If you thought five star luxury meant getting whatever you want, Italy’s highest court has some very expensive news for your holiday plans. A tourist from Rome recently discovered that spending big money at a posh mountain resort does not even guarantee you a free glass of tap water. The Italian Supreme Court ruled that a exclusive hotel acted entirely within the law when a waiter refused a guest’s humble request for tap water, offering her a seven euro bottle of mineral water instead.
The Great Dolomites Water Drama
The incident unfolded at the luxurious Hotel Sassongher in the snowy Dolomites during the 2019 ski season. After a long day on the slopes, the thirsty holidaymaker sat down at the hotel restaurant and asked for a plain glass of tap water. The waiter promptly turned down her request, insisting that the venue serves only sealed, top shelf bottled water.
Furious at the refusal, the guest launched a massive legal campaign against the hotel. She dragged the venue through three separate courts, claiming that access to water represents a universal human right and a basic consumer expectation, much like finding clean sheets on a bed or soap in the bathroom. She demanded 2,700 euros in compensation to cover her emotional distress and financial damage.
No Free Refills in Italian Luxury
Italian judges showed absolutely zero sympathy for her emotional distress. The Court of Cassation dismissed her case entirely, ruling that Italian law imposes no legal duty on private venues to serve tap water to dining guests. Legal representatives for the hotel told QtrlyEdition that luxury establishments have every right to set their own dining policies and serve only sealed bottled water at dinner tables.
The hotel’s legal team cheekily pointed out that if the guest wanted running water so badly, she could have simply walked back to her room and used the tap in her bathroom. Unlike licensed venues in England and Wales that must legally provide free drinking water to customers upon request, Italian restaurants can happily charge you a small fortune for fancy bubbles in a glass bottle.
The takeaway for curious travellers is brutally simple. If you plan to dine at a high end Italian resort, leave your expectations of free tap water at the border, or prepare your wallet for a very expensive bill just to quench your thirst.
If you enjoyed this peek into the wild world of five star legal battles, pass this article along to a friend who hates paying for bottled water, if only so we know we are not typing into the digital void.
Related Topics: Europe
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