How to Set Up Two-Way Calendar Sync (ICAL)

Setting Up Two-Way Calendar Sync (ICAL) with Airbnb, VRBO, Booking.com and Other Listing Sites

This article is related to PromoteMyPlace Version 1 only. Not sure which version of the application you're using? See Which version of PromoteMyPlace am I using?
 

When you list your property on multiple platforms (Airbnb, VRBO, Booking.com, etc.) alongside your PromoteMyPlace website, you need two-way calendar sync to keep availability in sync and prevent double bookings. This guide explains how to set it up correctly.

How Two-Way Sync Works
 

Two-way sync has two parts:

1. Import - Your website pulls calendars from Airbnb, VRBO, etc. so their bookings appear on your website calendar.
2. Export - Your website provides a calendar URL that you add to Airbnb, VRBO, etc. so your direct bookings appear on their calendars.

When set up correctly, a booking on any platform automatically blocks those dates everywhere else.

Step 1: Import - Pull Bookings From Listing Sites Into Your Website

1. Go to Reservations > ICAL Import Options.
2. Paste the ICAL calendar URL from your listing site (e.g. from Airbnb: Hosting > Calendar > Availability Settings > Export Calendar).
3. End date setting - Choose the correct option for your listing site:
   • Airbnb: Select "End date of the reservation is the checkout day"
   • VRBO: Select "End date of the reservation is the checkout day"
   • Booking.com: Select "End date of the reservation is the checkout day"
   • If you're unsure, check a known booking on the listing site and compare the dates in the ICAL feed. Getting this wrong will cause dates to be off by one day.
4. Source - Select the appropriate listing site (e.g. "Found on Airbnb").
5. Include Non-Reservation Events - Tick this box if you want blocked/unavailable dates from the listing site to be imported as well as confirmed bookings. Leave unticked if you only want confirmed reservations.
6. Click Save.

Repeat for each listing site you use.

Step 2: Export - Push Your Website Bookings To Listing Sites

1. Go to Reservations > ICAL Export Options.
2. Tick "Ignore bookings imported using ICAL" - This is critical. It prevents a circular sync loop where imported bookings get exported back to the same listing sites, which then re-import them, creating duplicate and phantom reservations.
3. Click Save.
4. Copy the ICAL export URL provided.
5. Add this URL to each listing site's calendar import settings (e.g. on Airbnb: Hosting > Calendar > Availability Settings > Import Calendar).

Important: Avoiding Duplicate and Phantom Reservations

The most common issue with two-way sync is a circular sync loop that creates hundreds of duplicate cancelled reservations. This happens when:

• You import bookings from Airbnb into your website
• Your website exports those same Airbnb bookings back out via ICAL
• Airbnb sees these as blocks from your website and reflects them back in its calendar
• Your website imports them again as new reservations
• The cycle repeats on every sync

The fix: Always tick "Ignore bookings imported using ICAL" in your ICAL Export Options. This ensures your website only exports direct bookings and owner blocks - not bookings that were already imported from other platforms.

If You Already Have Duplicate Reservations

If you're already seeing duplicate or phantom reservations from a sync loop:

1. First, fix the export setting - tick "Ignore bookings imported using ICAL".
2. Go to Reservations and bulk-delete the inactive/cancelled duplicates:
   • Use the checkbox in the top-left header to select all rows on the page
   • Untick any genuine reservations you want to keep
   • Delete the selected rows
   • Repeat for each page
3. The next sync cycle should import cleanly without creating duplicates.

Troubleshooting

• Bookings appear with dates off by one day - Check that the "End date" setting in ICAL Import Options matches what your listing site uses. Most major platforms use checkout day as the end date.
• Blocked dates from a listing site aren't appearing - Make sure "Include Non-Reservation Events" is ticked in the ICAL Import Options for that feed.
• Hundreds of overlapping cancelled reservations - This is a circular sync loop. Tick "Ignore bookings imported using ICAL" in your ICAL Export Options and clean up the duplicates as described above.