A friend and I operate two separate Airbnb listings in the same building. We are trying to set up a new listing combining the two, to try to get bookings from larger groups.
Obviously, this new listing would have available dates only when both our listings are available.
My question is, how do we do set up the new calendar to sync with both the properties and allow instant bookings?
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You will need to do all the calendar settings manually. Sounds really complicated and not sure that it would work that well, 2 different hosts, 2 different listings, breaking up your reviews, relying on the other persons’ hosting and cleaning standards. I would be more inclined to offer each other at 5% or something similar for bookings you refer each other. Eg you have a booking for 2 and you can state if they want an extra room you’re friend can help them out with a listing in the same building. They contact you and you refer and she takes it from there when they contact her.
It is very easy to do.
Create the listing, and have the calendar sync with both the calendars of each single listing.
Get the link from the “export calendar” function of the single listings, and import it into the “import calendar” function of the shared listing.
Be very careful with instant book on the combined one, calander syncing is not instant and if you are unlucky, you end up with double bookings.
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We have this same issue as we book separate rooms within one house (like a traditional BnB) and also book various permutations (e.g., two room suite, whole house). We use a service called Stinngo that allows for listings to be nested. In other words, Listing 3 and Listing 4 combined are the “two room suite” or Listing 5. If Listing 3 is busy, then Listing 5 is blocked. We automatically export calendars from Stinngo and then import them to Airbnb and this works seamlessly. On the plus side, I much prefer the Stinngo calendar interface to Airbnb’s and this system has given us a solution to Airbnb’s dysfunctional approach (in which every listing is distinct and there are no possible interdependencies [correction, you can link listing via the multiple imported calendar method]). We also Stinngo to block out dates when we book guests off-Airbnb.
The big downside of Stinngo is that it doesn’t currently import Airbnb’s calendars automatically so we have to manually update the Stinngo calendar with new bookings. This has worked reasonably well but it’s not clear they’ll ever add this feature so I’ve started looking for an alternative “Property Management System.” So far, it’s been really hard to tell which services offer the feature of nested or interdependent listings so I haven’t made much progress. I’m eager to hear how others solve this problem.
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@hypertokyo Airbnb allows hosts to import more than 1 calendar link. In your case let’s say you manage Listing A, your friend manages Listing F and the combined listing is Listing C.
First get all of the export calendar links from Airbnb. (You can find them under calendar options)
I list which links to be imported below:
For Listing A
- Import Listing C
For Listing F
- Import Listing C
For Listing C (new listing)
- Import Listing A and F
Whenever you get a reservation from single listings, the combined calendar will be blocked. Similarly if you get a reservation for combined listings, each individual listings get blocked.
There are a lot of tools for hosts around. I would suggest you to check Your Porter App. (It is an iOS, Android and web app developed by me as an air host).
Porter imports all the reservations from your Airbnb listings automatically. You can also group your listings and sync them to block each other. If you use other channels, you can also sync their calendars with Porter.
Besides that, it has cool features like online arrival form for guests and task management with teammates for cleaning and check-in.
Just have a look, it might be the tool you are looking for. 
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Thanks @erincerinc for suggesting YourPorter. I’ve started setting it up and am impressed. The tight integration with Airbnb is great (as you noted, most of the other platforms seem to have started pre-Airbnb and not adapted). I also really like the inclusion of tools for tasks and personalized communication. Those features should help a lot with staying on top of things like extra beds and attentive follow-up messages. I also like that, if we grow, this could be a platform to help us manage other listings.
I’m a little uncertain, though, about the right approach for the nested listings. What I’ve set up seems to work but might not be optimal. Building on your example above, assume I have Listings A and B and a combined AB. Also, it’s worth noting that we take some off-Airbnb bookings and so will need to enter those in YourPorter on occasion. I think the simplest set up would look something like:
Calendar Exports:
Airbnb_A -> Porter_A
Airbnb_B -> Porter_B
Airbnb_AB -> Porter_AB
Calendar Imports:
Airbnb_A <- Porter_A, Porter_AB
Airbnb_B <- Porter_B, Porter_AB
Airbnb_AB <- Porter_A, Porter_B, Porter_AB
Does that look right? It seems to be working well. You mentioned grouping the nested listings, however, and I haven’t figured out if that’s necessary or how it might work with the interdependencies. As best as I can tell, groups seem to make sense for separate properties.
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I use Google as my master calendar. It exports to Airbnb and blocks out dates for me. It is sort of complicated to explain, but it works for me.
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Hi Cat, I use Google calendar as well, and have been trying to export my Air calendar into Google. I got it to import ok using the link provided by Air, but my issue is that the calendar doesn’t automatically update within my Google calendar when I get a new reservation. I have to re-import (and then I have duplicates of the old reservations). What am I missing?
Thanks!
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I think so…I actually love your idea of having another calendar that syncs TO Air to update my listings availability when I use it. I’m going to set that one up, thanks! My one question is, do these automatically update when a new reservation is made, or do you continually have to import/export? So far, my calendar FROM Air to Google does not…
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I can’t speak for using Google Calendar but there’s no technical limitation that prevents calendars from synchronizing automatically in both directions. Some services (as I mentioned above, like Stinngo) can only export an updated calendar to Airbnb and can’t import the current bookings from Airbnb (but that’s not a limitation of Airbnb or the calendar synching technology). YourPorter (as noted above) can do the bi-directional synching with Airbnb. Even with the automatic connections, with all the services including Airbnb, it can be useful to sometimes force a synchronization to ensure the latest data has been exchanged.
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Thank You for all the tremendously helpful responses. I have implemented successfully reporting of two separate Airbnb calendars into my third a new account. And thank you for the suggestions about the external calendars, including stingo, Mr. Porter and Google calendars. I am planning to be expanded my listings to other sites as well, and at that point an external master calendar would be very handy.
Again, a lot of very helpful responses here, really appreciated; and this is also proving to be a great place for calendar “best practice” sharing, so please continue the discussion.
Yes, any changes from Air updates automatically (though not instantly) to my Google Calendar(s). Again, I am using a separate Google Calendar for my feed FROM Air. That displays in PINK above and I never have to touch it. I do, however, MANUALLY add Air to my Master Calendar. It is my Green Master Calendar that my cleaning lady has access to. She does not see the other layers.
Hmmm…I must have a setting messed up. My calendar never updates within Google. I did set up a separate calendar (with its own color), and it still seems to be just a snapshot in time. I’ll scrub it and start from scratch and see if that fixes it. I am not very technically inclined, so I’m sure it’s operator error. 
Thanks for your help!
Oh! @TinyCar I gave you the wrong instructions … sorry. I had not done this in a while.
To ADD the Airbnb feed grab the EXPORT link from Air …
… and then ADD to Google by clicking on Other Calendars and select Add by URL.
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Hey, thanks! The screen shot was particularly helpful. I had been using the “my calendar” tab, as opposed to the “other calendars”. I was wondering why I couldn’t find the URL option… 