CARLSON Wagonlit Travel (CWT) has acquired WorldMate, a San Francisco-based mobile travel technology company, which will operate as a subsidiary.
Douglas Anderson, CWT president and CEO, 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.”
According to CWT, the WorldMate mobile app is used by over 10 million travellers to organise their itineraries, get real-time local information, and book hotels and car rentals while on the go.
With the acquisition, 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, according to CWT. Users will also be able to tackle compliance issues, monitor travel spend, as well as better track travellers for safety and security purposes.
WorldMate will work with CWT teams to enhance existing tools such as CWT To Go, CWT’s mobile app for travellers. Developed with Rearden Commerce, CWT To Go includes itineraries, mobile check-in, flight alerts and gate changes, information on nearby restaurants, maps and directions.
CWT will continue to partner with Rearden Commerce on the distribution of Deem travel and merchant solutions.
