Most hosts start on one platform. Adding a second is the fastest way to fill gaps in your calendar, but it introduces new ways for things to go wrong. Work through this checklist before you switch your Booking.com listing on.
1. Connect the calendars both ways
Both Airbnb and Booking.com let you export your availability as an iCal link and import other calendars. At minimum, import each platform's calendar into the other so a booking on one blocks the dates on the other.
Two things to know about iCal sync:
- It is not instant. Platforms refresh imported calendars on their own schedule, which can range from minutes to a few hours. For high-demand dates, a short gap is where double bookings happen.
- It only carries dates. iCal tells the other platform the dates are taken; it does not carry the guest's name, email or price.
A cleaner setup is to put one calendar in the middle. Property management software imports every channel's iCal feed and publishes a single feed back to each platform, so you only manage one calendar. That is how TIOO handles Airbnb and Booking.com together.
2. Decide your pricing approach
Booking.com and Airbnb charge differently: Booking.com typically takes a commission from the host, while Airbnb usually splits a fee between host and guest. If you set the same nightly rate on both, your take-home will differ. Work out your net per night on each channel and decide whether to adjust rates so they match.
3. Align cancellation policies
A strict policy on one channel and a flexible one on the other is confusing for you and for guests who compare. Pick policies you can live with on both, and remember that changing a policy only affects new bookings.
4. Plan how you will contact Booking.com guests
Booking.com guests are contacted through the Booking.com extranet or the guest's email as provided in the reservation. Make sure your arrival instructions, check-in process and house rules reach these guests as reliably as they reach Airbnb guests. Forwarding confirmation emails into one inbox, or using an online check-in link, keeps both channels consistent.
5. Match your house rules and descriptions
Booking.com's listing structure is different from Airbnb's, and some details (pets, parties, quiet hours, check-in times) live in different places. Read your Booking.com listing as a guest would and check nothing contradicts your Airbnb listing.
6. Prepare for more turnovers
More channels usually means more short stays. Check your cleaner can handle extra same-day changeovers, and that you have a reliable way of telling them which rooms need cleaning and when.
7. Watch the first month closely
For the first few weeks, check both calendars daily. Look for dates that should be blocked but are not, and for bookings that arrived without the details you need.
Once the basics work, running two channels from one place saves hours every week. If you want one calendar, one inbox and one check-in flow for both, try TIOO free for two rooms.
