Integrations & Distribution

First-time workspace setup

Read this concept after setup step 12 Integrations credentials are saved and step 13 Listings inventory exists — link each unit on Listings → Channels before imports attach to the correct property. Partner HTTP contracts: API Reference. Concept pairing: Concepts — Setup sequence after go-live.

Finding your way in this guide

Start with Marketplace API Integrations and Airbnb & Booking.com Integration, then How Calendar Synchronisation Works. Go-live checklist: Setting Up Integrations. Non-linear operator habits (Lockout catch-up, Pending manual receipt approval, Reject/revert mistaken receipts, Portfolio segmentation by tenant category, Notification row-click navigation, Payment alert to receivables triage, Confirmation alert triage, Finance debt receivables triage, Finance Income status drill-down, Cash flow forecast drill-down) have matching Related subsections below. Full pairing matrix: Integrations & Distribution section cross-reference · Concepts — Concept cross-reference.

Vivin connects with every major rental channel in Europe, letting you manage all distribution from a single dashboard. Whether you work with mid-term marketplaces, short-term platforms, or direct bookings through your own website, Vivin keeps availability, pricing, and booking data synchronised across all channels in real time.

Pair with other concepts

Partner HTTP contracts are documented in the API Reference; bookmarkable settings and channel routes pair with Deep Links; imported reservation status follows Booking Lifecycle. Operator LLM cost for in-app AI Chat and utility extraction is on AI usage API — partner integration Bearer keys return 401 on those routes. Topic-to-module pairing: Integrations & Distribution section cross-reference. Full pairing matrix: Concepts — Concept cross-reference.

Marketplace API Integrations

Vivin connects mid-term and student-focused marketplaces so availability, pricing, and bookings stay aligned with your Vivin calendar. Supported booking platforms include those listed under Settings > Integrations — for example:

HousingAnywhere, Spotahome, Uniplaces, Inlife, Spacest
Channex (channel-manager distribution — ARI push + booking revisions feed imports; UUID mapping provisioned by Vivin)
Idealista, Coliving
ErasmusLife Lisboa, Edu Portugal
Vivin Booking Engine (direct / white-label bookings)
Generic iCal export for any subscriber platform

Authoritative list

Channel names, sync behaviour (calendar vs booking import), and setup steps can change as platforms evolve. Use Settings > Integrations as the single source of truth for which integrations your workspace can enable and how to configure them.

These integrations provide:

Real-time sync of prices, availabilities, contract rules (admin fees, cleaning fees, minimum/maximum stay periods), and calendar blocks.
Automatic booking import — confirmed bookings are imported with all key details: dates, pricing, tenant information, and contract terms.
Centralised calendar management — block or open dates across all channels simultaneously from Vivin.

When a booking is confirmed on any connected marketplace, it flows into Vivin automatically — creating the booking record, generating the payment schedule, and blocking the relevant dates on all other channels. No manual data entry required. Post-import reconciliation pairs with Processing a New Booking and Booking Lifecycle; unpaid imported schedules can later surface payment overdue rows — continue with Handling a Late Payment — Step 1. Full pairing matrix: Integrations & Distribution section cross-reference.

Partner feed depth (partial vs full)

Marketplace partners poll Vivin over HTTP using partial or full JSON feeds. Operators rarely call these routes directly, but the split explains why some channels need rich Full integration pill content while others only need calendar and price fields:

Depth	Typical use	Platforms (examples)
Partial	Calendar, pricing, availability windows, booking import	Housing Anywhere, Uniplaces, Inlife, Spotahome (partial route), Channex, RoomLess, Erasmus Life Lisboa, Vivin Booking Engine
Full	Complete publish catalogue (photos, amenities, partner-specific blocks)	Uniplaces, Spotahome, Housing Anywhere, Inlife full routes

iCal export is a separate text/calendar surface — not JSON GET /listings. See API Reference — Partial vs full feeds, Full listing feeds, and Integration field capability for field-level coverage per marketplace. Full pairing matrix: Integrations & Distribution section cross-reference.

Channex (channel manager)

Channex distributes to multiple OTAs through a channel-manager connection — not a single marketplace with one integration email. Operators:

Enable the Channex card under Settings > Integrations (optional Pricing Markup for rates pushed to connected OTAs).
Rely on Vivin to push availability and restrictions (ARI) for units with a valid channexMapping — Channex property, room type, and rate plan UUIDs provisioned with your Vivin contact (not self-serve external IDs on Listings > Channels).
Receive booking imports when Vivin processes revisions from Channex’s booking revisions feed — confirmed stays show the Channex platform badge like other channels.

Direction	Mechanism	Operator action
Outbound (Vivin → Channex)	Scheduled ARI sync for mapped units	Keep rent and calendar accurate in Vivin
Inbound (Channex → Vivin)	Vivin polls the booking revisions feed (not a self-serve webhook URL)	Confirm UUID mapping with support when imports are missing

Channex does not appear as a column on Sales > Channels. Filter imported rows on Bookings or Finance → Transactions by Channex source platform instead. Modified revisions are acknowledged on the Channex side but date or amount changes are not applied automatically in Vivin today — reconcile amendments manually in Bookings. See Webhooks & notifications — Channex booking revisions feed. Full pairing matrix: Integrations & Distribution section cross-reference.

Airbnb & Booking.com Integration

For short-term rental coordination, Vivin integrates with Airbnb and Booking.com via:

iCal calendar syncing — automatic availability blocking between Vivin and short-term platforms (outbound Vivin feeds plus inbound platform URLs on Sales > Channels).
Unified dashboard — view bookings across all short-term and mid-term channels in a single timeline.
Short-term configuration controls — limit how far ahead availability is exported (Short-term iCal Max Date in the Channel Manager block), then Apply to all listings or Apply to selected listings on each platform card. See Settings > Integrations > Short-term (Airbnb / Booking.com) Configuration.
Operational visibility — imported iCal blocks also appear on Operations > Check-in & Check-out as channel-labelled pseudo arrival/departure rows for short-stay turnover. These rows block calendars but do not create mid-term booking records with payment plans — distinct from API marketplace imports. See Glossary — Short-term iCal pseudo check-in/out.

This ensures that when a unit is booked on Airbnb, it is immediately blocked on HousingAnywhere, Spotahome, and every other connected channel — and vice versa. Short-stay pseudo rows pair with Operations > Check-in & Check-out and Managing a Check-in. Full pairing matrix: Integrations & Distribution section cross-reference.

Short-term iCal setup (operator UI)

Account-wide horizon — set Short-term iCal Max Date on Settings > Integrations so outbound feeds do not expose availability too far ahead:

Account Settings — Channel Manager block with Short-term iCal Max Date and Save

Per-unit linking — on Sales > Channels, open the Airbnb or Booking.com cell for a unit and walk through the setup wizard (paste the platform iCal URL, confirm Connected, then Sync when offered):

Sales — Airbnb iCal setup wizard modal (paste platform URL, confirm connection)

Outbound Vivin feed — copy each unit’s VIVIN iCal URL from the trailing Copy control (or bulk Export on the grid toolbar) and paste it into the OTA’s calendar import field:

Sales — Channel Manager actions column with Copy iCal control per listing row

Walkthrough: set Short-term iCal Max Date on Settings > Integrations, then Apply to all listings or Apply to selected listings on the Airbnb / Booking.com platform cards.

White Label Booking Engine

Vivin includes a fully branded booking engine that you can embed on your own website, enabling commission-free direct bookings.

Key Features

Instant availability display — real-time availability and rate updates pulled directly from your central Vivin calendar.
Fully branded — customise the booking engine with your company colours, logo, and identity so it feels native to your website.
Visits management — schedule in-person or virtual property tours with personalised calendars.
Integrated video calls — conduct online property visits directly through your website without third-party tools.
Conversion tracking — built-in analytics to measure and optimise your direct booking funnel.

Direct bookings through the white label engine follow the same workflow as marketplace bookings: they automatically create booking records, generate payment schedules, trigger contract generation, and block availability across all connected channels. Partner write routes: Booking Engine API. Full pairing matrix: Integrations & Distribution section cross-reference.

Why Direct Bookings Matter

Direct bookings eliminate marketplace commissions and give you full control over the tenant relationship from the first interaction. The white label booking engine makes it easy to convert website visitors into tenants without manual processing.

How Calendar Synchronisation Works

Vivin maintains a single source of truth for availability. When any of these events occur, all connected channels are updated automatically:

Event	What Happens
Booking created in Vivin	Dates blocked on all connected external platforms
Booking imported from marketplace	Dates blocked on all other channels; booking record created in Vivin
Short-stay block imported via Airbnb/Booking.com iCal	Dates blocked across channels; pseudo check-in/out row on Operations — not a full mid-term booking unless you add one manually
Booking imported from mid-term marketplace API	Dates blocked on all other channels; full booking record with payment schedule created in Vivin
Manual unavailability added	Dates blocked on all connected platforms
Booking cancelled	Dates released on all connected platforms

This two-way synchronisation eliminates double-bookings and ensures your availability is always accurate across every channel. Manual holds that propagate everywhere: Manual block hygiene and Audit — Manual Blocks. Full pairing matrix: Integrations & Distribution section cross-reference.

Invoicing providers (Hostkit & Invoice-xpress)

Beyond distribution marketplaces, Account Settings → Integrations supports invoicing connections:

Invoice-xpress — account-level API key and client ID; common for automated invoice lines when payments are recorded.
Hostkit — Portuguese Fatura-Recibo workflow: add Hostkit once, then paste per-listing API keys from Hostkit and set Hostkit invoice series on Settings > Invoicing. During bulk Issue allocation / Invoice selected runs, Vivin paces Hostkit API calls and retries HTTP 429 with backoff — large batches can take several minutes (FAQ — Why is bulk Hostkit invoicing slow?; Hostkit API pacing).

Only one invoicing provider can be active at a time. Finance Transactions and booking file views can surface Hostkit document links when invoicing completes. Distinct from marketplace distribution — see Settings > Invoicing. Full pairing matrix: Integrations & Distribution section cross-reference.

Setting Up Integrations

To connect a new mid-term marketplace or short-term iCal channel end to end:

Enable the platform — Account Settings → Integrations → open Add Integration (or edit an existing card) and enter the platform email, API key, or markup your agreement requires.

Account Settings — Add Integration modal with platform picker and credential fields

Confirm account-wide short-term controls (Airbnb / Booking.com only) — set Short-term iCal Max Date and use Apply to all listings when you need a bulk horizon update (see Short-term iCal setup above).
Link each unit — either:
- Listings → unit sidebar → Channels → enter the external listing ID or URL per platform row, or
- Sales → Channels → click a Not connected cell → paste the external ID / iCal URL in the link modal.

Sales — Channel Manager link modal for external listing ID or iCal URL

Verify sync — green Connected cells on Sales > Channels; imported bookings appear on Bookings with the correct source platform badge; Finance → Transactions Select platforms filter includes the channel when reconciling bank inflows.
Enrich partner payloads — for full-feed marketplaces, open the Full integration pill from Listings sidebars and complete the booking-engine editor before partners poll updates — see Booking engine details.

Per-unit marketplace links in Listings (after account credentials are enabled in Settings):

Listings — unit sidebar Channels section with platform logos and Not connected / edit controls (example unit AA-11-5D-R1)

Account Settings > Integrations — platform cards, credentials, and account-wide short-term iCal controls (operational linking continues in Sales and Listings):

Account Settings — Integrations overview with platform cards and Short-term iCal Max Date

Business Rule

Platform integrations must be configured in Settings before they appear in the Channel Manager or as filter options in the Bookings module. Enabling a platform integration does not automatically list your units — you must also link each unit to its corresponding listing on the external platform.

See Settings > Integrations for platform-specific credential steps. Partner HTTP contracts are in the API Reference — especially Full listing feeds, iCal feeds, and Booking Engine API. End-to-end checklist: Onboarding a New Property. Full pairing matrix: Integrations & Distribution section cross-reference.

Channel Manager overview

After platforms are enabled in Settings, you link each unit to its external listing and monitor sync status from Sales > Channel Manager. The grid shows listings and their connected channels in one place — use property filters, integration-ID search, and Export when you need bulk iCal URLs.

Sales — Channel Manager grid with per-listing integrations and channel status

Walkthrough: Sales → Channels — filter the grid, open the link modal on a Not connected cell, and use toolbar Export for bulk VIVIN iCal URLs.

Screenshot freshness

Channel Manager overview and short-term iCal captures re-verified 2026-06-26 08:00 UTC hourly enricher (existing PNG/MP4 assets under apps/docs/static/img/; no new capture scripts required this run).

Integrations & Distribution section cross-reference

Use this table when one distribution topic naturally leads into operator configuration, a module tab, or a post-import workflow — each row links to the docs you should read before or after the primary channel step.