Translating your booking engine into multiple languages makes it easier for international guests to book directly. You can turn on AI-powered automatic translation to instantly translate and publish your booking engine content into 22 languages, or add your own translations manually.
Enable automatic translation
Automatic translation uses AI to translate your booking engine content into 22 languages at once. Once turned on, translations are published to your booking engine straight away.
Turn on automatic translation:
Go to Direct booking > Configuration > Translations.
Check the box to confirm you understand that translations are published immediately and that you are responsible for their accuracy.
Click Enable automatic translation.
💡 If you already have manual translations for some languages, automatic translation only applies to languages that don't have any manual content yet. Your manual translations are kept.
⚠️ SiteMinder does not guarantee the accuracy of automatic translations. You are responsible for making sure your translated content meets any legal requirements.
Enable automatic translation for a language with existing manual translations
If you've already added manual translations for a language, turning on automatic translation won't replace them automatically. You need to do this manually for that language.
To switch a language from manual to automatic translation:
Go to Direct booking > Configuration > Translations.
Click the ellipsis button (three dots) next to the language and select Edit translation.
In the dialog that appears, check the acknowledgement box and click Enable Automatic Translation.
Review the automatic and manual translations side by side.
Select Apply all automatic translations to replace your manual translations with auto-generated content, or Keep all manual translations to keep your existing content.
⚠️ Selecting Apply all automatic translations permanently overwrites your manual translations. This cannot be undone.
Add translations manually
You can add your own translations for any language instead of using automatic translation.
To add manual translations for a specific language:
Go to Direct booking > Configuration > Translations.
Click on a language (for example, English > Spanish).
Add your translations in each tab: Property settings, Room types, Room rates, Extras, Policies, Emails.
Click Publish changes on each tab before moving to another tab.
To publish your manual translations and make them available on your booking engine:
Go to Direct booking > Configuration > Translations.
Find the language you want to publish.
Click the Published toggle to turn it on.
💡 If a language is published but some fields are missing translations, content displays in your booking engine's default language.
What fields are automatically translated
When you turn on automatic translation, the following content is translated on your booking engine:
Tab | Fields |
Property settings | Property description, Terms, conditions and privacy policy, Location instructions, Optional custom field label, GDPR consent message, Property cancellation policy |
Room types | Custom room type name, Description |
Room rates | Name, Description, Custom text |
Rate plans | Headline, Description, Tagline |
Policies | Room cancellation policy |
Emails | Subject, Header text, Footer text |
Extras | Name, Description |
The following fields are not included in automatic translation. To translate these, add them manually:
Property name, Street, Postcode, City, State/Municipality, Phone number, Alternative phone number
Set your default language
Your booking engine automatically detects a guest's browser language and displays in that language. If their browser language is not available, it falls back to your property's default language.
To set your default language:
Go to Direct booking > Configuration > Translations.
Click the edit (pencil) button next to the current default language shown at the top of the page.
Select the language you want to use as default.
Click Publish changes.
💡 Guests can also choose their preferred language using the language switcher on your booking engine. Booking confirmation e-mails are sent in the guest's chosen language.
Turn off automatic translation
AI generated automatic translations cannot be edited. To make changes, you need to disable automatic translation for that language first, then enter your translations manually.
To disable automatic translation for a language:
Go to Direct booking > Configuration > Translations.
Click the ellipsis button (three dots) next to the language and select Edit translation.
Turn off the Automatic translation toggle.
⚠️ Disabling automatic translation removes all auto-generated content for that language. You will need to enter all translations manually from that point. This does not affect other languages.
Preview your booking engine
To preview your booking engine in a specific language:
Go to Direct booking > Configuration > Translations.
Next to a language, click the link icon to open your booking engine in that language.
Use the language switcher to view it in another language.