Abingdon buys RateNow to scale AI customer experience tools

Abingdon has acquired Barcelona-based RateNow, adding a platform used in airports, hospitals and other high-trust settings across Europe and Latin America. The deal is meant to speed RateNow’s international growth and expand its use of AI to turn feedback into real-time operational insight.

Why it matters: - The acquisition gives Abingdon a foothold in customer experience measurement across aviation, healthcare and seaports. - RateNow already processes millions of feedback responses each month, creating a large data set for AI analysis. - The deal could help customers move faster from collecting feedback to acting on it in real time.

What happened: - Abingdon acquired RateNow, a Barcelona-based company focused on continuous, point-of-service experience measurement hardware and software. - The transaction was announced Oct. 8, 2026. - RateNow will keep its name, Spanish legal and operating structure and Barcelona headquarters. - Albert Esplugas will remain CEO, and Guillermo Sánchez will remain COO.

The details: - RateNow was founded in 2014. - The company runs passenger experience programs across more than 40 European airports. - AENA, Spain’s airport operator, uses RateNow across 34 airports. - RateNow captures more than four million responses per month through smiley feedback terminals and digital channels. - The platform also operates at Spanish seaports. - In healthcare, RateNow supports more than 150 organizations and covers more than 30% of Spanish hospitals. - RateNow co-developed Spain’s first validated Patient-Reported Experience Measures, or PREM, with Vall d'Hebron Hospital. - The company uses a privacy-first AI system to analyze open-ended patient feedback inside secure hospital environments. - The system is designed to support data sovereignty and patient confidentiality. - Existing contracts, pricing, account contacts, hardware devices and system integrations will remain unchanged.

Between the lines: - Abingdon is buying into a business that already has credibility in regulated and high-stakes environments. - RateNow’s installed base gives Abingdon a platform to layer AI onto a product already embedded with large customers. - The focus on privacy-first AI suggests the companies see data governance as a key differentiator, especially in healthcare. - Albert Esplugas said RateNow sought a partner to help the company scale globally, and that Abingdon’s Applied AI team was part of the appeal. - Mario Bortolozzo, head of corporate development at Abingdon, said the acquisition will support the next stage of global expansion and strengthen the platform with AI.

What's next: - Abingdon and RateNow plan to accelerate AI across the platform. - The companies aim to help customers identify trends, understand the drivers of feedback and convert experience data into actions. - RateNow will continue building product and AI capabilities while expanding internationally. - The combined business is expected to focus on Europe and Latin America.

The bottom line: - Abingdon is adding a proven experience-measurement platform with a strong foothold in airports and hospitals, then using AI to push it toward faster, more actionable customer insight.