Hotel News Resource – October 7, 2010
Kiwi Collection provides affluent travelers and travel agents with an up-to-date, unbiased and trusted resource for information on the finest hotels around the globe...
The portfolio reaches its target audience through strategic partnerships and online via kiwicollection.com. Headquartered in Vancouver with offices in Sydney and London, Kiwi Collection currently features 2,100 hotels in 126 countries.
The problem
To appeal to discerning travelers, Kiwi Collection states, “Once you experience the best, you never want to settle for ordinary again.” The statement refers to hotel stays, but Kiwi Collection knew that consistently delivering the best to users also meant upgrading their experiences by providing them with truly localized websites. The company considered traditional workflow solutions to integrate with its own content management system to localize its content for its international clientele. However, these solutions required more development and management effort than Kiwi Collection was able to support. Kiwi Collection sought a more automated, dynamic technology solution that would meet the high expectations of its demanding audience.
The solution
Kiwi Collection considered several translation services, but ultimately decided that Translations.com’s GlobalLink™ OneLink™ solution was the only option that met its objectives. The main functions that compelled Kiwi Collection to implement Onelink™ were:
- Zero IT solution: No software to install and no need to integrate with content management systems, back-end databases or document management systems.
- Translation memory: There is never a charge to translate the same phrase twice.
- Rapid deployment and ease of use: With real-time changes managed from alterations in the source website, companies benefit from faster updates to their localized offerings.
Kiwi Collection was also seeking a true partner for its website localization efforts and determined that Translations.com had a similar vision. Much of Kiwi Collection’s key content is updated regularly, and Translations.com’s OneLink is able to keep pace with a dynamic website that is available in many languages.
The initial project was estimated to take four months but was completed in fewer than three months. Given the nature of the highly branded material, it was key that Kiwi Collection’s regional stakeholders were involved in the review and approval of the translated content. This task needed to be achieved without having an impact on the schedule. Kiwi Collection’s regional stakeholders were trained on Translations.com’s GlobalLink™ Translation and Review Portal in less than one hour.
The results
After a minimal time-to-market, Kiwi Collection dynamically translated content into two languages with 12 others on the horizon, giving its global partners a better reach into local markets. Kiwi Collection is pleased with the efficiency of the OneLink solution and points specifically to the automatic reuse of the translation memory as a key benefit.
“Our partner product managers have been incredibly impressed with the quality of translation,” said Jackie Reid, global lead for the Visa Luxury Hotel Collection, operated by Kiwi Collection. “Speed to market and establishing a long-term relationship with a strong business partner was an absolutely essential ingredient in the success of our business, and we've been delighted with Translations.com as a technology partner.”