Palma hotel water tariffs spark dispute over pricing fairness

Environmental groups and local residents in Palma have accused the city council of giving hotels a markedly reduced water rate. Under the current system, hotels are billed per room, which spreads consumption across rooms and lowers the price per cubic metre. The groups say this results in bills about nine times lower than those paid by residential communities, citing a comparison where a hotel paying €1,600 bimonthly would owe roughly €15,000 under residential rates. They demand that the council replace the hotel‑specific billing model with the same tariff used for homeowners, arguing that the practice subsidises tourism‑driven water waste.

The petition, signed by platforms such as “Menys Turisme, Més Vida”, Greenpeace, and local neighbourhood groups, urges officials to eliminate the price differential and adopt a “fairer” water‑charging system for all users in Palma.