Connect an iCal calendar
Paste the calendar link from Airbnb, Booking.com or Abritel into a property sheet to see its stays arrive on the schedule on their own.
The video for this guide is coming soon.
An iCal link is the address of a listing's calendar on a booking platform. Once it is pasted into the property sheet, its stays are picked up automatically on the schedule. This is how you link Airbnb, Booking.com and Abritel (Vrbo), property by property. Allow 2 minutes per property.
You use management software? Link it in one go instead: Connect your management software.
What the link syncs
| Data | Direction | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Stays of the listing | From the platform to The Big One | Picked up automatically on the property's schedule |
| Properties | None | The property must already exist in The Big One |
| Cleanings, jobs | None | Nothing is sent back to the platform |
Before you start
- The property exists in the Properties menu. If not, create it or import your properties.
- You have the calendar export link of the listing: an address that often ends in .ics. It is copied from the booking platform.
- You are an administrator or a manager.
Add a calendar to a property
Step by step
- 1
Open the Properties menu.
- 2
On the property's row, click Property sheet.
- 3
Open the “Connection” tab. The “iCal calendars” card appears.
- 4
In “Label (optional)”, enter a name to recognise the calendar, for example “Airbnb”.
- 5
In “iCal link”, paste the link copied from the platform.
- 6
Click Add. The message “Calendar added · stays imported: …” appears and the calendar shows in the card.
Check and refresh a calendar
Step by step
- 1
In the “iCal calendars” card, read the calendar's line: the number of stays and the date it was last read.
- 2
Click Refresh to read the property's calendars again straight away. The message “Stays up to date: …” appears.
- 3
Turn off a calendar's switch to pause it: it goes from “Active” to “Inactive”.
| Label | What it means |
|---|---|
| “… stays · last read on …” | The calendar has been read, with that number of stays |
| “Never read” | The calendar has not been read yet |
| “Active”, “Inactive” | The calendar is read, or paused |
If a calendar stops responding
Each active calendar is read automatically every 15 minutes. After 3 missed reads in a row (link no longer responding, calendar unreadable, or link not read for 45 minutes), the calendar is “down” and an alert appears in three places.
| Screen | What appears |
|---|---|
| Calendar | The red “iCal calendar down” badge under the property name |
| Property sheet | The banner “iCal calendar down: this property's bookings are no longer updated.”, with the time of the last successful read |
| Alerts & tracking | The line “iCal calendar down —” followed by the property name |
Step by step
- 1
In the property sheet or in Alerts & tracking, click View calendars. The sheet's “Connection” tab opens.
- 2
Read the message under the calendar, then click Refresh.
- 3
If the calendar still cannot be read, copy the link from the platform again and replace the calendar.
The alert disappears on its own as soon as the link responds again.
Delete a calendar
Step by step
- 1
In the “iCal calendars” card, click the calendar's bin. The “Delete this calendar?” window opens.
- 2
Click Delete. The message “Calendar deleted” appears.
Add the links of many properties
For a large number of properties, use the Excel file of properties: it has a column for the iCal link.
Step by step
- 1
Open Settings › Workflows & integrations › Integrations.
- 2
On the Airbnb, Booking.com or Abritel (Vrbo) card, click How to.
- 3
Click Import an Excel file. The property import opens.
The rest is described in Import your properties.
Frequently asked questions
Can several calendars be added to the same property?
Yes. Add one calendar per platform, each with its label.
Do calendars need to be refreshed by hand?
No. Stays are picked up automatically: each active calendar is read every 15 minutes. The “Refresh” button is for reading right away, without waiting.
Are cleanings sent to Airbnb or Booking.com?
No. The iCal link only reads the stays of the listing.
What happens to the stays if I delete the calendar?
The upcoming stays from this link are removed from the schedule. The past history is kept.