How do I sync availability by iCal with a channel that has no direct Smoobu connection?

iCal is the fallback way to sync your calendar with channels and tools that have no Smoobu connection of their own, such as a booking plugin on your own website, a small local channel, or an external planning calendar. You exchange plain calendar feeds (a URL ending in .ics) that nearly every system supports. Each link carries availability in one direction only, and availability is all it carries: it tells the other side which dates are taken, and nothing more. No prices, no guest details. If the channel has its own connection on Smoobu's Channels page, connect it there instead of by iCal: a direct connection syncs more (prices, booking details) and updates faster.

For FeWo-direkt / HomeAway (the Vrbo family), use instead. For other popular channels, start at Connect Vrbo, HomeToGo, Expedia, and other channels to Smoobu.

Before you start

You need all of these before you connect:

• The other system supports iCal. Look for "iCal", "ics", or "calendar sync" in its calendar settings: it needs to export a calendar link, import one, or both.
• Your property already exists in Smoobu.
• The channel really isn't on Smoobu's Channels list. A listed channel syncs more (prices, booking details) and updates faster, so always prefer it. Check the search on the Channels page first; Connect Vrbo, HomeToGo, Expedia, and other channels to Smoobu covers the popular ones.

One link syncs one direction, and only availability

A link you take from the other system into Smoobu blocks that system's booked dates in your Smoobu calendar. A Smoobu link you paste into the other system carries your Smoobu bookings there. For a channel that takes bookings, you normally need both, so the exchange goes both ways. When a connection is one-way, there is no link exchange at all: usually you paste Smoobu's link into the other system, rather than importing that system's link into Smoobu. The feed carries availability only: an imported booking appears in Smoobu as a block without guest name or booking details, and what little extra information travels with it is decided by the other system, not by Smoobu. Updates aren't instant either: the receiving side fetches the link on its own schedule, from minutes to hours depending on the channel, and that frequency can't be changed, by you or by Smoobu.

Steps

1. In the other system, find its calendar export (usually under calendar or sync settings) and copy its iCal link.
2. In Smoobu, open Channels and find Individual iCal - 1 in the channel list (use the search field). Use Individual iCal - 2 or - 3 if the first slot is already taken. Click Connect.
3. Paste the copied link, choose the Smoobu property this calendar belongs to, and save.
4. Copy Smoobu's calendar link for the property from the same Individual iCal form. Treat this link like a password: it's for your own use only, so don't publish it or share it with guests. The iCal export URL on a property's Configuration > Properties > Edit page is a different link, meant for external calendar apps such as Google Calendar, not for channel connections.
5. In the other system, open its calendar import (often called "import calendar" or "external calendar") and paste Smoobu's link.

Check it worked

Block a date in your Smoobu calendar: after the other system's next fetch (minutes to hours, depending on the channel) that date shows as unavailable there. Then make a test block or booking in the other system and confirm the dates turn blocked in Smoobu. Test with one or two entries like this before you rely on the connection; it shows you quickly whether both directions flow.

Common problems

The channel shows dates as unavailable that aren't blocked in Smoobu

The feed has probably gone stale, with old phantom blocks the channel keeps displaying. Enter a blocked period in your Smoobu calendar on any date, then delete it right away. That forces Smoobu to regenerate the feed, and the channel picks up the cleaned-up version on its next fetch. If the same channel keeps drifting, contact the Smoobu team.

Changes from Smoobu never arrive on the channel

iCal is fetched by the receiving side, so Smoobu can't push or speed it up. On the channel, delete Smoobu's iCal link and import it again: that forces a fresh fetch. If the channel still doesn't update after that, ask the channel's own support team; the delay is on their side.

You get no email when a booking comes in by iCal

That's expected: Smoobu's new-booking notification emails only fire for directly connected channels, and iCal-imported bookings don't trigger them. Install the channel's own mobile app and turn on its push notifications there, or switch to a direct Smoobu connection if the channel has one.

An imported booking shows no guest name or details

Also expected: the feed doesn't carry booking details, only the dates. Look the booking up on the channel itself for the guest information.

You shared the export link by accident

Open Configuration > Properties, click Edit on the property, and click Regenerate iCal URL. The old link stops working immediately; paste the new one into the other system.

Related articles

• Connect Vrbo, HomeToGo, Expedia, and other channels to Smoobu

Still stuck?

If these steps didn't fix it, contact the Smoobu team: open the Help menu to open a ticket or book a call slot, or use the chat bubble in the bottom-right corner. To get the fastest answer, please include:

• Your Smoobu User ID (in the profile-icon menu, top right).
• The property name or ID, if it's about one property.
• The Booking ID, if it's about one booking (Bookings, then View more).
• The channel name, if it's about channel sync (Booking.com, Airbnb, Vrbo, and so on).
• A short step-by-step: what you did, what you expected, and what happened.
• Screenshots or a short screen recording of the problem.
• Your browser and operating system, if something looks wrong on screen.