This article will discuss everything you need to know about working with Calendar channels through ical connection such as:
- Airbnb (ical)*
- FlipKey
- VRBO
- 9Flats
- Etc.
*You can also connect Airbnb using normal API connection. For more information please refer to the article: Connecting Airbnb API to myallocator
When connecting ical channels for the first time - the system will import the bookings from the channel (it may take some hours for them to appear). Please be aware that myallocator will not adjust availability when importing existing reservations on first connection, if you do not have a PMS managing your availability then availability needs to be manually updated prior connecting with calendar channels.
Calendar channels, otherwise known as Vacation Rental Sites, have become very popular in recent years as the typical traveler has become more internet savvy. These channels provide travelers with many options, from renting low cost bedrooms to booking stays at palatial estates. These channels have tapped into the public's desire to stay in "real" places away from tourist areas.
If your property is not marketed correctly, calendar channels can become a real competitive threat. Thankfully, myallocator by Cloudbeds has you covered as we can integrate with any calendar channel that uses the standard iCal format.
With a typical channel (such as with booking.com or Expedia), myallocator has a direct connection where we can send many values, such as:
- Rates
- Availability
- Restrictions (such as MinLos, Closed to Arrival, etc)
Calendar-based channels work differently from those channels. With calendar channels, we provide them with a special calendar file that contains "appointments". This is similar to placing an appointment on your personal calendar, but in this case, the appointments lasts an entire night. Dates that are not booked are "empty", so they remain Available for booking.
With Calendar channels, myallocator can only send Availability. All other values must be set directly in the channel's extranet, such as:
- Rates
- Restrictions (such as MinLos, Closed to Arrival, etc)
| Channel Name | Degree of Connection* |
Parent Channel (for secondary degree of connection)** |
|---|---|---|
|
9Flats |
Direct |
|
|
Abritel |
Secondary | HomeAway |
| Airbnb (ical) | Direct | |
|
Alugue Temporada |
Secondary |
HomeAway |
|
FeWo-direkt |
Secondary |
HomeAway |
|
FlipKey |
Secondary |
Trip Advisor Vacation Rentals |
|
GlampingHub |
Direct | |
|
HipCamp |
Direct | |
|
HomeAway |
Direct | |
|
Homelidays |
Secondary | HomeAway |
|
HouseTrip |
Secondary |
Trip Advisor Vacation Rentals |
|
Pitchup |
Direct | |
|
stayz |
Secondary | HomeAway |
|
TripAdvisor Vacation Rentals |
Direct | |
|
VacationRentals.com |
Secondary | HomeAway |
| VRBO | Secondary | HomeAway |
|
Wimdu |
Direct | |
|
*Degree of connection can be direct (OTA gets connected through ical file directly to myallocator) or secondary (OTA can be connected to myallocator through another channel). ** This is the channel, through which OTA with secondary degree of connection can be integrated with myallocator | ||
If you wish myallocator to update the Availability for any calendar channel that is not listed on our setup page, you can do so by following the directions below.
Note: This type of integration is a One-Way (Availability) only Integration. Incoming bookings will not be received by myallocator, so you must manually adjust inventory for any incoming bookings coming from that channel.
Step 1: Obtain the myallocator iCal URL for your room(s)
Step 2: Enter the URL from Step 1 into your Calendar Channel
1. Log in to the calendar channel of your choice.
2. Find the page where you can manage your rooms/listings.
3. Locate the specific room/bed that you want to manage.
4. Find the option to enter an external calendar for Import. This option will vary from channel to channel.
5. Paste the URL that you copied above into the calendar import.
6. Repeat all steps above for each of your rooms/beds.
Please be aware that myallocator will not adjust availability when importing existing reservations on first connection, if you do not have a PMS managing your availability then availability needs to be manually updated prior connection with calendar channels.
Your availability is constantly updated based on the reservations and other data that is sent to myallocator. With this information, myallocator updates the calendar file in real-time with your updated Availability.
Although these files are constantly updated by myallocator, the calendar channel itself only "asks" for new information in the file approximately every 6 hours.
For Airbnb
For Airbnb specifically, they "pull" data from myallocator every hour. This is their native update timeframe.
Here is an example of a calendar file URL and what it looks like: https://api.myallocator.com/callback/ota/air/v201/ical?pid=123456&rid=123456&hash=123456dfd7&
The data within this file looks something like this, and this is how Airbnb knows which dates are booked versus which dates are open:
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20160304
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20160311
DESCRIPTION:
STATUS:CONFIRMED
SUMMARY:Blocked Date
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20160319
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20160322
DESCRIPTION:
STATUS:CONFIRMED
SUMMARY:Blocked Date
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20160323
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20160327
DESCRIPTION:
STATUS:CONFIRMED
SUMMARY:Blocked Date
END
The 6 Hour delay mentioned above is inherent with using Calendar Channels, and it's outside of myallocator's control.
That is why we always recommend to turn off "Instant Booking" when using Calendar Channels.
When Instant Booking is turned off, the property is always asked to "confirm" the booking.
Since the property has the opportunity to verify that the room is still avaialble, this is how overbookings are prevented.
While myallocator can always send Availability to a Calendar Channel that uses the iCal format, only certain channels send us their bookings.
When a Calendar Channel supports both Availability and Bookings, it means they are a Two-Way Channel. Two-Way calendar channels include*:
- 9flats
- Airbnb
- Ebab
- Housetrip
- VRBO
- TripAdvisor Vacation Rentals
*the list can be outdated - to double-check whether specific channel support two-way connection please contact our Support team
All other Calendar Channels are considered One-Way channels. If you choose to use any other calendar channels not listed above (such as FlipKey), you will have to manually adjust inventory for any incoming bookings coming from that channel.
Example: Let's say you choose to connect FlipKey to myallocator. Here is the chain of events:
- Myallocator takes your Available inventory, and provides that in a calendar file to FlipKey
- Every 6 hours or so, FlipKey pulls information from that file and updates their calendar with your Availability
- When a guest books your property, FlipKey emails you the booking and places the booking in their Extranet
- Since FlipKey does not send us this booking, myallocator has no idea that the room has been booked
- The property must login to myallocator and manually reduce the Availability for the rooms and dates that have been booked.
- Once the property has confirmed that the room is still Avaialble, the property is safe to "confirm" the FlipKey booking.
Similar to how myallocator provides Availability in our calendar file, myallocator needs a calendar file from the channel which indicates which dates have each booking. In general the information in these files is quite thin, so that's why not many details are displayed within the Incoming Bookings screen. To view the full details you need to check with the channel's backoffice.
An example of what we receive from Calendar Channels is below:
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20150608
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20150605
UID:123456--ht9wupf1f72k@airbnb.com
DESCRIPTION:CHECKIN: 05-06-2015\nCHECKOUT: 08-06-2015\nNIGHTS: 3\nPHONE:
+1 (505) 350-3606\nEMAIL: (no email alias available)\nPROPERTY: The Steading with Pool & Hot Tub\n
SUMMARY:Wendy C%$%^ (R1YN8Z)
LOCATION:The Steading with Pool & Hot Tub
END:VEVENT
As you can see, calendar channels do not send us Rates or the number of occupants (PAX).
How often does myallocator import new bookings from calendar channels?
Calendar channel booking imports can take anywhere from 30 minutes to several hours to import. This delay is because we are limited by these sites on the amount of traffic requests we can make to their servers. Again - Calendar channels work differently from other channels, and the booking download time is part of doing business with them.
As mentioned above, disabling Instant Booking prevents any overbookings related to these import delays.
For Airbnb
For Airbnb specifically, we have developed a mechanism that enables us to download new bookings every 30 minutes.
If you find a booking that was not downloaded by our system in that timeframe, there may have been a delay in the import process. Please create a ticket for support to research why there was a delay.
As of December 1, 2019 Airbnb iCal will no longer display certain guest information reservation details via their iCal feed. This change was made as part of Airbnb’s ongoing efforts to minimize exposure of guest information.
Please check further information on this article: Airbnb iCal Announcement and Next Steps - December 2019
When a booking is downloaded from a Calendar Channel, the information sent via the calendar file is quite limited.
Typically, only the following details are imported:
- Guest Name (except for Airbnb iCal as mentioned above)
- Arrival Date
- Departure Date
- Room
As you will notice, the following major items are missing:
- Rate
- Occupancy (number of guests)
Managing these bookings in a PMS
If you use a PMS (such as myfrontdesk) you will have to manually update the reservation with the information that is missing, such as:
- Rate/Price
- Number of guests
- Any other details that you track inside your PMS
Cancellations from a calendar channel cannot be transmitted to any 3rd parties (including myallocator).
Since myallocator is unaware of any Calendar Channel cancellations, the property must manage the inventory manually.
Example:
- Guest books your property and the booking is sent to myallocator
- Guest cancels the booking
- Myallocator is unaware of the cancellation
- Property must login to myallocator and add the Availability back for the cancelled booking (if desired)