Booking calendars
Sync Airbnb and Booking.com Calendars Step by Step
A plain guide to linking Airbnb, Booking.com and your own site, so one booking blocks the dates everywhere.
You’ve got a shepherd’s hut on Airbnb, and now Booking.com wants a listing too. The worry is obvious. A weekend gets booked on one, and the other still shows it free. Calendar syncing fixes most of that. Each platform reads the other’s bookings through an iCal link, so if you sync Airbnb and Booking.com calendars once, dates block on both. It isn’t instant, which is the part worth understanding.
How iCal calendar sync works
iCal sync works by swapping links. Each platform creates a private web address that lists your booked dates (the export link), and the other platform checks that address every so often (the import).
So the job is always the same. Copy the export link from one platform, paste it into the other as an import, then do the reverse. Your own website can join in the same way, with its availability calendar reading the platform links. If you want your own site to show live dates, our page on website availability calendars covers how that fits in.
Every platform checks on its own schedule. That means iCal is a regular check, not a live feed.
How to sync Airbnb and Booking.com calendars
Start in Airbnb to get its link, add it to Booking.com, then bring Booking.com’s link back to Airbnb. The menus are renamed now and then, but the route is similar each time.
Step 1. Get your Airbnb export link
In Airbnb, open Calendar and pick the listing. Go to Availability, then Connect calendars, and choose the option to connect to another website. Airbnb shows an export link. Copy it.
Step 2. Add it to Booking.com
In your Booking.com extranet, find the calendar sync section under rates and availability. Choose to import a calendar, paste the Airbnb link and save. Booking.com will now block any dates Airbnb shows as booked.
Step 3. Bring the Booking.com link back
Still in Booking.com, copy the export link for the same property. Go back to Airbnb’s Connect calendars, paste it in as an import and give it a name you’ll recognise, such as “Booking.com”.
Step 4. Add your own website
If your site has a booking calendar, connect it to the same links. Each channel’s export link goes into the site, and the site’s own export link goes into each platform. Not every site can do this, so check before you promise yourself a fully linked setup.
Why double bookings still happen
Double bookings still happen because iCal runs on a delay. If two guests book the same dates inside that gap, both bookings go through before either platform learns about the other.
The usual causes are a short gap between bookings, a last-minute booking, and links that were set up only one way round. A missing import is easy to miss, because everything looks fine until the first clash. Cancellations can also lag, so dates may stay blocked after a guest cancels.
Booking.com’s own help pages list a double booking among the questions owners ask about calendar sync, so it’s a known limit of the method, not a sign you did something wrong.
How to cut the risk of a double booking
You cut the risk by keeping the gap small and your habits steady. These steps cost nothing.
Direct bookings matter here. A guest who finds you on a listing site often searches for your own website afterwards, hoping for a better deal. If your site’s calendar isn’t linked, those bookings are the ones most likely to clash.
When you need a channel manager
You need a channel manager when iCal delays start costing you more than the tool would. That usually means three or more channels, several units, or repeat double bookings.
A channel manager is software that sits between your calendar and the platforms and updates them for you, normally faster than iCal links. It costs money each month, so it isn’t worth it for one hut on two channels.
| Your setup | What usually works |
|---|---|
| One unit, Airbnb and Booking.com | iCal links |
| One unit, three or more channels | iCal, or a channel manager if clashes happen |
| Several units across channels | A channel manager |
| Your own site taking bookings too | A booking system that syncs with the platforms |
Our sites can sync availability calendars with Airbnb, Booking.com, Canopy & Stars, CoolStays and others, so direct bookings join the same setup.
FAQs
How long does calendar sync take?
It isn’t instant. iCal calendars are checked on a schedule by each platform, so a booking can take anything from a few minutes to a few hours to appear elsewhere. That gap is where double bookings happen, so block dates by hand if you get a booking close to arrival.
Why is my calendar link not working?
Usually the link was copied wrongly, pasted into the wrong box, or the export link was swapped with the import one. Copy the export link again from the platform you’re taking dates from, paste it into the other platform’s import box, and check the property or room matches.
Can I use Google Calendar to sync bookings?
You can add an Airbnb or Booking.com export link to Google Calendar to see bookings in one place. That’s handy for viewing, but it isn’t a booking system. Each platform still needs the other’s link to block dates, so don’t rely on Google Calendar alone.
What do I do if I get a double booking?
Contact the guest who booked second straight away, apologise and offer to help them move to another date or unit. Then cancel through the platform’s own process, which often protects your rating better than a message outside it. Afterwards, check your links and delays.
When do I need a channel manager?
Consider one when you’re on three or more channels, manage several units, or have had more than one double booking. A channel manager updates platforms more quickly than iCal links and gives one calendar to control. For a single hut on two channels, iCal is usually enough.
If you’re unsure whether your booking setup is helping or holding you back, send us your website and we’ll tell you, for free, what’s stopping it getting bookings.