Learn how to manage the publication status of Booking.com listings in Hostaway, keep listings unpublished until ready, and resolve issues that prevent them from going live.
What is this?
When managing properties on Booking.com via Hostaway, it’s crucial to control when your listings become live and ensure the setup is complete before activation. This guide explains
- How to keep listings inactive until you are ready to publish,
- Resolve issues with non-live listings, and
- Prevent similar problems in the future.
How to Export Listings Without Making Them Live Immediately
You can push a property to Booking.com while keeping it inaccessible to guests until you’re ready. Follow these steps:
- Export your property to Booking.com successfully.
- Update the necessary settings on Hostaway, including updating the markup under Channel Manager > Settings.
- On Booking.com, configure VAT, taxes, and cleaning fees via Property > VAT/tax/charges.
- Until the listing is ready for the public, avoid clicking Open in the Channel Manager Booking.com settings. The property will remain non-visible until then.
Troubleshooting Non-Live Listings
If your listing is not live despite completing its setup, the typical reason is missing data. Missing pricing is the most frequent culprit. To fix this:
- Navigate to Hostaway Dashboard > Channel Manager.
- Go to Listing Mapping and select the problematic listing.
- Access the Settings for that listing.
- In the Booking.com section, click the Re-sync button to update the rate plans.
Avoid Common Resyncing Missteps
It’s important to note that the Resync button is primarily for rate plan updates. To make a listing live after completing necessary adjustments, use the Open button instead of resyncing.
Preventing Future Issues With Non-Live Listings
To prevent future situations where listings fail to go live due to missing information:
- Regularly check the Listing Mapping under the Channel Manager.
- Ensure all rate plans are synced correctly with Booking.com.
- Proactively review your settings and resync rates with Hostaway before reaching the final stages of listing setup.
By following these guidelines, you can efficiently manage your listings on Booking.com and ensure they go live only when fully ready.
Manage unpublished Booking.com listings due to license requirements
When a listing exported to Booking.com cannot go live because license details are missing, Hostaway now surfaces the requirements directly in the dashboard to help you resolve them quickly.
What you’ll see
- A warning icon appears on the Booking.com channel card when one or more listings are unpublished due to missing license information
- On the Booking.com channel configuration page, listings with outstanding license requirements display the same warning icon
- Clicking the warning shows the exact fields required by Booking.com (for example: registration/permit number, expiration date, tax ID), as provided by the OTA
How to resolve
- In Hostaway, find the warning icon on the Booking.com channel card or next to the affected listing on the channel configuration page
- Click the warning to view the specific license fields needed for that listing
- Open the Booking.com Extranet for the property and add the requested license information
- Save your changes in the Extranet. The listing’s status will update per Booking.com processing. Return to Hostaway to continue managing the listing’s publication status
Why this matters
- Immediate visibility: Understand exactly why a listing isn’t live.
- Faster time-to-live: Clear guidance reduces back-and-forth, so you can start receiving reservations sooner.