In a victory for private property rights and common sense, Italy's Supreme Court has ruled that a high-end hotel acted entirely within its rights when it refused to provide a tourist with free tap water.
The woman, who visited the five-star Hotel Sassongher during the 2019 ski season, attempted to sue for €2,700 in damages, absurdly claiming that her consumer rights were violated because the restaurant only offered bottled mineral water.
The court rightfully rejected her claims, noting that no Italian law mandates that private venues must supply tap water to guests. The hotel's legal team successfully argued that the establishment's policy, common among luxury venues, is to serve only sealed, bottled water at the table.
The judges dismissed the woman's claims of financial and moral harm due to a complete lack of evidence. While some jurisdictions, such as England and Wales, impose government mandates on businesses to provide free water, the Italian court correctly affirmed that such decisions remain the prerogative of individual business owners.
The tourist’s attempt to equate a restaurant’s beverage policy to a failure of basic service was exposed as nothing more than a baseless grievance.
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