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How to sync Airbnb, Vrbo and Booking.com calendars into one cleaning schedule

Listing on Airbnb, Vrbo and Booking.com gets you more bookings. Here's how to keep the three calendars in sync, and how to turn them into one schedule your cleaner can actually use.

By Michael Frei, Airbnb host for 5 years and founder of SheetDay. Updated .

Quick answer

First, keep the three calendars in sync so a booking on one site blocks the dates on the others. A channel manager or property management system does this within seconds. Free calendar links (iCal) also work, but more slowly. Then share that combined calendar with your cleaner. Most property management systems give cleaners a login or an app. If your cleaner won’t use either, a cleaner link like SheetDay turns the calendar into one simple page that updates every hour.

Why I list on all three

Each platform reaches different guests. Airbnb has the broadest reach, Vrbo is ideal for larger homes and Booking.com brings international guests. Using all three together means more visibility and fewer empty nights. The important part is keeping them in sync, and getting the dates to your cleaner.

Step 1: Keep your calendars in sync

When a guest books on Airbnb, those dates have to close on Vrbo and Booking.com right away. Otherwise a second guest can book the same nights. There are two ways to do it.

Calendar links (iCal), free

Each platform gives you an export link for your calendar. Paste each one into the import section of the other two platforms. This works, but every platform checks on its own schedule: Airbnb every 3 hours, Booking.com about every 2 hours, and Vrbo about every 30 minutes. Until then, the dates stay open.

What works

  • Free and built into every platform.
  • No extra software.

The catch

  • Can take up to 3 hours, which leaves room for a double booking.
  • Only dates sync. Prices and rules don't.

Tip: If you rely on calendar links, turn off Instant Book on your secondary platforms. A booking request gives you time to check the dates first.

A channel manager or property management system

Tools like Hospitable, Hostaway, Guesty, OwnerRez, Lodgify and Smoobu connect to each platform directly. A new booking closes the dates everywhere within seconds, and prices and rules stay matched too.

What works

  • Updates within seconds, so double bookings are rare.
  • All your bookings in one calendar.

The catch

  • A monthly fee (worth the price, in my opinion).
  • Some setup, since every listing has to be connected.

Step 2: Share the combined calendar with your cleaner

Once everything is in one calendar, your cleaner needs to see it. This is where it gets harder. Here’s how the most popular property management systems for hosts handle cleaners.

  • Hospitable

    Add the cleaner as a Teammate. They see and accept their jobs in the Tasks App, a web portal they log in to. Each Teammate also gets a calendar link of their own tasks.

    The catch: The portal needs a login. The calendar link only updates as often as the cleaner's calendar app checks it.

  • Hostaway

    Tasks are created from bookings and assigned to cleaners, who see them in the Hostaway mobile app for iPhone or Android.

    The catch: The cleaner needs a user account and the app.

  • Guesty

    Add cleaners as users, give them a role that can see the calendar, and assign cleaning tasks.

    The catch: The cleaner logs in to a Guesty account or the Guesty app.

  • OwnerRez

    Give the cleaner Portal User access to see availability and Tasks for the properties you choose.

    The catch: Each Portal User gets a separate login.

  • Lodgify

    Task management schedules cleanings from bookings and sends push notifications through the mobile app.

    The catch: Built around the app. The separate Lodgify PM app for teams is part of the Ultimate plan.

  • Smoobu

    Create a free read-only account for each cleaner and choose which properties they see. Email notifications are optional.

    The catch: Every cleaner logs in to their own Smoobu account.

  • Hostfully

    Cleaners use the Service Hub in the Hostfully mobile app to see and complete their jobs.

    The catch: The cleaner needs the app.

Almost all of them ask your cleaner to log in or install something. That works for a cleaning company with an office. For an independent cleaner who works for several hosts, it often doesn’t. They end up juggling apps and passwords, and the schedule goes unread.

Why a calendar link in Google Calendar falls short

Some systems, like Hospitable, also give you a calendar link (iCal) for the cleaner. It seems like the easy answer, but it has limits:

  • Google Calendar only lets you add it on a computer. Opened on a phone, the link downloads a file or shows code.
  • Google Calendar only checks the link every 12 to 24 hours, and there is no way to speed it up. A same-day booking can show up too late.
  • It shows stays, not cleanings. Your cleaner has to work out which day is the checkout and which turnovers fall on the same day.

SheetDay: the bridge to your cleaner

SheetDay sits between your property management system and your cleaner. Paste in the calendar link from your property management system. Hospitable, Hostaway, Guesty, OwnerRez, Lodgify and others all work. SheetDay turns it into one page made for cleaning.

  • Your cleaner opens one link on their phone. No app, account or password.
  • All bookings show in one calendar and one list of cleaning dates.
  • Same-day turnovers are highlighted so nothing gets missed.
  • It checks your calendars every hour, so changes show up fast.
  • Reminder emails go out the day before each checkout, to you and, if you like, to your cleaner.
  • Your cleaner can switch the page to Spanish.
  • Guest names and prices are never shown.

My experience

My cleaner won’t download an app or deal with logins. A link they can open from a text message is the only thing that has worked for us.
Try it free for 7 daysSee pricing

Bonus: share the same link with others

The link isn’t only for cleaners. Send it to your maintenance person so they know when the place is empty, or to a neighbor, friend or family member who keeps an eye on it. They see which days are booked, without guest names or prices.

You can make a separate link for each person and choose which properties it shows. Keep door codes out of your property notes if the link goes beyond your cleaner, since anyone with the link can read them.

Common questions

How do I sync my Airbnb, Vrbo and Booking.com calendars?
Either copy each platform's calendar link (iCal) into the other two, which is free but slow, or use a channel manager or property management system that connects to each platform directly and updates within seconds.
How often do iCal links sync between Airbnb, Vrbo and Booking.com?
Airbnb pulls in other calendars every 3 hours. Booking.com checks about every 2 hours and Vrbo about every 30 minutes. A booking on one site can stay open on another for that long.
Do I need a channel manager if I list on all three?
Not strictly, but it is the safest setup. With iCal links only, turn off Instant Book on your secondary platforms so a guest can't confirm dates that were just booked somewhere else.
Can my cleaner see all three platforms in one calendar?
Yes, if one tool reads all of them. Your property management system already has every booking in one place. The question is how your cleaner sees it: an app login, a calendar link, or a simple cleaner page.
How often does Google Calendar update an iCal link?
About every 12 to 24 hours, and there is no setting to make it faster. A same-day booking can show up after the cleaning should have happened.

Sources: Airbnb help center, Nowistay, Hostaway, Hospitable, Hostaway support, Guesty, OwnerRez, Lodgify, Smoobu, Hostfully and Calfeed.

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