iCal Feed and Third Party Notifications

Hello,

I'm fairly new to OwnerRez and trying to set automatic notifications so that my cleaners know when turns are taking place. Two questions on this:

1) I set up a Custom iCal Link under the Calendar for one of my properties. However, when my calendar updates with a new booking, the new booking is not showing up for the cleaner. I also added the iCal link to my phone (I subscribed to the iCal link/feed) to see how this works and the same is happening. I linked it both to my iCloud calendar and to my Google/Gmail account to no avail. It only shows whatever bookings were already present at the time I subscribe to the feed. Future/new bookings are not updated. How do I get the iCal feed to update with these new bookings?

2) I also read somewhere that you can set up cleaners with third party notifications when a new booking comes in and when guests check in and out. Where do I set that up?

Thank you!

Unfortunately, yes, Google Calendar is notorious for not updating.  We don't know why this is, and when it gets stuck, there doesn't appear to be a way to reset it.  It's usually best simply to use a different calendar program, such as the default one in your phone.

Here's how to set up Third-Party Alerts:

https://www.ownerrez.com/support/articles/bookings-display-for-cleaners#third-party-alerts

I know this is a recent thread, but have there been any changes? My cleaner's google calendar is NOT updating with new bookings.

As you've discovered, this doesn't appear to be something that Google particularly is concerned with fixed.  We'd recommend using some other calendar system, such as the one that is built into your phone.

I am having the same issue.  Does an Outlook Calendar work?

I have not heard reports that it does not, so, I'd say, yes.  :-)

I am having the same problem, and I think there is a better overall solution to cleaning calendars  --- implement a "Calendar invite" which can be triggered by events such as departure date. This would allow cleaners to have a single calendar with events from multiple properties (much easier to see and manage on a mobile phone, which many cleaners need to use). It would also allow you to add individual ;notes for any calendar event. My cleaning service has this with owners who use other PMS software, and she is unhappy we cannot do it.