Running a Rental

A Complete Guide on How to Share an Airbnb Calendar with your Cleaner

UPDATED: 27/02/2024

How to share your Airbnb Calendar with your Cleaner

Ensuring your Airbnb property stays clean and receives positive reviews is crucial for a great guest experience. One key way to achieve efficiency in this is by sharing your Airbnb calendar with your cleaner. This simple step allows your cleaners to see the property’s booking schedule, helping them plan and organize cleans effectively. This coordination ensures that the property is consistently well-maintained and ready for new guests.

Sharing the calendar also provides cleaners with real-time visibility into the booking schedule. This helps them plan tasks efficiently, ensuring the property is always prepared for incoming guests. For instance, if a cleaner sees a busy week with multiple check-ins on the shared calendar, they can adjust their schedule to allocate enough time for each cleaning session. This proactive approach minimizes the risk of rushed or inadequate cleanings.

Additionally, calendar sharing makes scheduling smoother, reducing the chances of conflicts and overlapping appointments. A centralized calendar accessible to both hosts and cleaners minimizes the potential for miscommunication or missed cleanings. This streamlined process ensures that everyone involved is on the same page, promoting effective collaboration and a well-maintained Airbnb property.

 


 

OPTION 1 – Give your cleaner Co-Host access to your Airbnb properties

By creating a Co-Host you are effectively giving someone access to your Airbnb account and therefor your calendar. With Co-Hosts, you can delegate various hosting responsibilities such as the cleaning. Additionally, you have the ability to customize permissions for each Co-Host, granting them access only to specific aspects of your listing on Airbnb. It’s important to note that while Co-Host permissions dictate their access within the platform, it’s still essential to communicate your expectations clearly with them regarding their role in managing your property. Ultimately, as the listing owner, you bear the responsibility for your Co-Hosts, even those designated with full access, so it’s crucial to choose them thoughtfully.

How to make a person a co-host within the Airbnb platform:

1. Log In:
– Open the Airbnb website or mobile app and log in to your account.

2. Go to Your Listings:
– Click Listings and select the listing you want to edit.

3. Co-Host Option:
– Click Co-Hosts and Click Invite a Co-Host

4. Enter Co-Host’s Email:
– Input the email address associated with your co-host’s Airbnb account.

5. Customize Permissions:
– Airbnb allows you to customize the level of access for your co-host. (We recommend “Calendar access” : Your Co-Host can view but not edit the calendar)

6. Send Invitation:
– Once you’ve set the permissions, hit the “Send Invitation” button.

7. Co-Host Acceptance:
– Your co-host will receive an email invitation. They need to accept the invite to become your co-host.

8. Confirmation:
– Once accepted, you’ll receive a confirmation, and your co-host will have the agreed-upon access to help manage your Airbnb listing.

 

Simple to set up
Requires cleaner to login to your Airbnb account

 


 

OPTION 2 – Share your Airbnb iCal with your cleaner

Sharing an iCal link from Airbnb with your cleaner is a great way to provide your cleaner with access to your property’s booking calendar. iCal (short for iCalendar) is a widely used format for sharing calendar information. Airbnb and other platforms allow hosts to generate an iCal link for their listing and share it with their cleaners who use the link in their own preferred calendar.

Step 1 – Generate iCal link in Airbnb:

1. Log In:
– Open the Airbnb website or mobile app and log in to your account.

2. Go to Your Listings:
– Click Listings and select the listing you want to edit.

3. Go to the Calendar:
Look for the “Calendar” tab in the menu. Click on it to access your property’s calendar.

4. Find the “Availability” Settings:
Usually located near the top, locate and click on “Availability” settings.

5. Access “Connect Calendars”:
Search for the “Connect Calendars” option. Usually located at the bottom of  “Availability” and click “Connect to another website”

6. Copy the Link:
Airbnb will provide you with a URL in “Step 1”. Copy this iCal link.

Step 2 – Share the link with your cleaner:

To share the link with your cleaner, start by communicating with them to make sure they are comfortable using iCal. Share the copied iCal link through a communication channel that both of you use, like email or a messaging app.

Provide instructions (shown below)  if necessary on how to use the link. Guide your cleaner on adding the iCal link to their preferred calendar application, such as Google Calendar, Apple Calendar, or any other calendar software. Ensure they understand how to interpret the calendar entries, distinguishing between booked and available dates.

For regular updates, remind your cleaner to check the calendar consistently. This is especially important when there are new bookings or cancellations, ensuring they stay informed about any changes to the schedule.

For Mac
  1. Open your Calendar app on your Mac.
  2. In the menu, find “File” and select “New Calendar Subscription.”
  3. A pop-up will appear. Paste your iCal feed link into the “Calendar URL” field.
  4. Click “Subscribe” and fine-tune your preferences like the name of the calendar and how often you want updates.
  5. Hit “OK,” and your Mac will start syncing with the iCal feed.
For iPhone
  1. Open the “Settings” app on your iPhone.
  2. Scroll down and tap on “Mail.”
  3. Under “Accounts,” select “Add Account.”
  4. Choose “Other” and then “Add Subscribed Calendar.”
  5. Paste your iCal feed link in the “Server” field and hit “Next.”
  6. Customize the settings if you want, then tap “Save.”
For Google Calendar (on Web)
  1. Open Google Calendar on your computer.
  2. On the left, find “Other calendars” and click the “+” icon.
  3. Choose “From URL.”
  4. Paste your iCal feed link into the URL field and hit “Add Calendar.”
  5. Give it a moment to do its thing. Google Calendar will start dancing with the iCal feed.
For Android
  1. Open your calendar app on the Android device.
  2. Look for the option to add a new calendar or subscribe.
  3. Choose “Add Calendar” or “Subscribe,” depending on your app.
  4. Paste the iCal feed link into the provided field. (You can usually find this link on the platform where you manage your calendar.)
  5. Give it a sec to work its magic. Your Android calendar will sync up with the iCal feed, keeping everything up-to-date.
For Outlook.com
  1. Open your Outlook desktop application.
  2. Go to the “File” menu and select “Account Settings.”
  3. Under the “Email” tab, choose “Email Accounts.”
  4. In the Email tab, click “New” and select “Email Account.” Click “Next.”
  5. Choose “Manually configure server settings or additional server types” and click “Next.”
  6. Select “Internet Email” and hit “Next.”
  7. Fill in your user and server info. For “Account Type,” choose “iCloud.” Enter your iCal feed link in the “Incoming mail server” field.
  8. Click “Next” and then “Finish.”

 

Doesn’t require cleaner to login to your Airbnb account
Requires cleaner to have a good technical understanding of how iCal link’s work
Requires cleaner to have thier own digital calendar that supports iCal link’s

 


 

Option 3 – Share your Airbnb calendar with Changeover.app

The easiest and most complete option to share your Airbnb calendar with your cleaner is to share the iCal link you have generated in Airbnb and other platforms (Vrbo, Tripadvisor, Booking.com etc ) and add it to a 3rd party platform such as Changeover.app. Its for hosts to manage cleaners and changeovers efficiently. It offers features such as assigning tasks, tracking cleans & sending notifications which can greatly improve the coordination process between hosts and cleaners.

Its really easy to add and link it to the property of your choice within Changeover. Just follow the simple steps;

  1. Log in to your Changeover account
  2. Go to “Settings” and then “Manage Properties”
  3. In the dropdown choose the property you want to add the iCal link too.
  4. Select from the list of platforms (Airbnb, Vrbo, Booking.com, Trip Advisor) and then paste the iCal feed link into the provided field.
  5. Give it a sec to work its magic. Your Changeover calendar will sync up with the iCal feed, keeping everything up-to-date.

 

Really simple initial set up for both host and cleaner
Doesn’t require cleaner to have technical knowledge of iCal link’s
Doesn’t require cleaner to have their own compatible digital calendar
Not a free solution and requires small cost

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Changeover is a clever platform that shares your booking calendar with your cleaners & then fully automates the scheduling & management of changeovers. Sit back & relax as it tracks progress & sends notifications to ensure that everything is completed smoothly & on time.

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