Syncing Airbnb and Vrbo calendars: how often each one updates

If you list the same place on Airbnb and Vrbo, you can link the two calendars with iCal links for free. The sync works, but it isn't instant, and the gap between the two sites is where double bookings come from.

How often each site checks

Airbnb's help centre says your Airbnb calendar updates every 3 hours, pulling in the calendars you've connected. You can press Refresh on an imported calendar to check sooner, but Airbnb limits how many times it will ask the other site, and once you pass that you wait for the next automatic update.

Vrbo's help centre says imported calendars sync every 30 minutes, and you can refresh by hand at any time. A newly imported calendar can take up to 20 minutes to show its events.

So a booking made on Vrbo can take up to 3 hours to block the same night on Airbnb. A booking made on Airbnb reaches Vrbo within about half an hour.

Setting it up

On Airbnb, open Calendar, choose the listing, then Availability. Under Connect calendars, choose Connect to another website. Copy the Airbnb link to paste into Vrbo, and paste Vrbo's link, which must end in .ics, into Airbnb.

On Vrbo, open Calendar, then the Availability tab, and choose Connect calendars. Paste Airbnb's link and give it a name. If the link starts with webcal, change that to https.

Limits worth knowing

• Vrbo only lets you import calendars if you manage the property in its Owner Dashboard or app. If a channel manager runs your Vrbo listing, you can't add iCal links on Vrbo's side.
• Vrbo takes up to five imported calendars per property and shows events for the next 365 days. Airbnb imports up to two years.
• Nights you block on another site for preparation time or advance notice may not block on Airbnb.
• iCal moves availability only. Prices, minimum stays and messages stay separate on each site.
• Vrbo treats a double booking you cancel as a host cancellation, under its host cancellation policy.

When iCal is enough

With one listing and modest occupancy, iCal is fine if you refresh after each booking and watch for last-minute requests. Same-day and next-day bookings carry the most risk, because two guests can book the same night inside the 3-hour window.

Once you're busy on both sites, a channel manager closes dates on the other site within moments of a booking. Every plan in our calculator connects to Airbnb, Vrbo and Booking.com directly. Our iCal vs API guide explains the difference.