Unique Challenges and Solutions for Transportation Restroom Design

It is more challenging than ever to create restrooms in transportation hubs such as airports, train stations, and bus terminals. As travel volume grows and budgets tighten, architects, designers, and engineers must satisfy higher expectations from both users and facility operators.

Sloan has been a trusted partner for the world’s busiest travel hubs for more than a century. To find the answers architects and designers need as they create travel-friendly restrooms, Sloan’s new Transportation Markets page is the go-to destination for anyone who builds transport center restrooms.

Here’s a closer look at the challenges Sloan technologies can help you meet when creating your next transport center restrooms.

Cleanliness and Hygiene

A recent study revealed that the two most important factors in travelers’ satisfaction with airport restrooms were cleanliness and convenience. And restroom cleanliness is critical to overall traveler satisfaction—in fact, 93% of travelers rate restroom cleanliness as crucially important to their travel experience.¹

It’s clear that clean restrooms equate with satisfied travelers, and airports want their guests to have a pleasant experience. So, how can you design restrooms to be cleaner? Three Sloan technologies can help:

• Touch-free faucets and flushometers help people avoid germs by reducing touch points.

• SloanTec^® Hydrophobic Glaze inhibits the growth of germs and bacteria in water closets and urinals.

• FLITE-DEC™ Integrated Sink Systems have a faucet, soap dispenser, and hand dryer mounted directly into the sink basin so water stays inside the sink and keeps the sink counter clean. 

Sustainability and Water Savings

Sustainability and water conservation in the restroom improve efficiency and reduce operation costs. But they are important from a regulatory compliance perspective as well.

As drought has become a widespread concern, many countries and municipalities now mandate water conservation measures for new airport construction and renovations. San Francisco, for example, is requiring automated water usage tracking with all meters integrated into the BMS system in new construction at San Francisco International Airport.²

Sloan offers a deep portfolio of products and tools that can help you create more sustainable restrooms.

Crowded Spaces

66% of travelers feel airports are getting more crowded³, and a crowded airport is more stressful. In restrooms, that crowded feeling becomes even more intense, because travelers experience a lack of personal space in the very place where they need more personal space.

Architects and designers are masters at optimizing human space within any given restroom footprint, but Sloan’s concealed sensor flushometers actually increase that footprint because less depth is required for the plumbing chase with front-access maintenance.

Sloan’s sleek, stylish CX Flushometer can create up to 60% more usable space in every restroom.

Maintenance Challenges 

Keeping restrooms clean and well-maintained is a challenge for every facility, especially with regard to staffing. Employee turnover for janitorial staff can be as high as 400% annually⁴, and 57% of maintenance teams say their biggest challenge is finding enough technicians.⁵

That’s why anyone creating a travel hub restroom should make easier maintenance a priority. Several Sloan solutions save crews time and effort, helping facilities keep their restrooms in top condition regardless of their staffing challenges.

• The Sloan ESD-360 Top-fill Soap Dispenser eliminates the hassle of going under the sink deck to refill reservoirs.

• Sensor-operated faucets, soap dispensers, and flushometers help ensure that water is not left running and toilets are always flushed.

• The Sloan SC Argus^® Pro management system lets facilities keep restrooms operational with less downtime, with preventive maintenance saving maintenance crews time and effort.

The new Sloan Transportation Markets page has even more ideas to make your next transportation restroom project outstanding and stylish. For more ideas and solutions about transforming your next commercial restroom project, contact Sloan! 

1 — Cleaning & Maintenance Management, “Travelers Demand Cleaner, More Modern Restrooms in Airports and Lounges,” April 2025
2 — “San Francisco International Airport Upcoming Construction Projects Overview,” February 2024
3 — Airport Dimensions, “Unlocking Traveler Value in the Evolving Airport Ecosystem,” May 2025
4 — 4M Building Solutions, “Why is Employee Retention So Important in Commercial Cleaning?” November 2024
5 — MaintainX, “The State of Industrial Maintenance: 2024 Report”