Export and import your calendar via iCal

ICalendar links allows you to synchronize your rentals' availabilities between Lodgify and your platforms.
It can be useful if you receive bookings via your website as well as other booking platforms or use an external reservation system. You can then export your Lodgify bookings to an external calendar, or import reservations and blocked periods into Lodgify via iCal.

Here you'll find the platforms we can connect via API and ICal. However, for other platforms (for example Agoda, Trivago), an API connection with Lodgify is not possible. In these cases, the connection can only be made using iCal.

💡 Note: Please note that when importing reservations from Airbnb via iCal, no guest details will be imported!
You can also use the iCal link to block individual rooms in your calendar whenever you have a booking for the entire rental, to do so please get in touch with us.
Do not forget to remove your iCal links once an API connection has been established.

Read about:

Import an external calendar to Lodgify

Importing will allow you to automatically keep your Lodgify calendar up to date with external calendars that support the .ics format. 
Example of an iCal URL: https://www.airbnb.com/calendar/ical/2790429.ics?s=850a104a80c6c87f19cb5c0e35a97628.

Calendars that support the iCal format are for instance Airbnb, VRBO, OnlyApartments, House Trip, Agoda. Instructions on how to get the iCal URL from an external platform can be found in its respective help center.

Lodgify will import events included in iCal calendars up to 24 months into the future. Beyond that time, no events will be imported into your Lodgify calendar.

💡 Note: The imported information will be visible in the Calendar in light grey. No information will be imported into your reservations, only the information of availability.

1. Go to your left-hand menu and select Settings.
2. Select Calendar Import/Export.
3. To import a calendar, click Add calendar.
4. A pop-up window appears. Insert the external iCal URL.
5. Select the corresponding rental. You will see your rental's names and IDs, followed by room's names and IDs. 
   💡 Note: If you are using the Room Types legacy feature (which allowed you to create separately rooms within your rental), be sure to select the correct room type for each connection.
6. Next, name the Source of the link for your personal reference.
7. Then Confirm mapping.

💡 Note: In case your Channel Manager is activated a warning will pop up to prevent double import. You can ignore this as long as the Channel Manager is not activated for this rental on the same external listing site.

The calendar auto-refreshes every 2h. If you need the import immediately, click Synchronize now.

💡 Notes:

• Please note that the delay of synchronization depends also on the platforms. For example, HomeAway/VRBO/FeWO iCals update ONCE EVERY 24 HOURS.
• Only current and future bookings will be imported into your calendar. No bookings that lie in the past will be shown.

iCal blocked periods function like closed periods on your Lodgify calendar; the block stops on the day of the last night it covers. For example, if a reservation runs from December 1st to December 3rd, iCal will block the calendar only through December 2nd (the last night). 
Please note that this behavior applies only to the desktop version. On mobile, the block will include the last day of check-out as well.

Export your Lodgify calendar

Lodgify will export events from your calendar covering the past 6 months and up to 18 months into the future through the iCal export option. Events outside this time range will not be exported from your Lodgify calendar via iCal.

To export your Lodgify calendar:

1. Go to your left-hand menu and select Settings.
2. Select Calendar Import/Export.
3. In Export Calendar select the rental you want to export:
   
   
4. In the drop-down menu on the right, select which reservations you want to export.

   Use...	to...
   Export reservations excluding iCal	Export direct bookings from Lodgify Manual bookings from Lodgify Closed periods from Lodgify Bookings imported from external sites which appear as booked (red) in your calendar.
   Export all reservations	Export direct bookings from Lodgify Manual bookings from Lodgify Closed periods from Lodgify Bookings imported from external sites, including bookings imported via iCal that appear in your calendar in grey.
   Add to your personal calendar	Export the same information as Export all reservations, but with more booking details included. It will export the guest's initials, and the rest of the name will be masked with asterisks (e.g., “J*** S****”). 💡 Note: Use this iCal only to export information to your personal calendar where you need the details.

5. Copy the link address.
6. Insert the Lodgify iCal link in the appropriate section of the app/website you want to export the calendar to. Find instructions about where to exactly paste Lodgify's iCal URL for each channel:
   • Airbnb
   • HomeAway
   • VRBO
   • Booking.com

Export Lodgify calendar into Google calendar

If you want to sync reservations from your Lodgify calendar to your Google Calendar, for example, to share bookings with your cleaning staff, copy your Lodgify iCal links and then follow these steps:

1. Go to your Google calendar. Click on the little wheel icon of your Settings Menu and select Settings.
2. In the Menu bar on the left, click Add calendar and choose From URL.
3. Insert your Lodgify iCal URL and click Add Calendar.
   Your reservations will now be exported to your Google calendar.

Be aware that, similar to Lodgify, external calendars often do not take the check-out date of an imported reservation into account and only display a calendar event lasting up until the last full day of the reservation. For example, if a reservation runs from December 1st to December 3rd, it will show up on Google Calendar as an event that ends on December 2nd.

Removing an iCal connection

To remove an iCal import from external channels into Lodgify:

1. Go to your left-hand menu and select Settings.
2. Select Calendar Import/Export.
3. Locate the connection you want to remove, and click on the trash can icon to the far right of the connection.

💡 Note: Once you remove the connection, all previously iCal-imported unavailabilities will be removed as soon as the calendar auto-refreshes. If you need the calendar updated immediately, click Synchronize now.

To learn how to remove iCal exports from Lodgify into external channels, please refer to the external channel's help center.