iCal Sync Help
Overview
The iCal Sync tab lets you connect reservation calendars from Airbnb, Booking.com, and other OTAs to automatically import guest reservations into UnlockOS. Each iCal feed is linked to a specific room in your facility. Once registered, reservations are synced on a recurring schedule and appear in the Reservations list and Calendar.
What you can do on this tab:
- Register an iCal feed URL and link it to a room
- Set whether guests must complete the guest form when adding a feed
- View all registered feeds and their sync status
- Trigger an immediate manual sync
- Toggle the guest form requirement per feed
- Switch the matching mode between guest self-verification and host-managed check-in
- Find the guest check-in URLs in the Check-in tab (Booking Management)
- Use the email forwarding address to import reservations from confirmation emails
How to Access
Booking Management Dashboard → iCal Sync tab
Or navigate directly with the URL parameter: ?tab=ical
Features
Feature 1: Adding an iCal Feed
To register a new iCal feed:
- Copy the iCal export URL from your OTA (e.g. Airbnb, Booking.com).
- Paste it into the iCal URL field.
- Select the Room this feed corresponds to from the dropdown (you can type to search the room list).
- Set the Guest Form toggle to decide whether guests must complete the guest form during check-in (default: ON).
- Click Add Feed.
After the feed is added, a green success banner appears with a Go to Check-in Tab button. Click it to navigate directly to the Check-in tab in Booking Management, where you can copy the check-in URL to share with guests.
Both the iCal URL and a room selection are required. The Add Feed button is disabled until both are filled in.
Feature 2: Registered Feeds Table
All registered feeds appear in a table (or cards on mobile). Each row shows:
| Column | Description |
|---|---|
| Feed URL | The registered iCal URL (truncated; hover to see the full URL) |
| Room | The room this feed is linked to |
| Last Sync | Timestamp of the most recent sync |
| Events | Number of reservations imported in the last sync |
| Status | Sync result: Synced, Error, or Pending |
| Matching | The current matching mode toggle for this feed |
| Guest Form | Whether guests must fill out the guest form (ON/OFF toggle button) |
| Actions | Sync and Delete buttons |
Sync Status Indicators
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Synced | The last sync completed successfully |
| Error | The last sync encountered an error; hover the badge to see the error message |
| Pending | This feed has not been synced yet |
Feature 3: Manual Sync
To sync a feed immediately, click the circular arrow (sync) button on the right side of a feed row. The icon spins while the sync is running. When complete, the Last Sync timestamp and Events count update.
Feature 4: Deleting a Feed
Click the Delete (X) button on a feed row. A confirmation modal appears — click Delete to confirm removal. After deletion:
- Automatic syncing stops for that feed.
- Reservations that were already imported are not deleted from the Reservations list or Calendar.
Feature 5: Guest Form ON/OFF
Each feed row has a Guest Form toggle button (showing ON or OFF). Clicking it immediately toggles the guest form requirement for that individual feed.
| State | Description |
|---|---|
| ON (green) | Guests must fill out the guest form (passport, name, address, etc.) during self check-in |
| OFF (grey) | Guests can skip the guest form and check in without filling it out |
The default is ON because accommodation providers are generally required by law to verify guest identity. Keep it ON unless you have a specific reason to disable it for a particular feed.
Feature 6: Copying Check-in URLs
Guest-facing check-in URLs are found in the Check-in tab of the Booking Management dashboard. Each iCal feed appears there as a URL card with a copy button.
The check-in URL format:
https://checkin.unlockos.io/{slug}?configId=...&mode=reservation-search
Share this URL with guests via your OTA Arrival Guide, email, or a QR code at your property.
Feature 7: Matching Mode
Each feed can operate in one of two matching modes. Switch modes using the toggle on each feed card.
| Mode | Label | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Guest verification | Screenshot | Guests check in by uploading a screenshot or forwarding their OTA confirmation email |
| Host managed | Code/Name | The host enters a confirmation code and guest name in the reservation detail; guests check in using that code or name |
When Host managed mode is active on mobile, an info banner reminds you to enter confirmation codes and guest names in reservation details.
Switching the mode takes effect immediately and updates the check-in URL (a
matchingMode=host_managedparameter is appended for Host managed mode).
Feature 8: Synced Reservations
When reservations have been imported, a Synced Reservations section appears below the feeds table. It shows:
| Column | Description |
|---|---|
| Guest | Guest name (blank if not available from the iCal feed) |
| Check-in | Check-in date |
| Check-out | Check-out date |
| Source | The OTA source (e.g. Airbnb) |
| Status | Current status of the reservation |
Feature 9: Email Forwarding
As an alternative to iCal URLs, you can forward OTA confirmation emails to your facility's dedicated forwarding address. UnlockOS will parse the email and import the reservation automatically.
- Find your forwarding address in the Email Forwarding section at the bottom of the tab.
- Click Copy to copy the address to your clipboard.
- Set up email forwarding in your email client, or add the address as a CC/BCC recipient when receiving OTA confirmation emails.
The address format is:
ical+{facility-id}@inbound.unlockos.com
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What OTA platforms are supported?
Any platform that provides a standard iCal (.ics) export URL is supported. This includes Airbnb, Booking.com, VRBO, and most other major OTAs.
Q: How often are feeds synced automatically?
Feeds are synced on a recurring schedule managed by UnlockOS. To sync immediately, click the sync button on any feed card.
Q: What happens to existing reservations if I delete a feed?
Existing reservations that were already imported remain in your Reservations list and Calendar. Only the feed registration is removed, so no new syncing will occur for that feed.
Q: Why is the Add Feed button disabled?
Both the iCal URL and a room selection are required. Make sure you have selected a room from the dropdown and pasted a valid URL.
Q: There are no rooms in the Room dropdown
Rooms must be created and set as active in the Facility Settings before they appear in this dropdown. Only rooms of service type "room" are shown.
Q: The sync status shows Error
Hover over the Error badge to see the specific error message. Common causes include:
- The iCal URL has expired or changed (copy a fresh URL from your OTA dashboard)
- The OTA temporarily blocked the request (try manual sync again after a few minutes)
- The URL is not a valid iCal feed
Q: A reservation from Airbnb is not appearing
- Click the sync button to trigger an immediate sync.
- Check that the feed status shows "Synced" after the sync completes.
- Confirm the reservation date falls within the visible date range in the Reservations tab.
- If the reservation was recently created on Airbnb, wait a few minutes and sync again.
Q: What is the difference between the two matching modes?
- Screenshot (Guest verification): Guests upload a screenshot of their OTA booking confirmation to prove their identity and receive the access key. No manual host action is required.
- Code/Name (Host managed): You enter a confirmation code and guest name in the reservation detail inside UnlockOS. Guests enter the code or name at the check-in screen to receive the access key. Use this mode when you prefer to control key issuance manually.