Why do you recommend to use HBook as the main calendar? What does that mean?

1. How should I set up the iCal sync between HBook and my other platforms where I have my listings?

When setting up the iCal synchronization between HBook and the other platforms you wish to sync with (be it OTA as AirBnb, booking.com, Expedia, etc. or Agendas, as iCal, Google Calendar, etc.), there are 2 main situations.

• You are using a Channel Manager

In such case, the Channel Manager will be the main calendar. In HBook, you will only set a synchronization with your Channel Manager. It is the Channel Manager who will sync with the rest of your platforms.

• You are not using a Channel Manager

HBook should be your main calendar if you wish the synchronization to work nicely. The reason for that is that HBook not only "block dates" as unavailable when importing an external calendar but creates reservations that can be edited/managed in the admin Reservations page. HBook is a full booking system, and it is thought to be used as your main booking system.

2. What does it mean to use HBook as your main calendar?

• You will sync HBook with each platform both ways (AirBnb - HBook, booking.com - HBook, VRBO - HBook, etc.). But you do not sync platforms between themselves. If, for example, you have currently a sync set between AirBnb and booking.com, you will remove this sync. Everything goes through HBook.

When you will receive a reservation on AirBnb, HBook will import it, and you will see the reservation in HBook. Then booking.com will block the dates when they update their calendar, since it will be part of the export.

• If you need to block dates when a room is not available (for example if you have painting work), iyou will do it in HBook (Reservations > Block accommodation). You should not set the date as unavailable on the platforms (for example, do not set the dates as "unavailable" on AirBnb, VRBO, booking.com...).

With the sync, the dates will be automatically blocked when you add a blocked date in HBook. In your external calendar, you should not have any dates that you block manually, only reservations received directly on that platform and blocked dates/reservations that are imported when syncing with HBook calendar.

• When setting the iCal sync, if you have such option, you should make sure that you select to include only reservations in the export calendar you get from the platform. For example, Booking.com has a setting to include "Booked dates only" and this is what you need to select. On platforms as VRBO/Abritel, where you can receive booking requests that need confirmation (known as "Tentative bookings"), you should select the calendar URL that does not include the tentative bookings.

3. Why should I use HBook as the main calendar? Why you do not recommend blocking dates directly on one of my platform (for example, AirBnb)?

The main reason for this is that it helps you to keep a clean list of reservation, instead of having blocked dates imported as fake reservations into the list of reservations. There are as well known issues with major platforms, as they may not respect the iCal standards or include more than reservations and dates manually set as "Unavailable" in their iCal export calendar.

For example, AirBnb includes any date that is not bookable in their export. Now, let's say you have set in AirBnb an "Advanced notice" or a "Booking Window", the dates that are blocked on AirBnb due to these settings will change every day. Well, AirBnb adds to their iCal calendar these blocked dates, and it means that in HBook, it would create one new reservation per day and cancel the previous one every day! As you realize, this can be quickly messy in your reservation list...

4. What can I do if I have to block dates directly on one of my platform, for example AirBnb?
If, for any reason, you have to block dates manually on AirBnb instead of HBook, you will need to adjust HBook iCal settings.

•  In HBook - iCal sync - Import settings, you will find a setting "Exclude blocked dates from the import". It is set to "Yes" by default, and you will switch this setting to "No".
• You will see additional settings that are here to set the iCal import booking window. To set the "Import window minimum date", indicate the number of days of your AirBnb "Advanced notice" setting. To set the "Import window maximum date" indicate the number of months of your AirBnb "Booking window".
• Please note that in this case, you need to have the same Advanced notice and Booking window for all your AirBnb listings

If it is another platform you wish to use as Main calendar, please contact us. We will clarify if it is feasible or not. Note that it is not possible to use Booking.com as the main calendar, as there are known issues with booking.com export calendar when not selecting to include "Blocked dates only".