Airbnb & Booking.com
Airbnb and Booking.com sell your units by the night. This page explains the two ways a unit can sync with each of them and what they change in VIVIN.
Where to find it: channel accounts in Settings → Integrations (Platform Integrations); the choice for each unit in Sales → Channel Manager, by clicking the unit's Airbnb or Booking.com cell; the nightly price and rules in Listings → the unit → Setup → Short term. Super Admins and Admins can open Settings → Integrations by default.
Two ways to sync a unit
Each unit can sync with each of these channels in one of two ways: a Full integration, which keeps prices, availability and bookings in step in both directions, or a Calendar link (iCal), which only imports the dates the channel has blocked. A unit cannot use both ways on the same channel.
| Option | What syncs | What it needs |
|---|---|---|
| Full integration | Prices, availability and bookings, in both directions, managed by VIVIN | A channel account under Settings → Integrations, and Short term switched on for the unit |
| Calendar link (iCal) | Blocked dates imported from the channel. VIVIN's calendar link is used in the other direction | Nothing in Settings |
Full integration
You connect each channel account once, in Settings → Integrations, then link units one by one. For the steps, see Connecting Airbnb and Booking.com.
- Prices and availability flow from the unit's Short term settings and calendar in VIVIN to the channel, and the channel's bookings come into VIVIN. The unit's Short term section shows Synced with channel, Sync pending or Sync error.
- On Airbnb, keep Monthly discount at least as high as any shorter-stay discount already on that listing (see Short term).
- Import bookings on the connection card brings in the current and upcoming bookings already on the channel, for linked units only. Past stays are not imported.
- You can connect several accounts of the same channel; Sales → Channel Manager shows them together in one column. Under Booking Platforms, the OTA channels card belongs to this connection.
What you can change on a synced booking
Bookings from a full integration mirror the reservation on the channel, so most changes happen there and sync back to VIVIN.
| Action in VIVIN | On a synced booking |
|---|---|
| Change dates, Change unit, Change tenant | Locked. Change the stay on the channel; the new dates and amounts sync to VIVIN. |
| Delete Booking | Locked. |
| Cancel Booking | Locked while the unit is linked. If the channel's cancellation is slow, set the unit to No integration first, then confirm in VIVIN (see Cancelling a booking). |
| Charge, Transaction, Apply Discount | Locked: the amounts follow the channel, and its payout is recorded automatically. One exception: when a Booking.com guest pays at the property, Transaction stays open so you can record the payments you collect. |
Markups from Booking Platforms do not apply: the amounts come from the channel. Imported Booking.com bookings arrive without the guest's email, phone and address.
Calendar link (iCal)
The channel's private calendar link goes on the unit's cell in Sales → Channel Manager, and VIVIN's calendar link goes on the channel, so blocked dates travel both ways without a channel account. Prices do not sync. For the steps, see Use a calendar link instead.
What VIVIN imports depends on the channel, as the calendar window in the app explains:
| Channel | What VIVIN imports from the channel's calendar |
|---|---|
| Airbnb | Only the dates the Airbnb calendar lists as reserved or closed. Any other entry is not imported. |
| Booking.com | Every unavailable date, including dates blocked by hand on Booking.com. |
VIVIN reads the link again every 30 minutes, and Sync imports it straight away. The imported dates appear on the unit calendar as blocks, for example "Airbnb Guest". They are not bookings, so they have no tenant, payment plan or contract. Keep the channel's calendar showing only the availability you want synced.
How far ahead the channels see availability
To limit how far ahead VIVIN's calendar feeds show availability, set Short-term iCal Max Date in the Channel Manager section of Settings → Integrations. The same date appears as Short Term Max Date on the Airbnb and Booking.com cards. Apply to all listings copies it to every unit, and on Airbnb Apply to selected listings copies it to the units or categories you pick.
Tips
- Switching a unit to Full integration deletes its calendar link and the blocked dates that link imported. This cannot be undone.
- Saving No integration on an Airbnb or Booking.com cell removes both the full integration and the calendar link for that unit. Use it when a mapping Sync error asks you to clear the link, then choose Full integration again.
- For any other site that imports calendars, use Copy iCal on the unit's row in Sales → Channel Manager (see Integrations and distribution).
Related
- Integrations and distribution: every kind of integration VIVIN offers.
- Airbnb and Booking.com settings: the channel accounts field by field.
- Sales: the Channel Manager grid.
- Listings: the unit's Short term settings.
- Cancelling a booking: including Channel Manager bookings.