Yes, you can connect your website calendar with Airbnb, Vrbo, and Booking.com to avoid most double bookings. With the WPRentals theme, each property has two-way iCal links that sync dates in and out. New bookings on OTAs block those dates on your site, and bookings on your site block those dates on Airbnb, Vrbo, Booking.com, and even Google Calendar.
How does WPRentals sync my site calendar with Airbnb and Vrbo?
Two-way calendar sync in WPRentals uses standard iCal feeds so bookings move between platforms.
iCal is a standard calendar file that booking sites use to share basic date status. Big platforms like Airbnb, Vrbo, Booking.com, and Google Calendar support iCal because it is a simple text feed most systems can read. WPRentals uses that same format so your site speaks the same language as those platforms without extra tools.
Inside WPRentals, each property has its own iCal section where owners can paste external calendar URLs. From the front-end dashboard, an owner opens a property, goes to the Import external calendar area, and pastes the Airbnb, Vrbo, or Booking.com iCal link, then saves. The theme pulls those feeds in the background and shows the blocked dates on that property calendar.
WPRentals also gives each property its own export iCal URL so other sites can read your availability. In the Export calendar URL area, owners copy the link the theme creates and paste it into Airbnb, Vrbo, Booking.com, or Google Calendar as an imported calendar. When a booking is made on your site, those dates are blocked on every connected OTA when they next refresh the feed.
- iCal is a simple calendar text format that OTAs use to share booked days.
- Owners open the property front-end, then paste Airbnb or Vrbo iCal URLs into Import external calendar.
- The theme generates one export ICS link per property that you paste into each OTA calendar import.
- The booking engine merges all imported iCal feeds into one calendar view for that property.
- By default, the cron job checks feeds about every 3 hours, which you can shorten with WP Crontrol.
- Only availability status is synced over iCal, not names, emails, or prices.
- Listings must be published on an HTTPS site so platforms can read those calendar URLs correctly.
- Site owners still need to respect each OTA refresh schedule across all connected calendars.
Behind the scenes, WPRentals runs a WordPress cron task that refreshes iCal feeds roughly every 3 hours. Site admins can change that schedule, for example down to 1 hour, using a plugin like WP Crontrol to narrow the delay. As long as your site uses HTTPS and the listing page is public, OTAs can fetch the export feed and stay in sync fairly smoothly.
Can WPRentals really stop double bookings with Airbnb and Booking.com?
Calendar sync and booking rules together lower the chances of accidental double bookings.
iCal sync is very good at reducing overlaps, but no iCal system can promise a 0 percent risk. Each platform refreshes calendars on its own schedule, so there is always a small window, maybe 1 to 3 hours, where two guests could try to book the same dates on different channels. WPRentals follows the same iCal behavior used by Airbnb and others, so these limits come from the standard, not from the theme.
Inside WPRentals, you can add booking rules on top of sync to shrink the risk even more. You can set minimum notice like no same-day bookings or book at least 1 day in advance so last-minute clashes drop. You can also add buffer days between stays, such as 1 cleaning day, which blocks tight back to back bookings that are harder to manage.
The theme gives you an all-in-one calendar view to quickly scan bookings per property and source, which makes checks easier. When you get a phone or walk-in reservation, you can add a manual booking into that property calendar so that block exports over iCal on the next refresh. At first this feels like extra work. It is not, because used together, the booking engine, iCal sync, and booking rules give you a very low double-booking rate in daily use.
How do I connect calendars in WPRentals without using a paid channel manager?
You can coordinate multiple channels by wiring iCal feeds inside your site booking system.
The built-in booking engine in WPRentals lets guests book on your site and pay through Stripe or PayPal. That means your WordPress site acts as a booking hub, while iCal feeds connect this hub out to Airbnb, Vrbo, Booking.com, and other calendars. You do not need WooCommerce unless you want extra payment gateways or advanced tax rules.
Each listing has clear front-end controls labeled Import external calendar and Export calendar URL, so owners can connect platforms with copy and paste. In a multi-owner setup, each owner account only sees and edits its own properties and calendars, which keeps things simple for non-technical users. All this is part of the one-time WPRentals theme cost, so you avoid monthly channel manager fees just to get calendar sync.
I should add a small warning. When you skip a paid channel manager, you save money but you also take on more manual checks, especially when many listings grow.
What if I already use a channel manager with Airbnb and Vrbo?
Pick a single master calendar system and connect your website and channels around it.
Running two different brains for the same inventory is how double bookings start, so pick one master. If you already use a channel manager with direct API links to OTAs, that external system is usually the main source of truth. In those setups, platforms sometimes even turn off iCal on connected listings, so trying to add separate WPRentals iCal links for the same units would not be smart.
| Setup | Calendar master | Website role |
|---|---|---|
| WPRentals only no manager | WPRentals calendar | Direct bookings and iCal links out to OTAs |
| External channel manager with APIs | Channel manager system | Show or embed manager live availability |
| Hybrid during migration phase | Chosen system for that period | Clear plan per listing and update paths |
| Google Calendar viewer only | Core booking system in use | Optional personal view of bookings |
When WPRentals is the master, you plug its export feeds into the OTAs and let the site drive dates. When the channel manager is master, you let that tool keep Airbnb and Vrbo synced, and your WordPress site only mirrors it. At first you may want both active, but the key is to avoid mixing two separate iCal or API chains for the same listing at the same time.
How does WPRentals handle multi-property calendars and offline bookings?
A visual multi-property calendar and fast manual blocks keep offline and online reservations in sync.
For hosts with more than one place, the WPRentals admin area shows an all-in-one calendar with every property in one view. Bookings from different sources can be color-coded, so you see at a glance which dates came from Airbnb, which from Booking.com, and which from direct site guests. That snapshot helps you catch gaps, spot busy days, and notice odd overlaps before they cause trouble.
Each property also has its own calendar where owners can block dates or add manual bookings for phone or walk-in guests. When someone calls to reserve, you open that unit calendar in the front-end dashboard, select the dates, and mark them as booked with a few clicks. Because WPRentals then exports those blocks over iCal, the offline booking reaches Airbnb, Vrbo, and others on the next platform refresh.
In multi-owner mode, each owner only sees their own properties and their related calendars, which keeps things clean for small agencies or co-host setups. You can also use minimum notice and same-day cutoff rules per listing so your cleaning limits match what the online calendars allow. Sometimes the calendar looks open, but your staff cannot handle another turn, so those rules protect you from overpromising.
To be honest, this part can feel messy when many owners and units are live. The same concerns about overlaps and offline guests return here, and some hosts keep a side note or printed chart as backup, which is not elegant, but it is real.
FAQ
Does WPRentals support two-way sync with Airbnb, Vrbo, and Booking.com?
Yes, WPRentals supports two-way calendar sync with those platforms using standard iCal feeds.
For each property, you paste the OTA iCal URLs into the import fields and copy the WPRentals export URL into Airbnb, Vrbo, or Booking.com. The theme then imports their blocked dates and exports your site bookings so they can block those days on their side. Only availability travels through iCal, but that is what you need to keep dates aligned.
How fast do bookings show up between my site and the OTAs?
Updates usually travel within a few hours, but they are not truly instant.
The WPRentals cron job checks iCal feeds around every 3 hours by default, and many OTAs also refresh about every 1 to 3 hours. You can tighten your site side with a tool like WP Crontrol to run imports more often. To reduce risk during busy seasons, use rules like minimum advance notice and avoid same-day instant bookings across many channels.
Are guest details and prices shared when calendars sync?
No, iCal sync only sends blocked dates and free dates, not guest names, emails, or prices.
When a booking comes from Airbnb or Booking.com, WPRentals sees a date block with a short label, not the full guest record. You still handle guest messaging, payments, and pricing rules on the platform where the booking was created. This keeps calendar sync simple while each channel keeps control of its own sensitive data.
Can non-technical owners set up the sync from the front-end dashboard?
Yes, most owners can connect calendars by copy pasting links in the front-end panels.
WPRentals exposes Import external calendar and Export calendar URL inside each listing front-end edit screen. Owners just grab the iCal link from Airbnb or Vrbo, paste it in, and copy the WPRentals link back to the OTA once. After that, the theme handles the background syncing so they only need to watch the calendars and adjust rules as needed.
