Italy's Supreme Court Rules Hotels Not Obligated to Serve Tap Water

Rome. Italy's Supreme Court has ruled that a five-star hotel's refusal to serve tap water to customers is lawful. This case is related to Hotel Sassongher in Italy's Dolomites region.

During the 2019 ski season, a female tourist asked for tap water in the hotel's restaurant. But the waiter only gave her bottled mineral water costing 7 Euros.

The woman claimed that denying her tap water, stating that water is a natural resource and a universal human right, was against consumer rights. She filed a lawsuit against the hotel demanding 2,700 Euros in compensation for mental anguish and financial loss.

However, Italy's Supreme Court rejected her demand, ruling that Italian law does not compel hotels or restaurants to provide free tap water to customers. According to the court, the decision to provide tap water or not falls within the rights of the respective business.

According to the hotel's lawyer Silvio Bellardi, the court concluded that providing tap water is not a mandatory obligation. The woman had argued that tap water is a basic part of hotel service, claiming it to be a normal service like having a blanket on the bed in the room or soap in the bathroom.