Press Release: Carlson Wagonlit Travel
November 6, 2000
PARIS -- Carlson Wagonlit Travel and KDS (Klee Data System) announced Nov. 3 a worldwide partnership agreement.
Carlson Wagonlit Travel will take a 14 percent share in the capital of KDS, with a non-exclusive commercial contract
for the distribution of the self-booking product Wave.
The partnership solidifies the existing relationship between Carlson Wagonlit Travel and KDS, which includes several
large Carlson Wagonlit Travel clients already using the KDS Wave product. It also reinforces Carlson Wagonlit Travel's
leadership in the business travel market by offering its clients the opportunity of integrating web-based and agent-assisted
reservation processes.
``Our approach is resolutely customer-oriented. We have a unique position towards companies, being able to provide
them business travel management services and advice on the selection of the best suited operational solutions,
whether they are brick and mortar or online,'' said Herve Gourio, president & CEO of Carlson Wagonlit Travel.
``KDS' technology is market tested and proven. It's a superior fit designed to overcome the complex procedures
organizations face today in implementing self-booking solutions.''
KDS' Wave product is one of the strongest self-booking tools in the European market and has recently entered the
U.S. market. Through Wave's single database, travelers can be implemented with multi-GDS and multi-lingual capabilities.
This database tightly integrates a company's travel policies, individual profiles, and supplier agreements to realize
significant travel cost savings.
``We are proud that Carlson Wagonlit Travel, one of the world's largest travel agency networks, has decided to
offer our solutions to all of its customers,'' said Yves Weisselberger, CEO of KDS. ``The companies that have put
their trust in Carlson Wagonlit Travel for their services know that they can count on us to help them take a new
step towards optimizing their travel management through e-business.''
Carlson Wagonlit Travel
Carlson Wagonlit Travel is a world leader in business travel management. Today, the Carlson Wagonlit group, resulting
from the merger of the Carlson and Wagonlit business travel activities, has locations in more than 140 countries.
It generates over $12 billion in annual sales. Carlson Wagonlit Travel is co-owned by Paris-based Accor group and
Minneapolis-based Carlson Companies, Inc. For additional information, contact http://www.carlsonwagonlit.com
.
KDS
KDS specializes in supplying electronic travel management solutions to companies (Travel e-Procurement). There
are only a few players in the market and KDS has been able to establish itself thanks to its know-how, which is
unique in the world, in matters of access to reservation systems, whether they be GDS (Amadeus, Galileo, Sabre
or Worldspan) or the suppliers own systems: airline or rail companies, hotels or car hire companies. KDS is now
the only ``global player.'' Wave, its flagship product, offers multinational companies established in several countries
or continents, all the functions they need. KDS works for over 50 major companies established mainly in England,
Germany, France, Scandinavia, Switzerland, Benelux and the United States.
SOURCE: Carlson Wagonlit Travel