How to Sync Your Booking.com Calendar with StayScan: Step-by-Step Guide

By StayScan Editorial Team · Published · Last updated

Step-by-step guide to syncing your Booking.com calendar with StayScan via iCal. Import bookings automatically, export availability, and prevent double bookings across all your platforms.

Booking.com is the world''s largest accommodation platform by room nights sold, making it essential for most vacation rental hosts. Its iCal integration works well with StayScan, though it has some specific behaviours that differ from Airbnb and VRBO. This guide covers the complete setup process.

Prerequisites

  • An active Booking.com property listing
  • Access to your Booking.com Extranet (partner dashboard)
  • A StayScan account with a Starter plan or above

Part 1: Import Your Booking.com Calendar into StayScan

Step 1: Get your Booking.com iCal Export URL

  1. Log in to your Booking.com Extranet
  2. Go to Property > Rates & Availability
  3. Click Sync calendars (or "Calendar sync" depending on your interface)
  4. Under "Export calendar", find your iCal export URL
  5. Copy the URL (it typically starts with https://admin.booking.com/hotel/hoteladmin/ical.html?...)

Note: Some Booking.com accounts show this under Rates & Availability > Calendar > Sync. The exact navigation may vary depending on your property type (apartment, hotel, B&B).

Step 2: Add the Booking.com Source in StayScan

  1. Open your StayScan Calendar Sync dashboard
  2. Select the property that matches your Booking.com listing
  3. Click Add Source
  4. Select Booking.com as the platform
  5. Paste your Booking.com iCal URL
  6. Click Connect

StayScan will fetch your Booking.com calendar immediately. Bookings appear colour-coded in Booking.com''s navy blue.

Step 3: Verify the Connection

After a successful first sync, the health indicator should show green. If it shows red, double-check that:

  • The URL was copied completely (Booking.com URLs can be long)
  • Your Booking.com listing is active (not suspended or under review)
  • You copied the export URL, not the import URL

Part 2: Export StayScan Calendar to Booking.com

Step 1: Get Your StayScan Export URL

  1. In StayScan Calendar Sync, click Export Calendar
  2. Generate or reveal your export URL
  3. Copy the URL

Step 2: Import into Booking.com

  1. Go to your Booking.com Extranet
  2. Navigate to Rates & Availability > Sync calendars
  3. Click Add connection (or "Import calendar")
  4. Paste your StayScan export URL
  5. Name it "StayScan"
  6. Save the connection

Booking.com will now periodically import your StayScan availability. Blocked dates and direct bookings from StayScan will appear as unavailable on your Booking.com calendar.

Booking.com-Specific Sync Behaviour

Refresh Rate

Booking.com typically refreshes imported calendars every 4-6 hours. This is slower than Airbnb (3-4 hours) but faster than VRBO (6-12 hours).

Room-Level vs. Property-Level

If you have multiple room types on Booking.com, each room type may have its own iCal URL. For single-unit properties (apartments, houses), there is one URL. Make sure you import the correct one.

Date Format

Booking.com''s iCal exports use DATE values (not DATETIME), which StayScan handles correctly. Check-in and check-out times are managed by Booking.com separately from the calendar feed.

Cancellation Handling

When a booking is cancelled on Booking.com, it may take one sync cycle (up to 6 hours) for the freed dates to appear in StayScan. StayScan checks for removed events on every sync and unblocks dates accordingly.

Troubleshooting Booking.com Sync

Problem: Cannot find the iCal export option

Cause: Booking.com occasionally moves this feature in the Extranet UI. Some property types have it in different locations.

Fix: Search for "calendar sync" or "iCal" in the Extranet help section. Alternatively, contact Booking.com partner support and ask for your iCal export URL.

Problem: Sync shows green but bookings are missing

Cause: Booking.com''s feed may not include very recent bookings (last few minutes). Also, some room types or rate plans may not be reflected in the iCal export.

Fix: Wait for the next sync cycle. If bookings consistently fail to appear, verify you have the correct room type''s iCal URL.

Problem: Booking.com not blocking StayScan dates

Cause: The StayScan export URL was not imported correctly, or Booking.com has not refreshed yet.

Fix: Log in to Booking.com Extranet and verify the imported calendar shows "Connected" or "Active". Force a refresh if the option is available.

Problem: Old bookings appearing that should be gone

Cause: Booking.com may keep cancelled reservations in the feed for a period.

Fix: StayScan processes STATUS:CANCELLED events correctly. If the event shows as cancelled in StayScan but is still blocking dates, contact support.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Booking.com support two-way iCal sync?

Yes. You can both export your Booking.com calendar (for StayScan to import) and import an external calendar (like StayScan''s export URL) into Booking.com.

Will StayScan sync affect my Booking.com ranking?

No. Calendar sync is a standard partner feature. Using it does not affect your visibility score or ranking on Booking.com.

Can I sync multiple Booking.com properties?

Yes. Create a separate StayScan property for each Booking.com listing and connect the appropriate iCal URL to each one.

What about Booking.com''s "auto-close" feature?

Booking.com has a native feature to auto-close rooms when imported calendars show them as booked. This works alongside StayScan sync — when StayScan''s export shows dates as blocked, Booking.com will close availability for those dates.

How do I handle different room types?

Each room type on Booking.com may have a separate iCal URL. If you have multiple room types, you may need separate StayScan properties for each, or import only the primary room type if they share the same physical space.

Connect your Booking.com calendar now: Open Calendar Sync in StayScan.

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