Italy’s Court of Cassation denied compensation to a foreign tourist because she was not given tap water at a restaurant, it was reported on May 25. Thus, the court confirmed previous decisions, including those of the Italian Supreme Court, which also deprived the tourist.
The woman, whose name and nationality have not been revealed, took legal action after spending a week at the five-star Sassonger Hotel in Corvara in Badia in the Dolomites over the Christmas 2019 holiday.
She said in her lawsuit that she paid 5,700 euros for accommodation on a “half board without drinks” basis. Meanwhile, the hotel restaurant refused her when she asked for tap water, even though she offered to pay for it. Instead, she was offered mineral water at seven euros per 750 millilitre bottle.
Initially, the tourist filed a lawsuit before the court in Rome, then filed an appeal, after which she reached the Supreme Court, and then the Court of Cassation. In the lawsuit, she demanded compensation in the amount of 2,700 euros.
The plaintiff stated that the hotel “continuously denied her the opportunity to drink tap water, forcing her, on the contrary, to buy bottled water.” In her opinion, the hotel violated her rights, since water is “a universal human right as an individual.”
The courts held that there are no rules obligating the hotel to provide tap water, and the woman is not entitled to compensation, as nothing has been proven that the hotel violated the terms of the contract with the customer.
Lawyer Silvio Belardi, who represents the interests of the Sassonger Hotel, said, “The Court of Cassation confirmed the concept that the institution is not obligated to provide drinking water to visitors, and whoever wishes can use it themselves.”