If you list your property on multiple platforms (Airbnb, Booking.com, Vrbo...), you know the risk: a double booking can quickly turn a good day into a nightmare. The solution? Sync your calendars via iCal links. Here's how, step by step.
What is iCal synchronization?
iCal (or iCalendar) is a standard format used by all booking platforms to share calendar information. Think of it as a common language they all understand.
Airbnb, Booking, Vrbo and Google Calendar all rely on the same iCal standard, so a single link is enough to export your calendar to any other service. Synchronization can run in both directions or one-way, depending on what you need.
The best part: no installation or technical knowledge is required to get started.
The iCal format was created in 1998 and remains the universal standard for calendar data exchange. It's free and offered by all serious platforms.
Step 1: Get the iCal link from Airbnb
Here's how to find your iCal link on Airbnb.
Log into your Airbnb account as a host and navigate to the calendar for the listing you want to sync. Click "Availability" in the top right corner of the page, then open the "Sync calendars" section in the settings.
Copy the link from the "Export calendar" section: this is the one other services will use to read your Airbnb calendar.
Important: copy the EXPORT link (not import). This link allows other services to read your Airbnb calendar.
Step 2: Get the iCal link from Booking.com
For Booking.com, the process happens inside the extranet.
Log into your property management area on the Booking.com extranet, head to the "Calendar and rates" section, and click "Sync calendars" to access the synchronization settings. Copy the iCal link Booking provides so you can paste it into another tool.
The same page also lets you import an external calendar directly into Booking if you want a quick test.
Booking.com can take up to 24h to reflect imported changes. For cleanings, it's recommended to use a third-party tool that centralizes everything.
Step 3: Get links from other platforms
Other platforms also offer iCal links, with slightly different paths.
On Vrbo, head to Calendar then Settings to find your iCal link. In Google Calendar, open Settings and look under "Integrate calendar" to copy the secret address. Smoobu hides the export under Property then Calendar, while Lodgify keeps it under Calendar then Sync.
On Guesty, open Property then Calendar and access iCal Settings to retrieve the link.
If you use a channel manager (Beds24, Smoobu, Lodgify...), you can often get a single iCal link that already includes all your platforms.
Step 4: Centralize with Easyical
Once you have your iCal links, centralize them in Easyical.
Create your account in seconds with no credit card required, add a property and fill in its basic information. Then paste your Airbnb, Booking and other iCal links into the provided fields, and configure your check-in and check-out times for each property.
From that moment on, reservations from all your platforms appear on a single unified schedule.
Easyical's advantage over simple inter-platform sync: cleaning schedules are generated automatically and your team can access them directly.
Mistakes to avoid
A few common pitfalls are worth keeping in mind when setting up synchronization.
Don't mix up import and export links, since they serve different purposes, and never sync the same calendar in a loop with itself or you'll create data conflicts. Make sure time zones are correctly configured on every platform involved.
Remember to re-trigger sync after any major settings change, and create a test reservation first to verify everything is working before you rely on it in production.
If you manually block dates on one platform, make sure this change will sync to others (it's not always automatic).
Conclusion
Syncing your calendars is the essential first step to peacefully managing multi-platform rentals. Once set up, you can go further by automating cleaning schedules, team communication and even invoicing. With the right tools, multi-platform management becomes a breeze.