Adding iCal links to a property

Adding iCal links to a property

  1. Select Administration from the right sidebar menu in the BOS
  2. Select Channel Connections
  3. Click on New Channel Connection (top right hand of the screen)
  4. Select property name from the Villa dropdown menu
  5. Paste the iCal link the owner of the property has given you in the Portal Code or iCal URL box
    1. If the dates the owner has blocked in their iCal calendar are the nights their guests are staying, then iCal import as Arrival and Departure should be left as NO
    2. If the dates the owner has blocked in their iCal calendar are the arrival and departure ones, then iCal import as Arrival and Departure should be set as YES
  6. Rental Channel should be set as iCal import
  7. Consider "On Call" as blocked should be left to the default NO
  8. Default Channel Markup Percentage should be left empty
  9. Click on "Save and Close"
It is important to select the correct link
How to find the calendar settings

Info
A screen video of the process can be found here.

Warning
Points to bear in mind:
  1. the BOS' iCal refresh rate is about every 8 hours, so changes made in these are not immediate. You can see the time of the last update and by whom it was made by clicking on the Non-availability of each property.
  2. once the iCal is synced with the BOS, you should tick on the "Connected to iCal" in the Property Details screen of the property.
  3. it is essential to know the type of dates the owners are inputting as the BOS adds a day to the owner's iCal if the owner chooses to block the nights of the stay only
  4. it is also important to know if the owner accepts the same change over day, if they do then both scenarios described above are catered for, if they don't then a day will need to be added to both scenarios. The simplest solution would be for the owners to add a day themselves to their calendars, if they don't then you need to do it.
Notes
Examples:
nights of non-availability +1 - the BOS needs to add an extra day of non-availability.
(guest staying 1st-3rd of March, leaving on the 4th: in this case the owner’s iCal will show a non-availability period 1-3rd of March, the BOS shows the property as not being available 1st-4th of March).

arrival/departure dates - the BOS does not need to add an extra day of non-availability.
(guest staying 1st-3rd of March, leaving on the 4th: in this case the owner’s iCal will show a non-availability period 1-4th of March, the BOS shows the property as not being available 1st-4th of March).

Info
These last 2 examples are not currently catered for by the BOS:
nights of non-availability +2 - the BOS needs to add an extra day of non-availability, and, since the owner does not accept same-day check-in/out, the BOS needs to add another day of non-availability.
(guest staying 1st-3rd of March, leaving on the 4th: in this case the owner’s iCal will show a non-availability period 1-3 March, the BOS shows the property as not being available 1st-4th of March).
But the owner doesn't want check-ins before the 5th of March.

arrival/departure dates +1 - Since the owner does not accept same day check-in/out, the BOS should add one day of non-availability.
(guest staying 1st-3rd of March, leaving on the 4th: in this case the owner’s iCal will show a non-availability period 1-4th of March, the BOS shows the property as not being available 1st-4th of March).
But the owner doesn't want check-ins before the 5th of March.


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