Why double bookings happen
Each site has its own calendar. If a booking comes in on Airbnb and those nights stay open on Booking, anyone can book them there too. It happens most in high season and with last-minute bookings, exactly when canceling on a guest hurts the most.
Three ways to keep them in sync
- By hand: you close the nights on each extranet as soon as a booking comes in. It works with one property and little traffic; with several, sooner or later one slips through.
- With the calendar each site exports: Airbnb and Booking let you export and import calendars between them. It is free, but it only passes booked nights, not rates, and it refreshes every so often, not instantly.
- With a channel manager connected by API: the booking closes the nights on every site instantly, and rates and restrictions travel over the same connection.
Sync your rates too
Each site keeps a different commission, so the same rate everywhere does not net the same. The usual approach is to load a base rate and let each site add its own percentage.
If you change the rate for a long weekend, that change has to reach every site at once. Doing it by hand on five extranets is where mistakes happen.
What to check once connected
- That minimum stay and arrival days match on every site.
- That blocks for personal use or maintenance close on every site.
- That a guest’s check-out day stays available for the next guest’s check-in.
- That bookings from your own website also close the nights on the booking sites.
Frequently asked questions
Can I sync Airbnb and Booking for free?
Yes, by exporting and importing the calendars between the two sites. But it only passes booked nights, not rates, and it is not instant: a double booking can come in during the gap.
What if a double booking still comes in?
One of the two has to be canceled, and booking sites usually penalize the host who cancels. That is why a connection that closes the nights instantly is worth it.