Foreign guests: reviews in other languages, machine translation and your listing in several languages on Google, Booking.com, Tripadvisor and Airbnb (2026)

Updated: 10 November 2026

A German guest leaves a review in German; an Italian couple reads your listing in Italian even though you wrote it in English. Almost all of this runs on machine translation. This guide sums up what the official help pages of Google, Booking.com and Airbnb say, and what we could not confirm for Tripadvisor, checked on 10 November 2026.

The short answer

The essentials:

Google Maps and Search translate reviews into the device language and show the original below (official Google blog, April 2017).
Booking.com translates property and room descriptions based on demand for each language; facilities and policies are translated automatically into all available languages.
Airbnb automatically translates listings, messages and reviews in over 60 languages (Translation Engine, announcement of 8 September 2022); you can add your own description in another language.
Tripadvisor: we found no official help page on review translation. Check your own listing.
No one guarantees a translation is right: the clearer and simpler your original text, the fewer mistakes.

Google: translated reviews on Maps and Search

According to the official Google blog (24 April 2017):

Reviews are translated automatically into the language set on the user's device, on Google Maps and Search.
Users see the translated review and, below it, the review in its original language.
Google Maps Help says that to read reviews in another language you change your Google Account language and reload Maps. Handy to see your listing as a foreign guest does.
Whether Google also translates the owner's reply: not confirmed in an official source.

Booking.com: description, facilities and messages

What the Booking.com Partner Hub says:

Property and room descriptions are translated into other languages «based on demand»: when many visitors search in a language and look at your property, your text joins a queue. No timeframe is given.
Facilities and policies are translated automatically into all available languages. So fill in those Extranet fields properly instead of putting everything in free text.
Room changes made in the Extranet are updated in the text and translated into multiple languages.
If something in your description is wrong, use «Request a correction»; the content team handles it within a week.
Messages: Google Translate is built into the Extranet and the Pulse app («Show translation») to read guests' messages in your language.
Your replies reach guests translated only in German, French, Spanish, Dutch, Polish, Russian, Arabic and Portuguese. Everyone else gets them in the language you write: write to an Italian or Greek guest in English or in their language.

Booking.com: which language to reply to a review in

Partner help (article 213302645, checked on 9 November 2026) says the reply must be in the language of the review or in English, and it is checked before it goes live:

If the review is in a language you don't know well, reply in English, with short sentences and no jargon.
More rules on replying in our guide /respond-hotel-reviews-rules-google-booking-2026.

Airbnb: Translation Engine

According to Airbnb's announcement of 8 September 2022 and its host resources page:

Listing descriptions have been translated automatically since the 2021 Winter Release; messages since summer 2022; reviews since September 2022.
It works in over 60 languages and there is no longer a translate button to click.
You can add a language to your listing (Listings > editor > Settings > Edit preferences > Languages > Add a language) and write the description yourself. For anything else, guests see automatic translations.
Whether translation can be switched off: not confirmed in official help.

Tripadvisor: what is not confirmed

We found no official Tripadvisor help page on machine translation of reviews, and the management response guidelines page could not be opened today:

In the Tripadvisor user forum (not an official source, no staff reply) members quote a notice about machine-translated reviews and a Google Translate button.
Open your listing in another site language to see what is shown and which language your replies appear in.

Tips for text that translates well

Good practice, not platform rules:

Short sentences, no puns, idioms or local abbreviations.
Concrete facts with numbers and times: «check-in from 3 pm», «parking 200 m away».
Fill in the structured fields (amenities, policies, times) as well as the free text.
Check your listing in other languages: if a translation says something false, fix the original or request a correction.
Your own website's language versions have their own rules: see /multilingual-hotel-website-hreflang-google-2026.

How iQuota helps

With iQuota, AI assistants read your property's details and terms through a connector and answer travellers in their own language. Direct booking, 0% commission, payment at the property. We cannot guarantee that an AI assistant will recommend you.

Want AI to give your real details and terms, with direct booking and no commission? The first 30 hotels join free until 30 June 2027.

See the Founding Hotels programme

Frequently asked questions

Do I have to write my description in several languages?

No: Booking.com translates it based on demand and Airbnb translates automatically. On Airbnb you can add your own version in another language if you want control over the text.

Which language do I reply to a Booking.com review in?

The language of the review or English, according to Booking.com partner help.

Does Google translate the reviews on my profile?

Yes: on Maps and Search they are translated into the user's device language, with the original below.

Do my Booking.com messages reach an Italian guest translated?

The official list of translation languages does not include Italian or Greek: write in English or Italian.

Does Tripadvisor translate reviews?

We could not confirm it on an official help page. Check your listing.

Sources

More guides for hotels

More guides for hotels →

Español · Italiano · Português · Ελληνικά