Use iCal to share your availability with booking sites that have no API connection or only limited API capabilities, such as many holiday rental sites (for example ebab and only-apartments). iCal (short for iCalendar) is a common calendar file format.
iCal options in Beds24
- iCal export: sends your availability to another calendar or booking site.
- iCal import: imports bookings from another calendar or booking site.
- Two-way iCal connections: specially constructed connections for some channels, for example Airbnb iCal and VRBO iCal.
Note: Use iCal only for channels without an API connection. For Google Calendar, use the two-way Google Calendar API connection instead: it's faster and more reliable than iCal.
Troubleshooting
| Issue | Likely cause | Resolution |
|---|---|---|
| The same booking is exported and imported again and again | You use both iCal export and iCal import with the same system, and Beds24 re-imports its own exported bookings | Break the loop by hiding imported bookings in the export URL you give the external system, for example by adding &icalimport1=hide. See iCal export. |
| You want to start the import again from scratch | Wrong or duplicate bookings were imported | Use the tool in the iCal import to delete all imported bookings. |
| A new booking overwrote a cancelled one | The channel sent a new booking for exactly the same dates as a cancelled booking | Copy the booking if you need both, and edit one of them manually. |
Example export URL with imported bookings hidden:
https://beds24.com/api/ical/bookings.ics?roomid=20318&token=ee09f8d452d680b8da5e584ffad7845f&icalimport1=hide