Answers · Running a small rental
How do I manage Airbnb and Booking.com together?
Short answer
Two things have to be shared between them: the calendar, so neither platform sells a night the other has sold, and the bookings, so you have one list to work from. The free way is to link the two calendars to each other by iCal. Airflow adds the second part: it reads the confirmation emails from Airbnb, Booking.com, Vrbo and Expedia into one calendar and one bookings list, reads each platform's calendar link every hour, and publishes one calendar link for them all to read. A channel manager is the heavier alternative if you also need prices kept in step.
What changes when you add a second platform
With one platform, its app is your calendar. With two, each one knows only about its own bookings, and the gap between them is where a double booking happens. Cancelling a confirmed guest costs you a penalty on the platform and usually a bad review.
The two also behave differently. Airbnb collects the payment and pays you after check-in. On Booking.com the guest often pays you directly and the commission is billed to you later. Arrivals, money owed and fees end up in two places with two layouts.
How to do it with Airflow
- 1
Create the listing in Airflow
One listing per property. This becomes the calendar both platforms answer to.
- 2
Exchange calendar links
Paste the Airbnb and Booking.com calendar links into the listing, and paste Airflow's calendar link into each platform. Airflow reads theirs every hour, and there is a Sync now button.
- 3
Route both sets of confirmation emails
Forward them, or connect the inbox they arrive in. Each confirmation becomes a booking with the guest, dates, price and fees, labelled with its platform.
- 4
Deal with what the calendar cannot explain
A blocked date that matches a booking is linked to it. One that does not is blocked at once and listed under Needs Attention for you to label. Expect these from Booking.com, whose calendar does not say why a date is blocked.
What each platform tells Airflow
Why both the email and the calendar link are used.
| Airbnb confirmation email | Guest, dates, price, cleaning fee, host service fee |
|---|---|
| Airbnb calendar link | Blocked dates, with the confirmation code on reservations |
| Booking.com reservation email | Guest, dates, room rate, commission |
| Booking.com calendar link | Blocked dates only, with no guest and no reason |
| Airflow calendar link (out) | Every booked or blocked date, with no guest details |
Each platform refreshes a calendar link on its own schedule, so a change can take a while to appear on the other side.
The same method for three or more platforms
Nothing changes when you add Vrbo, Expedia or a home-swap site. Each new platform gets Airflow's calendar link and gives Airflow its own, and its confirmation emails go through the same inbox. One calendar and one bookings list, however many sources feed them.
Money and accounts
Because each booking is read with its fees, the two platforms end up laid out the same way: accommodation, fees or commission, and tax on separate lines. Connect Xero, QuickBooks Online, Sage or FreshBooks and each booking becomes a draft invoice, so income is comparable across platforms.
Other ways to do this
Airflow is one option. These are the others, and when each is the better choice.
- Link the two calendars directly
- Airbnb can import Booking.com's calendar and Booking.com can import Airbnb's. Free, and it blocks dates. You still have two lists of bookings and nothing for direct guests.
- A channel manager
- Connects to both platforms through their APIs, updates availability within minutes and pushes prices. The right tool if you change rates often or run many listings.
- Keep one platform as the main one and block the other by hand
- Workable for a handful of bookings a year. It fails the first time you forget.
What Airflow does not do
- Airflow is not a channel manager: it does not push prices or availability through the platforms' APIs.
- Calendar links carry dates only, and each platform reads them on its own schedule, so the risk of a double booking is reduced, not removed.
- It has no unified inbox for messages guests send inside Airbnb or Booking.com.
Common questions
Can I list the same property on Airbnb and Booking.com?
Yes. Both allow it. You need the calendars linked so a night sold on one is blocked on the other.
How do I avoid double bookings between Airbnb and Booking.com?
Exchange calendar links. In Airflow, each platform reads one Airflow calendar link, and Airflow reads theirs every hour and blocks any date it has no booking for.
How do I manage bookings from multiple platforms in one place?
Send every platform's confirmation emails to one system. Airflow reads them from Airbnb, Booking.com, Vrbo and Expedia into one calendar and one bookings list, each labelled with its source.
Do I need a channel manager for two platforms?
Not usually. Calendar links are enough when dates are the main thing to keep in step. A channel manager matters when prices must change on every platform at once.
How fast is calendar sync?
Airflow reads other calendars every hour, with a Sync now button. How quickly Airbnb or Booking.com pick up Airflow's link is decided by them.
Does Airflow charge commission on these bookings?
No. Bookings from Airbnb, Booking.com, Vrbo or any other channel never carry an Airflow commission. Reading a confirmation uses automated tasks; see the pricing page.
Try it on your own bookings
Forward a few booking emails and look at what Airflow builds from them. A card is needed at sign-up.
Start with Airflow See plans and pricing