Filtered water in France: A Rising Standard for Hotels and Restaurants

Filtered water is rapidly gaining traction across French hospitality. More hotels and restaurants are integrating filtered water into their service, not as a rejection of tap water but as a response to reassurance, transparency, and environmental expectations that are shaping guest habits.

Rising concern about tap water contaminants

France’s tap water is safe and tightly monitored, but recent investigations and a few local crises have highlighted contamination problems in specific areas. Multiple journalistic reports have documented PFAS, often called "forever chemicals", in French drinking water, with many tests finding detectable levels.

Even when risks are localized, the media impact is national. For many consumers, on-site filtration is an extra layer of control and reassurance.

A trust shift in the natural mineral water industry

Filtered water is also gaining popularity due to the reputational challenges facing the bottled water sector, particularly natural mineral water. Over the past two years, French media and official inquiries have raised questions about how some players in the sector manage quality and labeling in a context where water resources are under growing pressure.

For part of the public, the debate has shifted perceptions. Bottled natural mineral water is not automatically seen as the only premium reference, and filtered tap water appears to many as a clear and reliable alternative.

Environmental expectations and the move away from plastic

France is accelerating efforts to reduce single use plastic, and hospitality is directly impacted by this shift. Filtered water fits naturally into this transition because it relies on local networks rather than packaged bottles.

In hotels and restaurants, filtration is increasingly viewed as a practical way to cut plastic waste and reduce the transport footprint linked to bottled water distribution. Guests, especially international travelers, are also paying closer attention to visible sustainability choices made by venues, and water service is one of the most visible signals.

A changing water experience in hotels and restaurants

Filtered water is also becoming part of the guest experience. Venues can offer still and sparkling water on demand, with a consistent taste profile and a service that reflects their commitment to sustainability.

More broadly, it supports a French hospitality approach where water is treated like other elements of the table or room experience: curated, cared for, and integrated into the moment aligned with the experience offered by the hospitality sector.

France’s growing interest in filtered water reflects a convergence of trends that hospitality cannot ignore. Guests want reassurance when headlines highlight pollutants in certain networks. They also look for transparency after recent debates around the natural mineral water industry. They increasingly expect everyday comfort to come with less plastic.

In that landscape, filtered water stands out as a modern hospitality solution: local by nature, reassuring in practice, and aligned with the direction France is taking on sustainability and service. This is exactly the space where BE WTR positions itself, supporting hotels and restaurants with premium filtered still and sparkling water that fits both guest expectations and environmental goals.

Footnotes and sources

1. Le Monde, investigations and reporting on PFAS contamination and local restrictions in France, 2024 to 2025.
   Le Monde (EN): https://www.lemonde.fr/en/environment/article/2025/12/04/pfas-france-s-tap-water-is-widely-polluted-with-tfa-the-most-common-forever-chemical_6748144_114.html
   Le Monde (FR): https://www.lemonde.fr/planete/article/2025/07/31/pollution-aux-pfas-le-gouvernement-met-en-ligne-des-resultats-d-analyses-de-l-eau-concernant-ces-polluants-eternels_6625787_3244.html
2. Connexion France, coverage of PFAS detection in French drinking water and regulatory responses, 2024 to 2025.
   Connexion France: https://www.connexionfrance.com/news/chemical-anomalies-found-in-french-tap-water-in-study/679744
   Connexion France: https://www.connexionfrance.com/news/map-french-communes-with-forever-chemicals-detected-in-tap-water/711851
   Connexion France: https://www.connexionfrance.com/news/another-french-village-bans-drinking-water-for-vulnerable-people/750050
3. Public Sénat and Sénat (investigation report), reporting on the bottled natural mineral water sector and recent public inquiries, 2024 to 2025.
   Public Sénat: https://www.publicsenat.fr/actualites/parlementaire/scandale-des-eaux-minerales-apres-le-rapport-au-vitriol-du-senat-quelles-suites-judiciaires
   Sénat (report): https://www.senat.fr/rap/r24-628-1/r24-628-1.html
4.  L’Hôtellerie Restauration and Made in FR (market study), reporting on filtration adoption, plastic reduction, and service evolution in venues, plus market figures on filtration solutions, 2022 to 2025.
   L’Hôtellerie Restauration: https://www.lhotellerie-restauration.fr/actualite/plastique-a-l-hotel-comment-s-en-passer
   Made in FR (étude marché fontaines): https://madeinfr.fr/etudes-de-marche/services-aux-entreprises/le-marche-des-fontaines-a-eau-en-france/