CWT acquires mobile travel tech supplier...

CWT acquires mobile travel tech supplier WorldMate

Mobile travel technology supplier WorldMate has been acquired by Carlson Wagonlit Travel for an undisclosed sum.

The San Francisco-based company provides itinerary management systems and on-the-road services for travellers. It will operate as a subsidiary of CWT.

The WorldMate mobile app is claimed to be used by more than 10 million travellers to organise their itineraries, get real-time local information and book hotels and car rentals.

Business travellers will have access to a broader range of on-the-go services including airport parking, restaurant bookings, hotel reservations, ground transportation, and airline offers such as in-flight internet.

WorldMate will work with CWT to enhance existing mobile tools such as CWT To Go which includes itineraries, mobile check-in, flight alerts and gate changes, information on nearby restaurants, maps and directions.

Users will be able to aggregate travel information from multiple sources, allowing corporate customers to gain increased visibility of overall travel spend as well as better track travellers for safety and security purposes.

The travel management company said the acquisition underlines its commitment to investing in innovation and positioning mobile solutions as an integral part of its offering.

CWT president Douglas Anderson said: “This acquisition puts us in an exciting place within the industry; working with the expert in mobile technology puts us in control of our own ‘mobile destiny.’

“Injecting WorldMate’s proven mobile expertise into our existing range of products will bring additional services and functionalities to our clients and their travellers.”

WorldMate chief executive Jean Tripler said: “In addition to becoming an integral part of CWT’s growth strategy, we will remain committed to providing the highest levels of support to our existing clients and the millions of travellers we service today.”