Whether by car, bus, plane, or train, many people will be setting off this summer to embark on new adventures, and maybe even attending big sporting events. In fact, international summer tourism is projected to increase by 15% in 2024, which would exceed pre-pandemic levels ⁽¹⁾. The increased number of people on roads, airports, stations, attractions, and in hotels can be challenging for those who are tasked with providing and maintaining hygienic and well-stocked restrooms and common areas. Because demand is high, prices are also high, leading to high expectations. Yet rising to those challenges can positively influence the impression guests, patrons and visitors have with the places they pass through or visit ^{(2, 3, 4)}.

 

Airports and Other Transit Stations

Transit stations typically experience increased traffic during the busy summer travel months. Increased number of people in tight spaces can lead to increase anxiousness about germs and cleanliness. Restroom cleanliness has been cited as being key to passenger experience. In fact, Steve Mayers, Customer Experience Director at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International, stated that passengers equate the overall cleanliness of the airport with the cleanliness of the restrooms. In addition, clean restrooms encourage passengers to linger in the airport and patronize restaurants and shops ⁽³⁾.

Ensuring that restrooms and other common spaces are clean and hygienic is incredibly important to passenger satisfaction.

 

Hotels and Other Lodging

The lodging industry relies heavily on first impressions and consistency. From the moment a guest enters the lobby, they are taking in what they see and smell. If the lobby isn’t clean, then perhaps the rooms aren’t clean either. Cleanliness communicates caring to guests and provides a sensory cue that the hotel prioritizes their well-being and comfort ⁽⁵⁾. Cleanliness is often a hot topic in hotel reviews as well, serving as a “make or break” feature when it comes to bookings and repeat business ⁽⁶⁾.

 

Arenas and Other High Traffic Venues

Arenas, convention centers, and busy attractions such as theme parks and museums can put even the most effective cleaning crew to the test. Typically, the venues are large to begin with, which require a lot of well-trained staff. Restrooms also require frequent, if not constant, attention in order to maintain adequate levels of products and maintain cleanliness and germ control standards. High-touch surfaces such as door handles, faucets, and counters should be disinfected frequently ⁽⁷⁾. Issues such as toilet clogs must also be handled quickly and hygienically to keep restroom traffic moving. Consideration also needs to be given as to how to clean while guests are present. Providing guests with hand sanitizer in non-restroom areas is also an important way to show guests that their health and hygiene are top of mind.

 

Cruise Ships

In addition to the hygiene needs associated with lodging, cruises also experience some unique challenges, especially when it comes to outbreaks of illnesses such as norovirus. Gastrointestinal illnesses are highly contagious and are not typically prevented with hand sanitizer. Hand washing with soap and water is the recommended method to prevent the spread of germs such as norovirus ⁽⁸⁾. Thus, it is even more important for cruise ship attendants to maintain the product supply and cleanliness of restrooms.

 

Getting in Shape with Consistent Training and Tools

 

Part of being ready to perform at the highest level is having the right training and tools. Do staff know what to do and how often to do it? Do they have the right tools for the job? Are there enough people to adequately service the size of the building, terminal, or venue? Are there bottlenecks that lead to poor servicing and frustration for cleaners and guests alike? Do guests have access to well-stocked restrooms and reminders of what good hand hygiene entails?

Kimberly-Clark Professional combines deep expertise in hand hygiene, surface hygiene, and materials science to provide effective and hygienic solutions across many industries. Here are some of the ways that KCP can help create winning hygiene solutions.

 

Hand Hygiene Expertise

Kimberly-Clark Professional has a wide array of hand hygiene and skincare products, including soap and hand sanitizer, designed to meet the varied needs of offices, schools, factories, restaurants, high traffic locations, hospitality and healthcare facilities. KCP makes effective, efficient products with a strong focus on gentleness to the skin such that hand hygiene is not negatively impacted by discomfort. Many of these products are also all hygienically sealed so that hygiene is not compromised during the process of refilling dispensers. KCP also provides high quality restroom products such as single use paper towels to promote hygienic drying of hands after washing. As wet hands spread more germs than dry hands, it is important to dry them thoroughly (9). KCP also has an easy-to-understand guide on the whys of hand hygiene to support staff training efforts ⁽¹⁰⁾, as well as other guides on illnesses such as norovirus ⁽⁸⁾ and the “tripledemic” (the commonality of COVID-19, influenza, and RSV) (11) to bolster confidence and knowledge in helping to prevent the spread of these illnesses.