of the specific establishment.
The lawyer also noted that hotel guests could freely obtain tap water within the hotel itself, though not in the restaurant.
At the same time, different rules apply in the United Kingdom: establishments licensed to sell alcohol in England and Wales are required to provide drinking water free of charge upon request.
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