Answering foreign guests correctly in their own language: a method for small hotels
Guests from abroad usually ask about check-in time, airport transfers or breakfast in their own language, and before they book. Answering each question on the spot with a translation app takes time and leads to different answers to the same question on different days.
The problem is the source, not the language
Mistakes in multilingual answers can also come from inconsistent source information: the website gives one check-in time and the listing on a booking platform another, and each receptionist describes the transfer differently. Translation carries that inconsistency into every language.
So first prepare one source of information, then translate it.
Step by step
- Collect the questions: go through recent questions from WhatsApp, email and platform messages and list the ones that repeat. Check-in and check-out times, early check-in, luggage storage, breakfast, parking, airport transfers, pets and payment methods come up often.
- One fact sheet: one row per question, with columns for the answer, the date it was last updated and who approved it. Answers must match what your website and your listings on booking platforms say; if they differ, fix the source first.
- Choose the languages: use the language preferences guests state; do not infer language from the country or nationality in a booking record. Do not add more languages than you can keep current; an outdated translation causes more trouble than none.
- Translate and review: machine translation is a starting point. For each language, have someone who knows it well check the times, dates, which services are free or paid, and the rules.
- Fix the formats: write times in 24-hour format, and in languages where the 12-hour clock is common, such as English, add it alongside (14:00 / 2 pm). Write dates with the month name: a date like 03/04 reads as 3 April in some countries and 4 March in others. If you mention amounts, always state the currency.
- A short glossary: decide on one translation per language for terms specific to your hotel, such as “open buffet breakfast”, “cave room” or “free parking”, and use it everywhere.
- Ready answers on WhatsApp: use the quick replies feature of the WhatsApp Business app to save the approved answer in each language as a shortcut, so reception picks it instead of rewriting it. Greeting and away messages are also supported; keep them short and write them in your most common few languages one under another. Do not assume these texts are automatically translated or selected by guest language; test recipient and scheduling settings. WhatsApp’s app guide describes these messaging tools.
- A multilingual FAQ page or assistant on the site: the same sheet can become an FAQ page with a language switch, or an assistant that answers only from that sheet. A question the sheet does not answer is not guessed; it goes to reception.
Price and availability questions
Do not use a fixed reply for price and availability without an up-to-date, authoritative source. For these, ask the guest for check-in and check-out dates and the number of guests, and pass the request to reception. WhatsApp wa.me links can open a draft through a URL-encoded text parameter. It is not sent automatically; the guest can edit it and must send it. A draft in the selected language can give reception a clue about language preference. See WhatsApp’s link documentation.
To bring enquiries from different channels into one log, see the guide on hotel booking enquiries.
What to avoid
- Updating information in only one language. When a time or rule changes, update the answer in every language the same day; the update date in the sheet makes this easy to check.
- Publishing binding texts such as cancellation terms and house rules through unreviewed machine translation. They must also not contradict the terms on booking platforms.
- Guessing the guest’s language. Let guests choose the language on the site; if you redirect by browser language, make switching easy.
- Making up an answer to an unknown question. Say “I am passing your question to reception” only when a handoff actually happens; otherwise show a link to contact reception.
- Asking for payment details such as card numbers by message.
Example concept
We describe a ready-made version of this approach on the hotel guest assistant page: answers in several languages from the hotel’s own published information only, and a ready-written request to reception’s WhatsApp for price and availability questions. The assistant answers each guest in their own language from the hotel’s approved information, and passes unanswered questions and price or availability requests to reception with the dates and number of guests.