Our Channel Management feature is extremely powerful and can greatly simplify your channel advertising. Learn how it works by reading our Channel Management Overview article.
While our API integrations are the most powerful part of our Channel Management, not all users can use them. In some cases, you may have too few properties to qualify, or you may not be ready to connect via API.
Regardless of whether you end up going API or not, you need to make sure, up front, that your calendars are syncing between OwnerRez and the channels. One of the worst problems you can have when managing your vacation rentals is getting double bookings. This tends to be the result of calendars not properly syncing.
Before diving into the rest of these docs, take a minute to watch the following video. This video will show you how to share your calendar across multiple channels using our powerful iCal-based calendar import/export engine that has built-in features that make syncing calendars across all channels a breeze.
To sync calendars, you need to configure both a calendar import and a calendar export for every property and channel that you list on. So if you have two properties, listed on two channels, you will have a total of four calendar imports in OwnerRez, and you'll need to configure calendar exports four times on the channel sites.
- How calendar import/export works
- Configuring calendar imports
- Configuring calendar exports
- Channel-specific guides for configuring calendar imports/exports
- Other channels
How calendar import/export works
Virtually all vacation rental channels - whether national brands (eg. Vrbo, Airbnb) or local/regional listing sites - support iCal-based calendar syncing. Most channels refer to this as "calendar import" and "calendar export" to denote that you are importing/exporting data between systems and not syncing at an API or partner level. If you look at Vrbo or Airbnb's calendar settings, both call it exactly that: "calendar import/export".
OwnerRez fully supports this iCal-based calendar importing and exporting process. And not only do we support it, but we offer a much more powerful import/export engine than the channels do and have built a number of features that smartly correct for common channel problems. Think of OwnerRez as your "master" calendar.
Calendar import/export works like this...
Both sides - OwnerRez and the channel - provide a link called "calendar export" for the other side to check on a regular basis (multiple times per day). The act of checking the other side's calendar is called "calendar import". Both sides are doing both things at the same time - providing the export link, and simultaneously importing the other side's calendar on a regular basis.
The calendar export link returns a list of unavailable dates for a single property that is accurate for what that side is currently showing. The list of dates is published in a standard format (iCal) that both sides understand how to read.
When the calendar export link shows date changes from the last time it was checked, the system knows that something was changed - either new dates were blocked-off, existing dates were changed or dates were removed (ie. canceled). The side that is checking the link now needs to update its own calendar to match the changes.
Since both sides - OwnerRez and the channel - are both following this same process, that means that when OwnerRez has a change, the channel will update its calendar to match, and when the channel has a change, OwnerRez will update its calendar to match. That way, both calendars should look the same all the time.
Navigating to the specific Booking> Channel Tab will allow you to see which iCal is managing a booking.
- iCal information includes the last day the linked calendar was imported, and users can also choose to click the Attribute to Listing Channel by selecting that button.
- Clicking on the iCal link takes you to your iCal setup.
For more details about the frequency, limits and caveats of how it works, please see our Common Issues & Questions support article for calendar import/export.
Configuring calendar imports
Users can configure calendar imports by navigating to Settings > Channels > Calendar Import/Export. Under the Import tab, click the Import Calendar button to add a new calendar import, and enter the Calendar Export URL from the listing site.
If users have multiple properties, they should select each property from the Property dropdown list and add the Calendar Export URL from the listing site for each property.
The Listing Site field will fill in automatically if the URL you enter is a known/common one. If it doesn't fill in, make sure to select the Listing Site yourself. If it's a listing site that isn't in the list, go to Settings > Custom Sources and create it, then come back and select that source in the list of listing sites. That way, you can track every new booking by the right channel correctly, even for custom ones.
By default, most of the settings on the page will be configured as they should be. Don't change them unless you are confident in what you are changing. Exception: If possible, choose "Bookings Only" for Import Events. The channels can create "ghost" bookings as guests start, but don't finish, the booking process (abandoned shopping carts). The "Bookings Only" option prevents those from mistakenly marking your calendar as unavailable.
Make sure to click the Save button at the bottom to finish.
When you create the import for the first time, it'll do an initial pull of items from the calendar, then update automatically from that point forward. You can view the last status in the log under the Sync Actions.
If you need to change a setting after creating the import, you can do that at any time by coming back to the same area, clicking into the calendar import, clicking the Change button and making your changes, and saving.
If you have combination properties where you want to make one property unavailable when the other is booked, use our Mutual Blocking feature. Do not create a calendar import from another OwnerRez property within the same account.
If you have other questions about calendar imports, please see our Common Issues & Questions support article for calendar import/export.
Configuring calendar exports
To configure calendar exports, go to Settings > Channels > Calendar Import/Export. Under the Export tab, you'll see a list of your OwnerRez properties, and a unique URL next to each one.
These are the links that you need to provide to the channel so that the channel side stays in sync. On the channel side, you will create a "calendar import" and then fill in this export link from OwnerRez.
If you open one of these export links in a browser, you'll notice that it shows a large blob of text. That text is the iCal-formatted data that the channel will parse to determine if there are OwnerRez changes that need to be matched on the channel side.
If you have questions about the calendar export link or how it can be used, please see our Common Issues & Questions support doc.
Listing Channel Export Filter
Some OwnerRez users remain only iCal connected to some listing channels (mainly due to Merchant of Record (MOR) issues) that receive booking calendar conflicts, which can make it difficult to issue refunds or make any changes to existing bookings.
You can apply this listing channel filter to your custom iCal by navigating to your specific Property > General Info > Calendars > Calendar Export tab.
At this point, you can either create a new custom iCal Calendar to export by clicking on the + Export Calendar or edit your current custom iCal by clicking on the pencil icon.
In the Create or Edit Calendar Export page > Criteria section, you can choose to include or exclude specific Listing Sites.
The Listing Sites section defaults to All, and the Items to Include section defaults to All events, but you can select Bookings only if desired.
Channel-specific guides for configuring calendar imports/exports
We have created a number of walk-through guides that show how to configure calendar import/export for the most common channels. These will show you where to find and enter the export URLs for each channel.
Other channels
Other listing channels that OwnerRez does not support may add Custom iCal Links to sync calendars between that listing and OwnerRez.