Connect a calendar and the dates you're already booked grey out on your booking form, so guests
never pick a date you can't do. It works with Google, Apple, Outlook and Microsoft 365, Airbnb,
Booking.com, Vrbo, and anything else that gives you a calendar link ending in .ics.
Connecting a calendar
- Open Calendars and click Connect calendar.
- Choose where the calendar lives, such as Google Calendar or Booking.com.
- Paste the calendar's link. In Google Calendar, open the calendar's settings and copy the Secret address in iCal format.
- Choose which venues it applies to, or leave it for all of them.
- Choose what it blocks (see below) and save.
What a calendar blocks
Each calendar has two tickboxes:
- Block event dates with entries on this calendar: guests can't book an event on those days.
- Block viewing slots that overlap entries: guests can't book a viewing at those times.
Tick both for your bookings calendar. A staff calendar full of meetings usually blocks viewings only, so a Tuesday meeting doesn't grey out a wedding date.
Confirmed bookings block dates for you
Once a quote in Innkept is accepted or paid, its date is shown as booked on your booking form for that venue. You don't need to add it to a calendar as well.
One-off closures
For days that aren't on any calendar, like a deep clean or your own holiday, either add them to a calendar you've connected or add them under Venue closed in your pricing plan.
How blocked dates look
- The booking form shows blocked and booked dates up to 18 months ahead.
- They're greyed out and can't be picked.
- A calendar set to one venue only blocks dates for that venue.
How often calendars update
Innkept checks your calendars every 15 minutes. Each calendar also has a Sync now button. The calendar list shows when each one last updated and how many dates it's blocking. If a calendar can't be read, for example because the link has changed, you'll see the problem there.
Google can take hours to update its calendar link. If you've just blocked a date in Google, wait for it to come through, or use Sync now later in the day. Use the secret address, not the public one: the public one is slower still.
Calendars are read-only. Innkept reads your calendars but never adds entries to them.