Last Updated DECEMBER 2024
Be a Travel Hygiene Champion with KCP
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 washrooms 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. Washroom 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 washrooms. In addition, clean washrooms encourage passengers to linger in the airport and patronise restaurants and shops (3).
Ensuring that washrooms 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 prioritises 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 centres, 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. Washrooms 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 washroom traffic moving. Consideration also needs to be given as to how to clean while guests are present. Providing guests with hand sanitiser in non-washroom 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 sanitiser. 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 washrooms.
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 sise 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 washrooms 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 sanitiser, 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 washroom 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.
Surface Hygiene Expertise
When taking on tasks such as disinfection, it is important to understand terms like dwell time and chemical compatibility. Staff have to also understand that disinfectant chemicals must stay undisturbed on a surface for the time specified on the label in order to kill the germs listed on the label. In addition, not all materials are optimal to use with every type of disinfectant. For example, a recent study showed that, when quaternary ammonium compound (“quat”)-based disinfectants were used with soaked cellulosic rags in a bucket, disinfection efficacy was reduced by approximately 80% in just a four-hour period (12). Similarly, microfiber cloths are typically not compatible with bleach-based disinfectants (13). Whatever method is chosen to disinfect, it is important to consider the role cleaning materials may play to ensure that cleaning protocols deliver a consistent disinfecting experience.
Kimberly-Clark Professional™ has several product selection tools to ensure compatibility between a disinfection chemical and the wiping substrate (14). Kimberly-Clark Professional™ also has the #1 closed bucket wiping system in North America, WetTask. WetTask allows users to create their own pre-saturated wipes with their own most preferred and trusted biocidal solutions. WetTask has a variety of codes that are compatible with common disinfectant chemistries and an updated product selection guide to help create confidence in choosing the right solution (15).
Win in Travel Hygiene with Kimberly-Clark Professional™
When it comes to hand and surface hygiene, Kimberly Clark Professional™ can keep you on the winning team. Ask your Kimberly-Clark Professional™ representative to help you choose the right hygiene solution for your business.
- Jorden R, “Ask Skift: What Are Summer Travel Trends for 2024?” https://skift.com/2024/04/12/ask-skift-what-are-summer-travel-trends-for-2024/#:~:text=Direct%20bookings%2C%20especially%20for%20hotels,recovery%20for%20the%20travel%20industry.
- https://cleanster.com/the-role-of-cleaning-in-enhancing-guest-experience/
- https://airportscouncil.org/2019/07/30/restroom-cleanliness-is-key-to-passenger-experience/
- https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/why-word-clean-holds-significance-hospitality-kristen-mcdermott/
- https://jan-pro.com/nyc/why-are-hotel-cleaning-services-key-to-guest-satisfaction/#:~:text=When%20guests%20enter%20a%20clean,their%20health%20and%20comfort%20seriously.
- https://medium.com/@kbtcleaning.au/how-to-create-a-lasting-first-impression-in-the-hotel-industry-a74b308edfba
- https://medium.com/@SCS_Group/stadium-cleaning-the-importance-of-keeping-sports-venues-clean-and-sanitized-8263eeba01f2
- https://www.kcprofessional.com/en-us/workplace-insights/health-and-safety/norovirus-faq
- Findon DRP, Miller TE, “Residual moisture determines the level of touch-contact-associated bacterial transfer following hand washing,” Epidemiol. Infect., 1997, Volume 119: 319-325.
- https://www.kcprofessional.com/en-gb/-/media/Global/Content%20Hub/Documents/202751437_pdf.pdf
- https://www.kcprofessional.com/en-gb/workplace-insights/productivity-and-efficiency/tripledemic-faq
- Boyce JM, Sullivan L, Booker A, Baker J. “Quaternary Ammonium Disinfectant Issues Encountered in an Environmental Services Department,” Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology, 2016, 37(3):340-342. doi:10.1017/ice.2015.299
- What's Your Microfiber Program? (cmmonline.com)
- https://www.kcprofessional.com/en-gb/products/wiping-and-cleaning
- https://www.kcprofessional.com/en-gb/products/wiping-and-cleaning