How to connect Vrbo by iCal?

Introduction

iCal connection will only sync availability from reservations, not manually blocked dates, these need to be blocked directly on Hostaway
To connect to Vrbo via API with the full sync please follow the steps on Vrbo: Connect to Vrbo
For more information about iCal please read the article iCal: Connection and more information

Once a property is live on Vrbo, you can connect it through the iCal calendar link.

Please follow the next steps to connect your Vrbo listings through iCal:

Before you start, please ensure you have everything needed to connect:
- All listings you have on Vrbo are also created in Hostaway
- When you log into the Vrbo calendar you see in the top right corner the menu option "Import & Export" calendar
- Decide if you would like to include "Tentative reservation requests" as a booking or not
Setup your connection per listing:
- Log in to your Hostaway account and go to Channel Manager > Channels
- Click on "Activate" or "Configure" for Vrbo iCal
- In the new window, at the top, select the listing you would like to map to Vrbo
- Copy the Hostaway export iCal link
- Go to Vrbo > Listing Calendar > click on "Import calendar" > Insert the link > Save. You should instantly see that your Vrbo calendar gets blocked for reservations that you have in Hostaway
- From Vrbo you can export the reservations. When you get the link, it asks you if you would like to include or exclude "Tentative" (inquiries) reservations. Turn this option off if you would not like to import them and copy the link
- Add the link in Hostaway where it asks for the import link
- After completing this, verify if all reservations are synced and dates are correctly blocked on both sides

Important Notes

If you get the error Vrbo cannot import iCal, please try a couple of times. Sometimes it could take 5 or more attempts to get it imported. Hostaway imports the updated reservations by iCal every 30 minutes. Vrbo imports and updates any iCal calendar every 60 minutes
When you get a reservation in Vrbo and urgently need to block off the dates, block them manually in the Hostaway calendar until the new sync comes in
The financial data for iCal bookings is available in the Vrbo Dashboard. Each record shows the full financial breakdown of the reservation, including payout dates, etc. From there, the data can be added to the Hostaway import CSV
When you remove a Vrbo iCal from the Hostaway Dashboard, the dates of the reservations in the iCal may be blocked in the Hostaway calendar or become available depending on the status of the reservation:
- The dates are blocked on the calendar if the status of the reservation is one of the following: New, Modified, Pending, Awaiting Payment, Awaiting Guest Verification, Unconfirmed, Owner Stay, and Expired.
- The dates are available on the calendar if the status of the reservation is one of the following: Inquiry, Inquiry Pre-Approved, Inquiry Not Possible, Cancelled, and Declined.

To learn more please watch this quick video.