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On HomeAway, you can import up to 5 calendars from other websites that support the iCal format like Google. iCalendar is a file format that allows users to create and share electronic calendars. The iCalendar format is supported by many companies and programs.

Importing enables you to have a single-calendar view of all your reservations, seasonal events, holidays and more. This will help you prevent a double booking. It also helps you see opportunities to adjust your rates to make more money.

To Import an external calendar
  1. Log in to your account.
  2. If you have more than one property, select the property you wish to edit.
  3. Click the Calendar icon in the left navigation menu.
  4. Click Reservations.
  5. Click the Import/Export arrows icon.
  6. Click Import Calendar.
  7. Give the calendar a name.
  8. Select a color to represent the calendar.
  9. Enter the calendar URL.
  10. Select whether the calendar will block availability. (Note: to block availability, the event must span at least one night.)
  11. Click Import Calendar.
Currently, you can only import five additional calendars. The calendar typically will take about 20 minutes to update.

Please note, an imported calendar may not block dates on the public (listing page) calendar. Many common programs, such as Google Calendar, iCal, or Outlook, are designed to allow users to enter a variety of events, personal and otherwise, that are not necessarily meant to block availability in order for a guest to book. The data is fed in such a way that there is no way of distinguishing the difference between a personal appointment and a reservation. You will get a message that "Calendars imported from this site will not block availability" to advise of this. You will still be able to see the imported calendar in your account, but you may then need to manually create reservations or block dates on your HomeAway calendar to make sure the calendars match up.

To Export your HomeAway calendar
Note - you cannot export your HomeAway calendar if your listing is not live.
 
  1. Log in to your account.
  2. If you have more than one property, select the property you wish to edit.
  3. Click the Calendar icon in the left navigation menu.
  4. Click Reservations.
  5. Click the Import/Export arrows icon.
  6. Click Export Calendar.
  7. Copy the URL and follow the instructions on your external calendar in order to import.
Note: if you leave the box checked to include tentative reservations, this will block the dates on the calendar you export to. If you have also set up an import from that calendar to your HomeAway calendar, you may experience issues with reservation payments for those dates. We recommend only including tentative reservations if you are exporting to a private calendar, not one on another booking site to help prevent any issues.

To remove an external calendar
  1. Log in to your account.
  2. If you have more than one property, select the property you wish to edit.
  3. Click the Calendar icon in the left navigation menu.
  4. Click Reservations.
  5. Click the Import/Export arrows icon.
  6. Click the name of the calendar.
  7. Click Remove.
  8. In the pop-up, click Remove.
From this screen, you can also change the name or color of the calendar.

Non-blocking events
Besides reservation calendars, you should also import calendars with non-blocking events such as holidays or local events to help you when setting your rates. These calendars are not shown to travelers. Calendars are available on websites such as www.icalshare.com or by conducting a web search for keywords such as “iCal US holidays” or “iCal event calendar Austin Texas.”

To add a calendar from iCalShare, follow the instructions below.
  1. Go to www.icalshare.com.
  2. Find the calendar you would like to add.
  3. Right-click on the blue Subscribe to Calendar button.
  4. Click Copy Link Address.
  5. In your HomeAway calendar, click the Import/Export arrows icon.
  6. Click Import Calendar.
  7. Give the calendar a name.
  8. Select a color to represent the calendar.
  9. In the URL field, right-click and Paste.
  10. Change webcal:// to http:// in the URL.
  11. Select Do not show this calendar to travelers.
  12. Click Import Calendar.
Having trouble finding the URL to the calendar? This article may be able to assist you.