INNOVATIONS &
INNOVATIONS & TECHNOLOGIES THE IMPORTANCE OF ONLINE REVIEWS FOR HOTELIERS DIRECT TRANSLATION THE BOOM IN MULTI- LINGUAL BLAH-BLAH If “Ni Hao” is the limit of your Chinese vocabulary, never fear. Direct translators are increasingly becoming the norm, enabling interpretation of multiple languages. Translation Apps are increasingly taking on importance in this respect, with even Shanghai taxi drivers now able to “talk” to their clients via their smartphones using locallybased apps. in the Western world, Google Translate and Microsoft Translator appear to be dominating. It is also possible to find dedicated devices. One such example is that of Beijing Babel Technology, who have developed the “AIcorrect Translator”. Online reviews are the new word of mouth for hotels today. Hoteliers know that a traveller’s buying decision is influenced by many factors online. According to a report by hotel marketing agency, Travel Media Group, (TMG) “the average traveller visits anywhere from four to 38 websites before booking. More importantly, during the booking process, travel review websites and apps account for up to 42% of online sources used, and 89% of travellers say reviews are influential when deciding where to book.” So, is getting many reviews is a good way to insure bookings for hoteliers? Well, simply receiving reviews is not enough adds the report. “65% of travellers are more likely to book a hotel that responds to online reviews.” The device supports real-time mutual translation between Chinese or English and 30 other languages, including Japanese, Korean, Thai, French, Russian and Spanish. Major languages like English are further divided into accents meaning translation quality can be as high as 96%. It also has a touch screen, where transcription and translation are shown at the same time. Over recent years, China has overtaken many other players in the field of artificial intelligence, with applications and development for civilian purposes like mobile pay obtaining remarkable achievements, not to mention drones and other innovative products. Lei Guan, CEO of Babel Technology, states, "As a Chinese pathfinder in the field of AI, we designed the device in hoping that hundreds of millions of people can have access to it and carry out cross-linguistic communication all barrier-free" This increase value on engagement is a constant across social media. Although some will stop at sharing content, engaging with customer reviews, good or not, shows that the hotel cares about their guests. “78% of guests say that managers who respond to reviews care more about their guests. Travellers today are looking for an experience, not just a place to sleep, and travellers believe a hotelier who responds to concerns and praise will likely also provide better service during their stay,” adds the report
