Marble is porous, so if you think there is a chance of spillage l would not consider it.

I had a friend with a real marble table……. It had so many layers of protective seals that it no longer looked like marble.

But there are alternatives that are better than marble but with the right look. Personally I like ceramic/ porcelain tables. Italians make some of the best porcelain. Although a shade more expensive than plain marble, porcelains have the pattern printed on them meaning you can get a table that realistically looks like a very expensive heavily veined marble without the price tag of the real thing. Furthermore they have great stain and scratch resistance.

Thank you Jonathan. Any guidance for manufacturers is much appreciated. I see marble tables in restaurants, so not sure how they justify using them if they stain that easily. Maybe it isn't real marble...

What you see in restaurant could be marble but they accept that it’s going to get easily marked and for some people that adds charm. I once had a marble work surface in the kitchen which was covered in ring marks from wine glasses. Marble is a very porous stone so it marks very easily.

Those restaurants may have had Quartz tables.

And Porcelain is used by all the Italian furniture brands such as Eforma, Bonaldo, Bontempi

My local Italian restaurant has “marble” tables but they are not real marble. You can tell by touching the surface - marble will feel cold to the touch but faux marble is warmer. It feels like some kind of resin? Try searching for faux marble.