By Christine FitzPatrick (pictured), Regional Activation Manager at Essity, maker of the Tork brand.
Summer vacation and peak travel seasons are when regional airports see their highest volumes of foot traffic. For operators focused on maximising non-aeronautical revenue during these busy periods, a powerful business accelerator is hiding in plain sight: the restroom.
A premier restroom experience builds the immediate passenger confidence that drives terminal commerce. In fact, recent Tork research proves just how tied these spaces are to retail success. When passengers encounter a high-quality, clean restroom, it encourages them to relax and explore the concourse. On the flip side, a poor experience directly impacts spending habits: 28% of people spend less time and money at a venue, and 23% limit how much they eat or drink to avoid needing the facilities.[1]
For regional gateways where food, beverage, and retail performance depend entirely on passenger dwell time, here’s how elevating this essential space can act as a major differentiator.
Start with the passenger behaviours you want to encourage
Most airport commercial strategies are built around a clear goal: create an environment where passengers feel comfortable arriving early, moving easily through the terminal and spending time in restaurants and shops before they board. Restrooms can either support or disrupt that goal.
If passengers are unsure whether restrooms will be clean, stocked or easy to access, they may change their behaviour – avoid buying a coffee, or skip a meal before boarding. Families may head straight to the gate instead of browsing. Older passengers, caregivers and people managing health or hygiene needs may plan their airport time around restroom availability rather than the wider terminal experience.
These decisions may be small individually, but they can add up across thousands of passenger journeys. For regional airports, which often compete on a more seamless and comfortable experience than larger hubs, the restroom can become a meaningful part of that value proposition.
Make inclusive hygiene part of inclusive travel
Airports have made significant progress in improving accessibility across the passenger journey, from mobility support to sensory rooms and assistance services. Restrooms should be part of that same conversation.
Many barriers to restroom use are not immediately visible. A person with sensory sensitivities may find loud hand dryers or harsh lighting overwhelming. A traveller with arthritis may struggle with a dispenser that requires too much force. A caregiver travelling with an older adult may need more space, privacy or changing support than a standard stall provides. Someone managing a health condition – such as Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis and shy bladder syndrome – may feel anxious if supplies are unavailable or amenities are difficult to locate.
These conditions are more common than one might think and impact a broad range of passengers. Tork research found that 54% of venue visitors contend with some form of physical or cognitive challenge that can impact their public restroom experience.[2]
Inclusive hygiene does not always require a full restroom redesign. Often, it begins with practical choices that make spaces easier and less stressful for more people to use: clear signage, better privacy, paper hand towels instead of noisy air dryers, easy-to-use dispensers, well-placed amenities and consistent availability of essentials.
Other high-traffic venues are already moving in this direction. At Lincoln Financial Field, Tork and the Philadelphia Eagles Autism Foundation helped redesign restrooms to better serve diverse visitor needs, including calming lighting for guests with sensory sensitivities, adult changing tables and enhanced privacy. Philadelphia’s 250th anniversary celebration will also incorporate thoughtfully designed restroom hubs throughout hospitality zones, recognising that accessible, welcoming restroom experiences can help more visitors participate comfortably in major public events.
The same principle applies in airports. A thoughtful restroom experience tells passengers that their needs have been considered, even in the most functional parts of the journey.
Turn restroom operations from reactive to proactive
Restrooms are also an operational pressure point. Traffic can spike around early departures, delayed flights, weather disruption, school vacation schedules or special events. For regional airports with lean teams, even small issues can quickly become visible: empty dispensers, queues, overflowing bins or complaints passed to frontline staff.
A proactive restroom strategy starts with understanding when, where and why those pressure points occur.
Instead of relying only on fixed cleaning schedules, airport teams can use passenger flow data, cleaning logs, staff feedback and, where appropriate, connected hygiene systems to identify high-use periods and adjust service accordingly. This helps teams focus attention where it is needed most.
The goal is not simply to clean more. It is to clean smarter.
That matters for staff as much as passengers. Cleaning teams are central to the airport experience, but their work is often physically demanding and time-pressured. Reducing avoidable runouts, jams and emergency refills can help teams spend more time maintaining standards and less time reacting to preventable problems.
Practical steps airport operators can take now
Airport restroom improvement does not have to start with a major capital project. Operators can begin by looking at the restroom as a high-impact passenger touchpoint and asking where small changes could reduce friction.
Areas to consider include:
- Map restroom demand against passenger flow. Identify the restrooms most affected by early morning peaks, arrivals waves, delayed departures and event-related traffic. Use this insight to adjust cleaning schedules and staffing.
- Audit the passenger experience, not just cleanliness. Walk through restrooms as different passenger groups would: a parent with young children, an older traveller, a wheelchair user, a person with sensory sensitivities or a caregiver. Look for barriers related to access, privacy, noise, lighting, signage and ease of use.
- Reduce runouts and bottlenecks. Prioritise high-capacity, easy-to-refill systems in the busiest restroom areas. Runouts quickly turn into complaints and can slow passenger flow at key moments.
- Offer sensory-friendly options. Loud hand dryers can be difficult for people with sensory sensitivities and may make restrooms feel more stressful. Providing paper hand towels gives passengers another option and can help create a calmer environment.
- Make supplies and amenities easy to find. Clear signage and consistent placement of essentials help passengers move through restrooms quickly and confidently, especially in unfamiliar airports.
- Design for privacy and dignity. Consider where additional privacy, family facilities, adult changing options or more spacious layouts could better support caregivers, older adults and people with disabilities.
- Use staff feedback as operational intelligence. Cleaning teams often know where issues occur before data shows it. Regularly asking for their input can uncover practical improvements that reduce complaints and improve efficiency.
- Connect restroom improvements to commercial goals. Track restroom satisfaction alongside dwell time, food and beverage performance, complaints and passenger feedback. This helps build the case for investment.
- Consider sustainability and waste reduction together. Look for systems and workflows that reduce waste, prevent overuse and limit unnecessary service trips while keeping restrooms reliably stocked.
- Communicate care. When improvements are made, use simple signage or passenger communications to show that the airport has considered comfort, accessibility and hygiene. That visibility can build trust.
Restrooms can become a competitive advantage
Regional and business airports are often valued for being easier, calmer and more convenient than larger hubs. Restrooms may not be the first place operators look to strengthen that advantage, but they are one of the places passengers are most likely to notice when something goes wrong.
A better restroom experience is more than a basic amenity. It can help passengers feel comfortable buying food and drink before a flight. It can make the journey easier for families, older adults, caregivers and people with diverse needs. It can reduce pressure on cleaning teams. It can support sustainability goals by reducing waste and improving efficiency. And it can reinforce the airport’s reputation as facility truly designed around the passenger.
When airports view restrooms as part of the journey, they can turn standard infrastructure into a meaningful touchpoint – one that supports comfort, confidence, loyalty and commercial performance.
About Christine FitzPatrick
Christine FitzPatrick is Regional Brand Activation Manager at Essity, a global leader in hygiene and health, where she leads brand activation and focuses on driving visibility and engagement for the Tork brand across North America. She brings strategy to life through impactful campaigns and experiences, working closely with cross-functional teams and industry partners to drive business growth.
Footnotes
[1] Tork Insight Survey 2025, conducted in US, UK, Germany, France, Mexico, Canada, Australia, Spain, Sweden, Netherlands and Poland among 11,500 people from the general public and 1,000 cleaning staff.
[2] Tork Insight Survey 2025.
