Italy's Top Court Upholds Hotel's Right to Refuse Tap Water, Rejects €2,700 Tourist Claim
Updated
Updated · BBC.com · May 27
Italy's Top Court Upholds Hotel's Right to Refuse Tap Water, Rejects €2,700 Tourist Claim
5 articles · Updated · BBC.com · May 27
Italy's Supreme Court ruled the five-star Hotel Sassongher acted lawfully when it refused to serve tap water to a diner and instead offered €7 bottled mineral water.
Judges rejected the tourist's €2,700 claim for emotional and economic damages, finding Italian laws do not require restaurants or hotels to provide tap water on request.
The woman, whose identity was not disclosed, had argued water is a universal right and that tap water should be part of basic hotel service, like bed linen or bathroom soap.
The case stemmed from a 2019 visit to the Dolomites hotel in Corvara and clarifies that, in Italy, serving tap water remains at the discretion of individual venues.
That contrasts with England and Wales, where licensed venues are legally required to provide free drinking water when customers ask.
Can luxury hotels legally refuse tap water while also claiming to be sustainable?
When does the human right to water end and a hotel's right to sell it for €7 begin?