Carlson Wagonlit Travel is transforming to Travel Leaders

Local travelers may notice a new name in travel the next time they walk in the door of their favorite travel agency or when they seek them out online. That’s because after leading the way in travel by serving millions of travelers from coast to coast, the more than 500 U.S.-based franchised travel agency locations operating as Carlson Wagonlit Travel Associates are leading travel in an exciting new direction – and changing their name – to Travel Leaders. The agencies remain locally owned and operated.

The new brand was selected in recognition of the instrumental leading role the travel company has forged on behalf of travelers ever since its beginnings as Ask Mr. Foster. In proudly transforming itself with a new brand identity, Travel Leaders is also announcing consumer-centric initiatives specifically designed to transform the overarching experience Travel Leaders’ clients can expect from the new brand and its promise to corporate and leisure travelers alike: “When your journey includes us, you travel better.”

The brand name change process was initiated earlier this year when Carlson Wagonlit Travel Associates, now a division of Minnesota-based The Travel Franchise Group (TTFG), became independent from Carlson, the international hotel, marketing, restaurant and travel company and Carlson Wagonlit Travel (CWT), specializing in business travel management. TTFG is the largest franchisor of travel agencies in North America and is a unit of Travel Acquisitions Group, which was formed in January 2008 when Carlson sold its Carlson Leisure Group (CLG) to CLG President Michael Batt. An extensive rebranding process was initiated to distinguish franchisees from CWT and culminated with the announced transformation into Travel Leaders.

“As Travel Leaders, we are transforming our business quite visibly through the rollout of a new name that embodies our years of expertise in offering the best travel experience available,” stated Roger E. Block, CTC, president of the Travel Leaders nationwide network of agencies. “But to put our money where our new name is, we are formally unveiling a number of client-focused initiatives, also many years in the making. Like any journey that offers something new and exciting, Travel Leaders is poised to lead travel in an extraordinarily fresh direction.”

Travel Leaders is formally launching system-wide initiatives specifically designed to transform the customer experience. The four major proprietary components include:

• The www.travelleaders.com consumer Web site that not only offers full booking capabilities, but also easy access to travel experts throughout the United States.
• Excursion Society private shore excursions to ensure one-of-a-kind experiences for premium cruise customers.
• The Travel Leaders Certified Travel Specialist program, offering one of the travel industry’s most rigorous levels of professionalism to serve travelers expecting a higher degree of expertise and knowledge when planning trips.
• A Personalized Travel Planner designed to seamlessly provide customized travel information to cruise customers.

Although the Travel Leaders name may be new, TTFG can trace its beginnings to 1984 as the Carlson franchise system “Ask Mr. Foster Travel,” which itself was North America’s first travel agency chain established in 1888. The journey has taken the agencies from Ask Mr. Foster to Carlson Wagonlit Travel – the largest franchised travel agency network in the United States – with a brand known around the world, and now to Travel Leaders.

Ultimately, it is the goal of all Travel Leaders locations to ensure that when travelers entrust them with their travel planning, they receive a consistently wonderful experience through every Travel Leaders location, coast to coast. “As we transform our name, we’re also transforming each traveler’s experience, taking them to an entirely new level. Simply put, ‘When your journey includes us, you travel better,’” said Block.

Your local Travel Leaders Associate location is Geist residents owned by Geneva & Alex Kutin