Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL), the world’s busiest airport with more than 100 million annual passengers, is the world’s first to offer the KOLO Smart Monitoring System, the most complete connected restroom management system. It gives the airport the tools to ensure passengers experience restrooms that are clean, in working order, and fully stocked with toilet paper, paper towels and hand sanitizer.
The passenger-pleasing service is thanks to GP PRO, a division of Georgia-Pacific and a leading provider of advanced dispensing solutions for commercial facilities, and its KOLO Smart Monitoring System, a wireless communication platform that sends alerts to custodians on a mobile device to let them know if something in the restroom needs their immediate attention.
In addition to GP PRO’s dispensing products, in select restrooms the KOLO system is also connected to toilets, sinks and urinals as well as customer feedback monitors outside the restrooms so virtually any restroom issue can be addressed immediately.
“We know that commercial restrooms are a major source of user frustration and complaints,” said Dr. Kofi Smith, president and CEO of Atlanta Airlines Terminal Company (AATC), which is responsible for passenger experience at Hartsfield-Jackson. “So in our quest to deliver a world-class experience for our passengers, we prioritized enhancing our restrooms, believing that it would have a significant and positive passenger impact.”
And it’s a bet that’s paying off. In the first six months of using the KOLO system in 10 restrooms on the airport’s B Concourse, product outages dropped by more than 60 percent. The success has led AATC to expand its use of the technology, incorporating it into an additional 12 restrooms in the E Concourse.
“Restroom quality plays a big role in whether a passenger is satisfied with their overall travel experience, and the KOLO system is proven to help custodians and airport facility managers elevate that experience,” said Mike Slawson, vice president and general manager, Restroom Services and Connected Devices for GP PRO. “We’re delighted AATC and Hartsfield-Jackson have selected GP PRO and our innovative technology to help make a real and positive impact on travelers passing through there.”
The KOLO system uses secure, proprietary, cloud-based wireless technologies and cutting-edge sensors and sensing technology to allow communication between connected restroom fixtures and custodians through a mobile and web application. This real-time communication empowers custodians to service a restroom before there’s an issue and, as a result, help improve the passenger experience.