Manic Monday | Flushing out new Funds!
Whether you refer to them as washrooms, bathrooms, comfort facilities, the ladies room, the men's room, the john, the lavatory, the restroom, the outhouse or simply the toilet when you are away from home the availability of "facilities" is of utmost importance!
Recently this subject came up for discussion with a group of tourism colleagues and interestingly much of the conversation centered on how tourism operators can make this room a point of difference in their product offering. In recent years everything from music, televisions, heated seats, interesting lighting, interesting reading materials and a variety of toiletries have being introduced into what was once the most basic of locations and certainly overlooked in any product differentiation planning.
Not only are businesses working make this rather mundane location a bit more unique but social media has jumped on the opportunities around this relatively sensitive topic. Today there are a variety of apps that will not only help you find washrooms facilities but many of them allow you to rate them as well. Take for example, the Charmin Sit or Squat app, whereby the traveling public rates the cleanliness of facilities based on ...you guessed it...whether the facilities are clean enough to sit or best to squat or, for a more highly curated offering, there is the Flushd app which not only helps find nearby facilities for those emergency situations and also provides details on special services and amenities that are provided in various locations.
However the latest app on this subject clearly proves that the sharing economy knows no bounds! Following in the footsteps of the Airbnb success there is now an app called Airpnp. If you don't believe me, look it up. This app allows individuals to advertise their facilities online and charge strangers to use them! Going rates range tend to range anywhere from $2.50 up to $5.00 depending on the extras included!
So if you are having trouble finding ways to differentiate your product or even looking to add to your cash flow clearly you need look no further the opportunity to flush out new funds is right down the hall!
Glenn Mandziuk, TOTA President & CEO
