iCal allows you to sync your Lodgify calendar with external platforms to ensure your availability is always accurate and up to date across multiple channels.
If you're using iCal and notice that blocked dates are not appearing or unexpectedly showing in your Lodgify and/or external calendar, there are a few key things to check.
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Lodgify’s iCal sync runs every 2 hours.
If you’ve recently made changes on another platform, they may not appear yet.
You can trigger a manual sync by going to your Import/Export section under Settings and clicking Sync now next to the relevant iCal connection. -
For iCal to function properly, it’s important to have a clear connection structure:
❗ Do not link platforms in a chain (e.g., Lodgify → Airbnb → Vrbo). Instead, choose one central platform and connect all others directly to it.Example setup if Lodgify is your central calendar:
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✅ Lodgify → Airbnb
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✅ Lodgify → Vrbo
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❌ Do not connect Airbnb to Vrbo
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Troubleshooting a Blocked or Unblocked Lodgify Calendar
If dates are blocked (or not blocked) incorrectly on your Lodgify calendar, follow these steps:
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Go to the Calendar Import/Export section in Lodgify, under Settings.
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In the Import section, find the iCal connection in question and click the calendar icon next to it.
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This will download an .ics file.
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Open the file using TextEdit (Mac) or Notepad (Windows).
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Review the list of blocked dates included in the file.
💡Note: .ics files contain the list of events being sent by the source platform. Each event is typically defined by a start and end date, which may appear in formats such as:
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DTSTART (start date)
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DTEND (end date)
Search for these terms to locate specific events and check if the problematic dates are included.
What to check:
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If the dates are missing but should be there, or are included but shouldn’t be, contact the support team of the source platform.
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If the dates are included but not showing properly in Lodgify, contact Lodgify Support for further help.
💡 Quick fix: Remove the iCal connection and re-add it after a few minutes. This can often resolve minor sync issues.
Troubleshooting a Blocked or Unblocked External Calendar
If dates are showing incorrectly on an external calendar (e.g., Airbnb, Vrbo), you’ll need to check what Lodgify is sending to that platform:
- Go to the Import/Export Calendar section in Lodgify, under Settings.
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In the Export section, select the rental that’s affected.
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Click the red iCal link to download the Lodgify .ics file.
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Open the file with TextEdit or Notepad.
What to check:
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If the dates are missing but should be there, or are included but shouldn’t be, contact Lodgify Support.
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If the dates are correctly included but not blocking the calendar on the external platform, contact that platform’s support team.