CWT, the global business travel and meetings solutions provider, has launched a Special Assistance service that provides an accessible and equal experience for travelers with visible and non-visible disabilities.
CWT’s Special Assistance offering is tailored to meet the unique needs of each individual traveler, with a broad range of support capabilities and services. This includes arranging: airport and airline services such as TSA Cares, service animal reservations, multi-sensory rooms, and fast-track immigration; train and station special service requests such as wheelchair assistance; and suitable hotel accommodation like rooms with reduced mobility facilities.
Travelers using this service have access to a dedicated email and phone number that directs them to a team of travel counselors who have been handpicked based on experience, personal skills, and aptitude to pre-empt and mitigate needs that may occur on a trip. These travel counselors have been through special training to enhance skills such as empathy and awareness, avoiding ableist language, and building trust to reduce the anxiety experienced by many travelers.
One of the main hurdles to delivering a seamless booking experience for travelers who require special assistance is the lack of consistency, with suppliers and stakeholders across the travel industry using widely varying terminologies and processes. To overcome this, CWT has created a digital repository for its travel counselors, giving them access to comprehensive accessibility information related to hotel chains, airlines, airports, ground transport providers and other suppliers. This proprietary and innovative tool has significantly enhanced productivity and smoothed the booking process for travelers.
CWT has also adapted its traveler profile tool to capture special assistance requirements such as wheelchair options, service animals, and extra seats for carers and assistants. This ensures needs are accounted for during every booking and trip amendment, eliminating the requirement for repeated self-disclosure. All travelers’ accessibility requirements are verified with suppliers 48 hours before departure.
“At CWT, we believe that all business travelers should have a seamless and comfortable experience, regardless of their individual needs,” said Stephanie Lewis, Director of Service Design at CWT. “With this new service, we are highly equipped to provide access to specialized support to travelers with visible and non-visible disabilities, empowering them to travel for work with confidence. Developing accessible travel solutions is a collective industry-wide responsibility, and consistency is crucial in getting this right, so we are committed to working closely with our partners to drive meaningful change.”
Available to all customers, the Special Assistance service is currently offered in more than 20 countries, with plans for a global rollout by year-end, marking the latest addition to CWT's suite of specialized services.
CWT is a global business travel and meetings solutions provider, with whom companies and governments partner to keep their people connected, in traditional business locations and some of the most remote and inaccessible parts of the globe. A private company, CWT provides its customers’ employees with innovative technology and an efficient, safe, and sustainable travel experience.