If you manage your properties on Airbnb and Booking.com, you’ve probably wondered:
- How can I sync Airbnb and Booking reservations without a Channel Manager?
- How do I avoid dreaded overbookings when receiving bookings on both platforms?
The answer is simple: you can do it using iCal, a free feature that lets you share calendars between platforms.
In this article, we’ll show you step by step, with images, how to export and import Airbnb and Booking.com calendars using iCal, to keep your bookings automatically synced.
What is iCal and how does it work?
The iCal (or iCalendar) format is a standard for sharing online calendars. Both Airbnb and Booking.com allow you to export their calendars in this format and also import external calendars.
This way, you can “connect” both platforms so that when a date is booked on one, it’s automatically blocked on the other.
🟢 Advantages:
- Avoid overbookings at no cost.
- Easy to set up.
🔴 Limitations:
- Updates are not instant (they can take between 30 minutes and several hours).
- It only syncs blocked dates, not prices or rules.
Step 1: Export Airbnb Calendar (to import into Booking.com)
- Go to Listings in your Airbnb account.
- Select the specific listing you want to sync.
- Click on the Availability tab.
- Scroll down to find Link calendars.
- Choose Connect to external calendar.
- Airbnb will provide a URL (web address). Copy this URL — it ends in .ics.
- This URL contains the availability info for that specific Airbnb listing.
Step 2: Import Airbnb Calendar into Booking.com
- Log in to the Booking.com Extranet.
- Go to Rates & Availability (or Calendar & Pricing) and select Calendar (or List View).
- Look for the Sync Calendars option (sometimes it’s a button or link above the calendar).
- Click Add calendar connection or Import calendar.
- Paste the URL you copied from Airbnb.
- Name this calendar (e.g., “Airbnb [Your Listing Name]”).
- Click Connect or Save.
Booking.com will now read your Airbnb availability through that URL and block booked dates.
Step 3: Export Booking.com Calendar (to import into Airbnb)
- In the Booking.com Extranet, go to Rates & Availability (or Calendar & Pricing) and select Calendar.
- Find the Sync Calendars option.
- Look for Export Calendar. Click on it.
- Booking.com will provide a URL — copy this .ics link.
- This URL contains the availability info for that specific Booking.com listing.
Step 4: Import Booking.com Calendar into Airbnb
- Go to Listings in your Airbnb account.
- Select the same specific listing you synced earlier.
- Go to Availability / Link calendars / Connect to external calendar.
- Choose Import calendar.
- Paste the URL you copied from Booking.com.
- Name this calendar (e.g., “Booking.com [Your Listing Name]”).
Airbnb will now read your Booking.com availability through that URL and block booked dates.
Important things to know about iCal syncing
- Not real-time: Updates may take up to 2–3 hours, depending on the platform.
- If you get lots of last-minute bookings, it’s advisable to check manually or consider a professional solution.
- Only syncs blocked/booked dates — not rates or cancellation policies.
- You need to repeat this process for each individual property.
🚀 When does iCal make sense, and when should you upgrade to a Channel Manager?
iCal syncing is ideal if:
✅ You manage a few properties.
✅ You only use Airbnb and Booking.com.
✅ You have few last-minute bookings.
However, if you:
- Manage more properties or additional channels (Vrbo, Expedia, etc.)
- Need to automate tasks, prices, rules, or messaging
- Want real-time updates and to avoid errors
- Want to also manage direct bookings
- And many other features to make your life easier 😀
… then you probably need an All-in-One Channel Manager.
Rental Ninja lets you centralize everything: instant sync, dynamic pricing, automated messaging, and much more.
Conclusion
iCal syncing between Airbnb and Booking.com is a free, easy, and useful tool to avoid overbookings if you have a simple setup.
We encourage you to try it, and when your business grows or you need more advanced features, explore tools like Rental Ninja that take your management to the next level.
Got questions or need help setting it up? Write to us — we’re happy to help!
