Practical guide
Syncing Airbnb, Booking.com and Vrbo: the guide
As soon as a property is listed on several platforms, the same question comes up: how do you avoid double bookings without spending your evenings copying calendars, prices and messages? This guide explains what a direct platform connection brings, how to prepare it, and how to keep on top of messages, prices and reviews day to day.
Updated
What is a channel manager?
A channel manager connects your listings on several platforms to a single tool. When a booking comes in on one, the same nights close on the others; when you change a price or a minimum stay, the change goes out everywhere. At Check Easy this is called platform sync: an add-on that connects your properties to Airbnb, Booking.com and Vrbo (Abritel in France).
The difference from a plain iCal calendar matters. iCal exchanges busy dates at regular intervals: it carries no prices, no stay lengths, no messages and no reviews. A direct connection to the platforms carries all of that, as it happens.
iCal or platform sync: which one?
| iCal sync | Platform sync | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Included in every plan | €5.50 excl. VAT per property per month (€3.50 on the Pro plan) |
| Bookings | Dates imported | Full bookings, Airbnb requests to accept or decline |
| Prices and stay lengths | No | Pushed to the platforms, rule-based dynamic pricing |
| Messages | No | Unified inbox, translation, AI reply suggestion |
| Reviews | No | Read and reply from Check Easy, AI-drafted reply |
| Inspections for every booking | Yes | Yes |
For one or two properties on a single platform, iCal is often enough. Once you adjust your prices, receive a lot of messages or list on two or three platforms, a direct connection saves you the back and forth between extranets.
Preparing the connection
You connect property by property, with a wizard. A few checks before you start avoid most hold-ups.
- One sync tool per account. If another tool is connected to your Airbnb or Vrbo account, disconnect it in the platform's settings before connecting Check Easy.
- Your logins at hand. Airbnb and Vrbo ask you to authorise Check Easy from your account. For Booking.com, note your property's ID (Property ID), shown at the top of the extranet; confirmation can take a few hours.
- Reference prices. Before turning on dynamic pricing, set a base price for each property, a floor price you do not want to go below and a ceiling price.
- A complete welcome book. The inbox quick replies and the AI concierge rely on your welcome book: wifi, access, parking, check-out instructions. The more precise it is, the better the answers. See the welcome book.
Replying fast without writing everything
With three platforms, the first gain is reading everything in one place. In Check Easy, Airbnb, Booking.com and Vrbo conversations land in a single inbox, with the stay alongside. Incoming messages are translated into French, the language of the app, and the AI suggests a reply that you review before sending.
For recurring questions, schedule messages: welcome after booking, a reminder the day before arrival, instructions on check-out day and, the day after, the link to the stay report. You are left with the real questions.
Let the AI reply on its own?
You can, on your terms. The AI concierge is off by default. Once on, it only sends when it is confident enough, stays silent during your quiet hours, hands over on your escalation keywords and stops after 5 automatic replies per conversation. Start by reading its suggestions for a few days before turning it on.
Setting prices with rules
Check Easy's dynamic pricing does not guess a price: it applies the rules you choose, starting from your base price, and always stays between your floor and your ceiling. You stay in control of what the guest pays.
- Seasons and weekends. The simplest to set and often the most useful: your peak months and your Friday and Saturday nights.
- Events. Trade show, festival, school holidays: enter the dates and the adjustment you want.
- Last minute. A discount a few days before a night that is still free, so you do not lose it.
- Orphan nights. One or two isolated nights between stays sell poorly at the normal price: a targeted discount helps fill them.
- Occupancy. The price follows how full the coming weeks are: down when they are empty, up as they fill.
- Long stays. A discount from 7 or 28 nights.
If you are not sure where to start, the AI suggests settings based on your property, your past bookings and your reviews. You adjust them before saving. Then add one rule at a time and check the effect on the Rates & Availability calendar before going further.
Replying to reviews
A reply to a review is mostly read by the guests who view the listing next. A few principles are enough:
- Reply to good reviews too, briefly, mentioning a specific detail of the stay.
- When facing criticism, thank the guest, explain what you fixed and stick to the facts. No public argument.
- Read the Airbnb private feedback: it often holds the most useful remark for upkeep.
In Check Easy, reviews from all three platforms are on one page, filtered by score and by replied or not. The AI drafts a reply that you edit, and the reply is sent from Check Easy. Inspection reports, with their time-stamped photos, help you reply on facts.
How much does platform sync cost?
The add-on comes on top of your Check Easy plan and is billed per connected property per month: €5.50 excl. VAT on the Essentiel and Illimité plans, €3.50 excl. VAT on the Pro plan, on request with Pro+. It includes the inbox, the AI concierge, reviews, dynamic pricing and the revenue dashboard. Direct bookings for connected properties do not pay the 5% commission. You turn it on and off from the Subscription tab; billing stops as soon as you turn it off. See pricing.