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Calendar sync guide

Sync Airbnb and Booking with iCal

Export and import your iCal links both ways, check the latest update time, and allow for each platform’s own processing delay.

⏱️ Reading time: 9 minutes • Updated: July 2026

Step 1 - Export the iCal links

On Airbnb, open Calendar, select the listing, then Availability. Under Connect calendars, choose to connect another website and copy the Airbnb calendar link.

In the Booking.com Extranet, open calendar synchronization for the property and copy its ICS export link. The exact label can vary with the property setup.

Step 2 - Import each link into the other platform

  1. In Airbnb, add the Booking.com link ending in .ics, name the calendar, and confirm.
  2. In Booking.com, add an external calendar and paste the Airbnb export link.
  3. Repeat for every property: each iCal link belongs to one specific calendar.

Step 3 - Check propagation

  1. Create a test block on an available date.
  2. Check the imported calendar’s latest update time. Airbnb states that it updates automatically every three hours and also offers manual refresh.
  3. Check the block on the other platform, remove it, then check again after the next cycle.
Remember: iCal is not guaranteed real-time synchronization. Until an update is visible everywhere, check availability manually before accepting a competing request.

Verified text cues

Interfaces change; these labels match Airbnb help at the time of this update. If a menu differs, look for Connect calendars, Export, and Import.

Airbnb

Calendar → listing → Availability → Connect calendars → Connect to another website.

Booking.com

Property Extranet → calendar or rates and availability → calendar synchronization → import or export.

Read Airbnb’s official calendar synchronization help.

Reduce risk after connecting

Two-way connections reduce duplicate entry, but each platform keeps its own update cycle. Before accepting a sensitive request, check the latest import time and verify both calendars.

Diagnose a calendar that is not updating

  1. Check that the link ends in .ics and belongs to the correct property.
  2. Check the last update time shown by each platform.
  3. Create and remove a test block, then wait for the next cycle.
  4. Reconnect the feed if its URL changed or the import remains in error.

Verified source: Airbnb calendar-sync help, checked 21 July 2026. Airbnb.

Free tool: preview an iCal link

Paste an Airbnb or Booking iCal link - the preview runs through the BNB Pilot backend to anonymise the feed and check the first lines (DTSTART, UID, SUMMARY).

BEGIN:VCALENDAR
VERSION:2.0
PRODID:-//BNB Pilot//iCal helper//EN
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20240312
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20240314
SUMMARY:Sample stay
UID:demo-ical-bnb-pilot
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR

The preview goes through the BNB Pilot backend to bypass CORS and anonymise the feed.

Want a unified calendar? Try BNB Pilot for free.

BNB Pilot brings your iCal feeds together and flags detected overlaps. Import cycles and external platform delays still apply.

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Tip: also add your housekeeping calendar so cleaners get updates at the same time as platforms.