Default Language Settings for Guidebooks

Overview

Property owners can now set a default language for their guidebooks, ensuring that guests automatically see content in their preferred language without needing to change it manually.

Setting Your Default Language

How to Configure:

1. Navigate to Property Default Settings (Members → Property → Property Defaults)

2. Scroll to the Appearance Settings section

3. Locate Language Settings below the icon styles

4. Toggle Change Default Language to ON

5. Select your preferred language from the dropdown menu

6. Click Save Default Settings

Available Languages

• English (Default)

• Spanish (Español)

• French (Français)

• German (Deutsch)

• Italian (Italiano)

• Portuguese (Português)

• Dutch (Nederlands)

• Japanese (日本語)

• Chinese (中文)

• Korean (한국어)

• Arabic (العربية)

• Russian (Русский)

How It Works

For Property Owners

• All guidebooks default to your chosen language

• Guide Builder opens in your default language

• You can still change language while editing

• Global defaults apply across properties, but individual properties can override

For Guests

• Guidebooks display in the owner’s default language

• Guests can switch languages using the in-guide selector

• Their choice is remembered during browsing

• No need for special URL parameters

Important Notes

URL Behavior

• Guidebook URLs remain unchanged

• Default language is applied automatically

• Guests can override with: ?lang=xx (e.g., ?lang=en)

Disabling the Feature

• Toggle OFF to revert to English

• Default preferences are removed, but translations remain selectable

Priority Order for Language Detection

1. URL parameter (?lang=es)

2. Session selection (guest’s previous choice)

3. Owner’s default setting

4. System default (English)

Troubleshooting

• Ensure toggle is ON

• Confirm a non-English language is selected

• Clear browser cache and reload

• Check that translations exist for chosen language

Best Practices

1. Set your default language before sharing guide links

2. Create content in English first, then translate

3. Use professional translation services for accuracy

4. Test guides in multiple languages before publishing

5. Consider your main guest demographics when choosing a default

Related Features

• Translation Management: Manage translations for guides

• Language Selector: Allows guests to change languages anytime

Last Updated: September 2025