Property managers know that to maximize their bookings and revenue, they need to advertise on as many different booking sites as possible. A multi-channel distribution strategy should include major OTAs like Airbnb, Booking.com and Vrbo, as well as a range of niche vacation rental websites.
But managing multiple properties across a variety of booking sites can be complicated – so how can you simplify the process?
The key is to synchronize your calendars.
Here are the key reasons why:
Sync to save time and decrease manual work
Manually updating all your listings, across every booking site, might be a viable solution for small-time property managers who rent out a single vacation property, and only advertise on a handful of sites.
However, for property management companies managing tens or hundreds of properties across a wide range of OTAs, doing this manually would be an impossible amount of work. Not having calendar synchronisation for your vacation rentals will drain your resources and use up a lot of manpower.
Even if you could keep up with the incoming bookings, you’d still remain vulnerable to human error which could lead to double bookings and cost you revenue.
How to sync your vacation rental availability calendars on Airbnb and other platforms
We’ve seen that manually updating your property calendars is unfeasible. So what are your alternatives?
There are two main methods of syncing your calendars automatically, either by using iCal links, or a channel manager which connects to channels via API (application programming interface).
Although iCal technology has been around for a while, it isn’t ideal for the short-term rental industry, and specialized vacation rental channel managers are a much more powerful solution.
How to Sync via iCal: step-by-step
iCal files are small text files that carry calendar data. Here’s a step-by-step, tool-agnostic guide for setting up iCal sync between platforms:
Step 1: Export your calendar from the source platform
If you are trying to connect your iCal or Google calendar to Airbnb, then you’ll have to access first the primary booking platform which you wish to connect to. Follow these steps
- Log into your primary booking platform (e.g., Airbnb)
- Navigate to your property’s calendar settings
- Look for “Export Calendar” or “Calendar Export” option
- Copy the iCal URL provided (it typically starts with “webcal://” or “https://”)
Step 2: Import the calendar to a destination platform
- Log into your secondary booking platform (e.g., your iCal or Google Calendar)
- Go to calendar or availability settings
- Find “Import Calendar” or “Add External Calendar” option
- Paste the iCal URL from Step 1
- Save the connection
Step 3: Establish Two-Way Sync
- Repeat Steps 1-2 in reverse direction
- Export calendar from destination platform
- Import it back to source platform
- Verify both connections are active
Step 4: Test and Monitor
- Make a test booking on one platform
- Wait 2-24 hours for sync to update
- Check if dates are blocked on other platforms
- Monitor regularly for sync failures
This manual approach might work if you’re managing just one or two properties, but it quickly becomes a nightmare when you’re juggling multiple listings across different platforms.
Let’s break down why manual updates are a recipe for disaster before we dive into the technical solutions
Why iCal connections don’t work optimally
iCal files are small text files that carry calendar data. It’s free to use iCal connections to sync your calendars between different channels. But their weak connections often lead to delays and corrupted feeds—making them unreliable for property managers.
Let’s say you wanted to use iCal to connect two of your channels, such as Airbnb and Booking.com.
Quick iCal setup process:
- Export from Airbnb – Copy your listing’s iCal URL from availability settings
- Import to Booking.com – Paste the URL in their calendar import section
- Reverse the process – Export from Booking.com and import back to Airbnb for two-way sync
- Wait for updates – Platforms sync every few hours (sometimes up to 12 hours)
- You can probably already spot some issues with this method.
Firstly, the files are only updated every few hours, and it can take as much as 12 hours. This means double booking can be more likely to happen.
Also, it’s incredibly complicated to connect all your channels in this way when you advertise on more than two or three of them (plus your own website!). You can end up with mixups and circular references, and a totally incomprehensible system.
Finally, iCal files can sometimes break. When this happens, the files are corrupted and they can no longer sync.
So what is the most reliable solution? We have the answer.
API connection: reliable, instant, automatic
Unlike iCal files, API connections are official and certified by the OTA. They allow for total, instant synchronisation across multiple channels.
In order to keep up with changes in their connections’ software, channel managers must be continually analysing and updating their API. Rentals United is constantly working hard to ensure our connections are the strongest and most up-to-date on the market.
This allows us to provide our property managers with access to the latest tools and functionalities built by OTAs.
What is the best channel manager to sync Airbnb and Booking calendars?
There are lots of options for property managers when it comes to choosing a channel manager. However, for large property managers with tens or hundreds of listings, Rentals United is the best solution on the market. There’s no other channel manager that can compete in terms of high-quality connections, wide choice of partners, and advanced syncing.
Here are three reasons to choose Rentals United:
Use a channel manager to keep your calendars up-to-date
If you’re a property manager managing a mid or large portfolio and operating across multiple OTAs, a channel manager with robust API connections is what you need. This for reliable calendar synchronization, particularly when working with major platforms like Airbnb and Booking.com, and other niche platforms.
Find out how Rentals United’s award-winning Channel Manager can boost your business
Tailored connections
With Rentals United, you can choose from over 90 channels, from the largest OTAs to niche, specialist travel sites. You can make your properties visible to millions of potential guests with no manual work in the channels’ extranet.
Rentals United helps you find the perfect mix of sites that are relevant to your properties and manage all your listings from one place.
Advanced sync
A great channel manager can do more than just vacation rental calendar syncing. You can also sync property information, photos, rates, bookings, cancellations and more, depending on the channel.
This helps decrease your workload as you won’t have to log into the channel’s extranet every time you want to make a change.
Conclusion
Whether you choose how to sync via iCal or how to sync via channel manager, the key is implementing a reliable system that prevents double bookings and saves time. While this step-by-step, tool-agnostic guide shows both methods are possible, API-based channel managers provide superior reliability for serious property managers.
Effective Airbnb calendar sync and the ability to sync booking and Airbnb calendar across multiple platforms is essential for maximizing your vacation rental revenue. With the right API connection setup, your vacation rental availability calendar will always be synced reliably across all channels.
You’ll never have to worry about overbookings or manually updating your calendars, saving you time and energy, and allowing you to focus on other aspects of your growing business.
Get started with the best channel manager for short-term and vacation rental business and start gaining more bookings and increasing your revenue.