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Why you should sync your Airbnb calendar and how to do it

Why you should sync your Airbnb calendar and how to do it

If you’re an Airbnb host, then you know how important it is to keep your Airbnb calendar up-to-date. Not only do you need to make sure that your guests have the correct information about their stay, but you also need to be able to manage your own schedule.

If you list your property on more than one website, for example Airbnb and Vrbo, then you also need to prevent multiple guests from booking a property for the same dates. Your guests may use either one of these different channels to book, and if there is no communication between your Airbnb and Vrbo listings, then errors are bound to happen.

One of the best ways to ensure that your Airbnb calendar is always accurate is to sync it with another calendar. This way, you can be sure that all of your information is in one place and that you won’t have any surprises.

In this article, we’ll give you some tips on why you should sync your Airbnb calendar and how to do it. We’ll also show you the benefits of syncing your Airbnb calendar so that you can make the most of your Airbnb experience.

So without further ado, let’s get started!

Why do I need to sync my Airbnb calendar?

There are many benefits of syncing your Airbnb calendar. Perhaps the most obvious benefit is that it helps to keep your information accurate and up-to-date. This is important for both you and your guests. By having a synchronized Airbnb calendar, you can avoid any potential double bookings or other problems that may arise from having inaccurate information.

An Airbnb calendar sync also gives you more flexibility in terms of managing your own schedule. If you have a hectic lifestyle, then being able to see all of your appointments in one place can be a huge help. With an Airbnb calendar sync, you can easily change or cancel appointments as needed without having to remember which calendar they’re on.

Finally, syncing your Airbnb calendar can also help you to save time. If you’re constantly having to update multiple calendars, then it can take up a lot of your time. By syncing your Airbnb calendar, you can reduce the amount of time you spend on this task and use that time for other things.

Sync Airbnb calendar for the same property listed twice

If you offer stays at your property in different configurations, for example, one villa that is available as both a 3-bedroom or 2-bedroom stay, you can create separate listings for each one. This is a common practice among Airbnb hosts.

Each listing would then have its own set of pictures, rules, and pricing. You can also specify dates for when the whole house is unavailable.

In this scenario, you want to make sure that the calendars for both your listings are synced to avoid double bookings. Important to note that if you’re using Instant Book, keep in mind that there have been cases of system errors opening a blocked calendar to guests, so it may be worthwhile to switch it off.

Linking two Airbnb calendars internally

Link multiple airbnb listing calendars

If you manage multiple listings on Airbnb, you can link your calendars to help keep track of your availability. When you link your calendars, any changes you make to one calendar will be reflected on the other linked calendars.

You can also use this feature in the case mentioned above, where you list a property twice or more on Airbnb in different configurations. Linking will sync calendars for all of your selected listings and prevent multiple guests for the property at the same time.

To link two or more Airbnb calendars:

1. Go to Your listings on airbnb.com and select a listing.

2. Under Pricing and Availability, go to Calendar Sync.

3. Edit Linked Airbnb calendars and click on Create linked calendar to choose the other listing with the property you want to link.

4. Choose all the listings you wish to link, then click Next and Save.

You can also unlink an Airbnb calendar from this page. Just follow all the same steps and deselect the listings you want to unlink in Step 4.

Syncing Booking.com, Airbnb and Vrbo calendars

As a vacation rental owner, it’s important to keep your calendar in sync across all platforms. This way, you can avoid double bookings and ensure that each guest has a smooth experience.

If you’re using multiple booking platforms, we recommend using a calendar sync tool to keep everything organized. This will save you time and help prevent any accidental double bookings.

There are a few different ways to sync your calendar. For instance, an iCal connection can ensure that if a specific date is booked through Airbnb, then the date automatically becomes unavailable on Booking.com.

What can an iCal connection do?

Connecting your iCal is a way of copying the availability from one calendar to another. This can be really useful in lots of different situations – not just for vacation rentals. For example, you might want to connect iCal for your child’s school holidays, your tennis matches, or your friend’s band’s gigs. That way, whenever any of these external calendars are updated, the changes will appear on your calendar automatically.

To use an iCal calendar connection, you need to use your iCalendar feed URL, or the iCal URL, to link two calendars.

Here are a few things you can do by choosing to automatically sync your calendars using iCal:

  • Sync your Airbnb calendar with your cleaners, concierge, and others to organise operations efficiently
  • Build connections between your Airbnb and Vrbo calendars, as well as your Airbnb and Booking.com calendars
  • Sync your Booking.com, Airbnb and Vrbo calendars with Google calendar.
  • Sync other calendars with Google calendar

Find out the specific steps needed to sync calendars using iCal here.

Exporting and Importing iCal calendar format

Import or Export Airbnb Calendar from the Availability settings in the Host dashboard
Import or Export Airbnb Calendar from the Availability settings in the Host dashboard

Using iCal for syncing calendars requires knowing your iCal URL. In the article linked above, you can see the steps needed to find your iCal link. This link is unique to each property you manage, and when you sync your calendars between multiple channels, you will need to both import calendar from the external site and export calendar from the source to that external site.

For example, if you are connecting Airbnb and Vrbo calendars, you will need to get your Airbnb calendar link from the availability settings and paste it into your VRBO import calendar settings. Then, you will need to get your Vrbo calendar link from the Reservations calendar and paste it into the Airbnb availability settings.

iCal sync with Google calendar

iCal can help you connect your Google calendar with your Booking.com, Airbnb and Vrbo calendars with ease. Google calendar operates the same way as Airbnb, Booking.com, or Vrbo calendars and you can export your Google calendar address URL to any of your booking channels’ settings.

Using iCal to sync calendars with your Google calendar can help you keep track of your bookings within your Google calendar and block off any dates on channels such as Booking.com, Airbnb, and Vrbo for days when you may need your property for private use.

Click here for precise steps required in syncing your Google calendar with other calendars.

Sync calendars using a channel manager

If you manage multiple properties and list them across a variety of booking channels, then manually syncing them can be a pain and leave a lot of room for errors. Tools like a property management system or a channel manager can help you control the syncs for all your listings in one place.

A channel manager allows you to see all your reservations in one place, eliminating the need to sync calendars manually. It will sync your Airbnb calendar with your Vrbo calendar and a plethora of other platforms.

However, a channel manager does not only sync calendars. It also syncs pricing, listing descriptions, and more.

To learn how to sync calendars using a channel manager in detail, click here.

Syncing your booking calendars is crucial to organise your reservations in a manner that is easily tracked and does not require manual changes at your end all the time.

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