German-to-English Hotel Website Checklist

Help Prospective Guests Understand Your Hotel and Plan Their Stay

Created by Kirsty Low Translation – German-to-English translation, transcreation and SEO translation.

Review your English website from the perspective of someone considering a stay. Can they understand what you offer, compare their options and find the information they need before booking?

Download the Editable Word Checklist

How to Use This Checklist

Start with your homepage, room pages and booking information, then follow the links into your booking system. Complete the sections relevant to your hotel.

For each item, record one status:

  • Checked – reviewed and no issue identified.
  • Needs attention – something needs clarifying or changing.
  • Not sure – further information or linguistic review is needed.
  • Not applicable – the item doesn’t apply to your hotel.

You can assess many points using the English website and your knowledge of the hotel. Others require comparison with the German source. Fluent English can still change a condition or leave out an important detail, so mark anything you cannot confidently assess as “Not sure”.

1. Your Hotel’s Introduction

  • Does the opening explain what kind of hotel you offer and where it is?
  • Are descriptions supported by details that help guests picture the property and assess whether it suits their stay?
  • Does the English convey your hotel’s character in a voice that feels appropriate to your business?
  • Does the English make the hotel’s location clear, including how close it is to the places mentioned?

2. Room Types and Features

  • Can guests understand the differences between room categories without relying on their names alone?
  • Are bed arrangements, occupancy and relevant room features described clearly?
  • Can readers distinguish features available in every room from those available only in certain rooms or on request?
  • Are views, balconies and terraces described precisely, including whether outdoor spaces are private or shared where relevant?
  • Do room names remain consistent across descriptions, offers and the booking system?

Example: “Rooms with a balcony” and “All rooms have a balcony” make different promises. Check that the English preserves the distinction in your German text.

3. Prices, Packages and Included Services

  • Is the currency clearly identified?
  • Can guests tell whether a price is per person or per room, and per night or for the whole stay?
  • Is it clear what each rate or package includes?
  • Are additional charges and any conditions attached to the offer easy to understand?
  • Are meal arrangements explained sufficiently for guests unfamiliar with your terminology?
  • Are seasonal dates and restrictions consistent across the relevant pages?

Example: “Spa access included” may need more detail. Which facilities does this cover, and does it apply to every rate? Confirm the intended meaning before revising the English.

4. Booking, Payment and Cancellation Information

  • Does the English preserve the conditions stated in the German, including exceptions and qualifications?
  • Are payment dates, deposits and cancellation deadlines unambiguous?
  • Can guests distinguish a booking enquiry from a confirmed reservation?
  • Are qualifications such as “on request” and “subject to availability” retained wherever they affect what is offered? If a price is advertised as “from €120”, does the English preserve that starting-price qualification?
  • Do the website and booking system give consistent information?

This section helps you identify unclear wording or differences between versions. Any legal assessment of booking terms should be handled by an appropriately qualified adviser.

5. Arrival and Practical Arrangements

  • Are check-in and check-out times clear?
  • Can guests understand what to do if they arrive outside the stated reception hours?
  • Are parking arrangements described accurately, including any charge or need to reserve?
  • Do directions make sense to visitors unfamiliar with local roads, transport services or place names?
  • Are dates, times and measurements consistent and easy for your intended English-speaking guests to interpret?
  • Where relevant, do guests know how to ask about specific access needs, rather than having to rely on a broad description such as “accessible”?

6. Dining, Spa and Other Facilities

Complete the checks relevant to your facilities.

  • Are opening times and seasonal availability clear?
  • Can guests tell whether advance booking is needed?
  • Is it clear which facilities or services are included and which cost extra?
  • Are any age restrictions, guest-only arrangements or other access conditions explained?
  • Are regional dishes, treatments or facility names explained where their names alone may be unfamiliar?
  • Does the English distinguish facilities at the hotel from services or attractions nearby?

7. Natural English and Your Hotel’s Voice

  • Do sentences make their main point clearly, without requiring readers to untangle a German sentence structure?
  • Do translated expressions communicate a recognisable meaning in English?
  • Are descriptions specific enough to convey your hotel’s character, with concrete details supporting expressions of praise?
  • Does the tone remain consistent across pages while allowing practical information to be more direct?
  • Are local names and expressions retained where they add character, with explanations where needed?
  • Have appealing descriptions preserved the facts, without adding facilities, experiences or promises?

Example: Capturing the Meaning Behind a German Expression

German:
Lassen Sie den Tag in unserer gemütlichen Stube ausklingen.

Overly literal English:
Let the day fade away in our cosy parlour.

Possible adaptation:
Round off your day in our cosy lounge.

The adaptation expresses the invitation naturally while retaining its warmth. “Lounge” is appropriate only if it accurately describes the space; a traditional dining room might need different wording.

Wording that seems awkward or difficult to interpret in English is worth reviewing, but a stylistic preference alone does not make a translation wrong. The question is whether the wording accurately describes what your hotel offers and conveys its character in an appropriate voice.

8. The Path to Booking

  • Do links and buttons make their purpose clear?
  • When guests enter the booking system from your English website, can they continue in English? If there are any limitations, are they clearly explained?
  • Are important details available in English at the point where guests need them?
  • When viewing the English website on a phone, can guests read headings, button labels and important conditions in full, without text being cut off or hidden?

Record What Needs Attention

Use a separate entry for each issue you want to follow up.

Page or booking step:
[Your answer]

Wording or information to review:
[Your answer]

Status:
[Checked / Needs attention / Not sure / Not applicable]

What needs to happen?
For example, confirm a room feature internally, clarify what a rate includes or request a bilingual review.
[Your answer]

Who will follow this up?
[Your answer]

Decide What to Address First

Start by reviewing room features, prices, included services and booking conditions. Unclear or inaccurate wording in these areas could affect a guest’s booking decision or lead them to expect something different from what you offer. Then review descriptions and voice more closely.

Some issues will need factual clarification within your team. Others may call for a targeted revision or a fuller review of the English against the German.

If you decide to commission language work, the Translation Brief Template can help you bring together the relevant pages, reference materials and questions.