Hotel’s Bottled Water Was Actually Tap Water

Guests of Hótel Adam advised to avoid their tap water and buy bottled water instead were drinking tap water all along, health authorities have found.

RÚV reports that Reykjavík health authorities have run tests on the hotel’s tap water and its bottled water, and found that not only is the tap water perfectly safe; the bottled water was their tap water. This is despite advisories the hotel gave its guests to not drink the tap water, but to buy their bottled water instead.

As Grapevine pointed out, Iceland’s drinking water is completely potable, having received perfect scores for water quality from the Environmental Performance Index time and again. There is therefore no reason to buy bottled water in Iceland, unless there is something wrong with the plumbing in the building where you are staying.

MBL reported that the Consumers’ Association of Iceland has caught wind of the case. Consumer Association department manager Þórunn Anna Árnadóttir told reporters that the owners of the hotel have been given a timeframe to respond before the association rules on the matter.

Part of what they will be examining is whether this constitutes a case of false advertising. However, offering their own brand of bottled water may already make the hotel in breech of Icelandic law. Selling your own bottled water falls under food production laws as requiring a permit – and this permit is required before the sale of products begins.

But Hótel Adam’s problems do not end there. Last month, other issues came to light about the hotel.

Police recently paid a visit and sealed off some 11 rooms because, while the hotel was renting out 20 rooms, it only had a permit to rent out nine. In addition, the sole fire exit in the establishment was blocked by a couch, which has since been moved by fire fighters.

On top of all this, Vísir reports that workers at the hotel are very likely being paid sub-minimum wage. Sadly, union officials who visited the establishment also found that at least one of the hotel’s employees is working off the books. This practice can result in daily fines of 100,000 ISK for the owner, but the employee may have to pay back taxes.