If you list a flat on several platforms, the biggest nightmare is a double booking: two guests for the same night. Preventing it isn't complicated. You just need one rule: each flat has one real calendar.
Why do double bookings happen?
Airbnb and Booking.com can't see each other's calendars. If someone books a weekend on one, it still looks free on the other until someone blocks it. That's easy to forget when you do it by hand, especially with lots of flats.
The iCal link
The platforms give you an iCal link for each flat. It's a calendar address that other systems read at regular intervals. If you add the Airbnb link to Booking.com and vice versa, each platform shows the other's bookings as unavailable.
There's one downside: the sync isn't instant. Platforms usually refresh hourly or less often. So with very quick back-to-back bookings, a clash can still happen now and then.
One calendar that sees everything
If you also let the flat long term, or use it yourself sometimes, syncing the platforms isn't enough. You need one place that shows all of these at once:
- bookings coming in from the platforms,
- long-term leases,
- blocks for your own use, a renovation or a repair.
When it's all in one calendar, you can see at a glance when the flat is really free.
Blocks: when nobody can book
Renovation, your own stay, fixing a leak: block the flat for those days. The platforms need to see the block too, so give them your own calendar's iCal link as well. That way the renovation week shows as booked on every platform.
Long-term leases alongside the platforms
Many people let short term in summer and long term from autumn to spring. The biggest risk here is a fixed-term contract overlapping a summer booking you've already accepted. Check the calendar first, and only then sign the contract. We compared the two ways of letting in this article.
Cleaning and turnovers
You need time between bookings for cleaning and key handover. It's worth having a fixed rule, for example at least half a day's gap after every check-out. With long-term lets, leave time for the tenant changeover too.
FAQ
How often does iCal refresh?
It varies by platform, usually every hour or every few hours. That's why it's worth checking the very next few days by hand as well.
What if a double booking happens anyway?
Contact one of the guests straight away and find a solution, even if that means another place to stay. The sooner you spot it, the cheaper it is.
Do I need a separate calendar for each flat?
Yes, the platforms give you a link per flat. If you rent by the room, per room.
Rentkey
Rentkey's Occupancy view shows leases, blocks and bookings imported from the platforms on one timeline per flat. You also get your own iCal link per flat for the platforms, and Rentkey warns you if anything clashes.
