Hinfo Now Translates Your Details For You
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📆 Jul 30th 2019 - 5min read
Today we are announcing the biggest update to Hinfo since its original launch.
This update contains many major breakthroughs and addresses the biggest requests we've had to date.
Personalization
We had a lot of properties ask us if they can apply their own colours to their property's account to match their branding.
Our new personalization feature allows properties to provide colours along with selecting a text font available and text alignment.
This is reflected throughout the entire service, including buttons, alerts, etc.
If this was all we did, it would be worthy of being called Version 2. But this is just the first update.
Multi-Language
Yes, we have added multi-language to Hinfo.
Properties can provide details for the following languages for guests including English:
- Chinese Traditional
- Chinese Simplified
- Japanese
- Malay
- Hindi
We are supporting this languages today to cover 65% of Australia's international visitors every year. If your property wishes to support a language not listed, please let us know.
Hinfo automatically detects guests language in the app and on Hinfo.com removing an unnecessary step when using the service.
Now this brings us to another problem that every competitor has overlooked. You can provide the slots to include details in other language, but if it costs a lot to a) translate and b) deliver details with extra resources (e.g. paper and leather folders), no property will do it.
We have solved this problem entirely and is without a doubt the biggest announcement we have today.
Auto Translate
That's right, we will translate your property details for your property!
When you submit your initial details and any information updates, we will automatically translate them to your preferred languages.
This costs significantly less than getting a human translator while being just as accurate and the turnaround time is a few minutes, not days or even weeks.
The breakthrough we have achieved for this feature inspired us to improve the way guests communicate with reception staff.
Auto Translate for Ask Reception Guest Messaging
Guests that do not speak and type English can now communicate with the reception staff during their stay.
Guests can now send a message to reception in their own language (e.g. Chinese Traditional), it will convert it to English for reception to see.
When reception responds to the guest's message, it will be translated back into the guests preferred language, so both sides of the conversation are in a language they can understand.
Other solutions require guests to visit reception, wait to speak to a staff member, get the translating tools out (e.g. a tablet or similar) and do a voice conversation with the device translating for you.
Our solution allows guests to read the full conversation back in their own time at each end. Guests can send a message in their preferred language from their room, by the pool of even when off-site.
Hinfo CMS
We have completely revamped the way your property can manage your property and local area details.
It uses the same account details as before but has an improved navigation, works on any device of any screen size and has a few additional tools not previously provided.
Auto Updates
The last major feature we've included today is the addition of Auto Updates.
When your property publishes information updates, the app and Hinfo.com website will check each time a guest use the Hinfo service next to see if there are any updates.
If Hinfo detects your details have been updated since the last time the guest used the service, it will download the details immediately after they open the app.
If your property now has a simple price change, change of hours or a new phone number, you can update these details for every guest in every room instantly.
Minor Enhancements
We have dozens of small additions across the entire Hinfo service that makes it even more of a complete digital hotel solution.
These additions include but are not limited too:
- Further improvements to reduce download sizes for each property (particularly with images).
- Merged Facilities and Room Details to a new tab called Amenities which also allows for property's to provide their own headings for this section.
- Android Tablet landscape support. Hinfo now supports both iPads and Android tablets in portrait and landscape. This means the Hinfo software will fit your guests preference, not the guest having to change their way of doing things to suit the software.
- Added keyword search to Amenities section on Hinfo.com.
- Added email notifications for reception for Ask Reception messages for all properties.
- Reduced the Near Me stage of the initial setup to only require a name and suburb to be provided. We will complete the rest of these details for you.
- Support for up to 50 places and 50 events in Near Me.
- Create a library of placeholder images in 100+ categories to substitute in, when an image is not supplied for a Near Me place or event.
- Many visual improvements, including haptic feedback on recent iPhones, animated buttons and revamped 'Select a Property' screen.
- Near Me Event expiry dates are now optional. This is handy if an event such as a local market happens monthly but is ongoing.
- In-House Restaurants listed now can provide a separate drinks menu.
- Airports listed in the Local Services tab can now have a separate link to the Airports Schedule.
- Multiple bug fixes.
It is no surprise that we've been working on this for the last several months and we believe guests and property management will appreciate these significant improvements.
That is everything included in our Version 2 update which is available today.
There are no additional costs for every feature listed or to provide your own translated details. Our Auto Translate service for both compendium details and 'Ask Reception' is an optional extra for a very low monthly rate.
