Carlson Wagonlit Travel buys mobile travel technology provider WorldMate

Telecom Lead America: The $28 billion Carlson Wagonlit Travel (CWT) has acquired WorldMate, a provider of mobile travel technology.

The acquisition of itinerary management systems and on-the-road services provider enables CWT clients to access WorldMate’s on-the-road services.

The WorldMate mobile app is used by over 10 million travelers to organize their itineraries, get real-time local information and book hotels and car rentals while on the go.

The investment is in line with CWT’s commitment to invest in innovation and position mobile solutions as an integral part of its offering.

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

Customers will benefit from a new approach to tackling issues associated with compliance. The ability to aggregate travel information from multiple sources means that customers will be able to gain increased visibility of overall travel spend as well as better track travelers for safety and security purposes.

“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 mobile expertise into our existing range of products will bring additional services and functionalities to our clients and their travelers,” said Douglas Anderson, CWT president and chief executive officer.

WorldMate, headquartered in San Francisco with operations in Israel, will operate as a subsidiary of CWT.

“We’re delighted to offer CWT clients access to WorldMate’s leading range of on-the-road services,” commented Jean Tripier, WorldMate chief executive officer. “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 travelers we service today.”

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