For vacation rental hosts who rely on Microsoft Outlook for their daily scheduling, importing your Airbnb calendar creates a convenient unified view of your bookings and personal commitments. This comprehensive guide walks you through the process of syncing your Airbnb calendar with Microsoft Outlook.

Why Import Your Airbnb Calendar to Outlook?

• Business integration: View your Airbnb bookings alongside work meetings and appointments
• Unified scheduling: Manage personal, professional, and hosting calendars in one application
• Cross-platform access: Access your booking schedule through Outlook on desktop, web, and mobile
• Familiar interface: Use the calendar software you’re already comfortable with
• Organizational features: Leverage Outlook’s robust scheduling and categorization tools

How to Get Your Airbnb iCal Link

1. Log in to your Airbnb account on a computer browser
2. Navigate to the “Calendar” section in your hosting dashboard
3. Click on “Availability Settings” (gear icon) in the upper right corner
4. Scroll down to “Calendar Export” or “iCal Links”
5. Find your property listing and click “Export Calendar”
6. Copy the provided iCal URL (a link ending with .ics)

Importing Your Airbnb Calendar to Outlook Desktop (Windows)

1. Open Microsoft Outlook on your computer
2. Click on the Calendar icon in the navigation panel
3. Right-click on “My Calendars” (or “Calendar” in some versions) in the folder pane
4. Select Add Calendar > From Internet
5. Paste your Airbnb iCal URL in the dialog box
6. Click OK
7. Enter a name for the calendar (e.g., “Airbnb Beach House”)
8. Click OK again to complete the subscription

Importing to Outlook.com (Web Version)

1. Go to Outlook.com and sign in to your account
2. Click on the Calendar icon in the navigation panel
3. On the left side, click Add calendar
4. Select Subscribe from web
5. Paste your Airbnb iCal URL
6. Enter a name for the calendar (e.g., “Airbnb Mountain Cabin”)
7. Choose a color for the events
8. Click Import or Save

Importing to Outlook Mobile App

1. First, add the calendar to your Outlook.com account using the web instructions above
2. Open the Outlook app on your mobile device
3. Tap the Calendar icon
4. Tap the menu icon (three lines) or your profile picture
5. Tap the gear icon to access Settings
6. Under “Calendar”, ensure your Outlook account is selected
7. Your subscribed Airbnb calendar should now appear in your calendar list

Managing Your Airbnb Calendar in Outlook

• Outlook typically refreshes internet calendars every 24 hours
• The imported calendar will be view-only (changes must be made in Airbnb)
• To change the calendar color: right-click the calendar in the navigation pane, select “Color”, and choose your preferred color
• You can show/hide the calendar by checking/unchecking the box next to it in the calendar list
• To delete the subscription: right-click the calendar name and select “Delete Calendar”

Managing Multiple Airbnb Properties in Outlook

If you host multiple properties:

1. Repeat the import process for each property’s unique iCal link
2. Assign different colors to each property calendar
3. Use Outlook’s “Calendar Groups” feature to organize your Airbnb calendars together
4. Create custom views to display your desired combination of personal and Airbnb calendars

Troubleshooting Outlook Calendar Integration

• Calendar not updating: Check your internet connection and try manually updating the calendar
• Events missing: Verify you’ve copied the correct iCal URL from Airbnb
• Duplicate events: Ensure you haven’t subscribed to the same calendar multiple times
• Sync delays: Allow up to 24 hours for changes in Airbnb to appear in Outlook
• Display issues: Try toggling the calendar visibility off and on again

Beyond Outlook: Specialized Tools for Vacation Rental Hosts

While Outlook provides excellent general calendar functionality, professional hosts benefit from tools designed specifically for vacation rental management. TurnCal offers specialized features that go beyond what Outlook can provide:

• Multi-platform integration: Combine calendars from Airbnb, VRBO, Booking.com and more
• On-demand syncing: Refresh your calendar data immediately when you need the most current information
• Cleaning scheduling: Automatically schedule and track turnover cleanings between guest stays
• Team coordination: Share property-specific calendars with cleaning staff without giving access to your personal calendar
• Booking source identification: Easily see which platform each booking came from
• Free to use: No cost for basic functionality

Building Your Ideal Hosting Workflow

By connecting your Airbnb calendar to Outlook and TurnCal, you create a comprehensive management system:

• Business continuity: Maintain your professional scheduling in Outlook while adding vacation rental bookings
• Flexible access: Check your availability through familiar Microsoft tools or specialized TurnCal interfaces
• Team management: Share appropriate calendar information with your cleaning team without exposing your personal appointments
• Professional coordination: Generate cleanly formatted calendar views for different properties and team members

Optimize Your Hosting Operations

Importing your Airbnb calendar to Outlook is a valuable step for hosts who rely on Microsoft’s ecosystem, but TurnCal takes your vacation rental management to the next level with features designed specifically for property managers. With purpose-built tools for coordinating cleanings, tracking booking sources, and sharing professional calendars, TurnCal helps you streamline your hosting operations.

Try TurnCal today to experience how a dedicated turnover calendar can enhance your hosting business while maintaining integration with your Microsoft Outlook workflow.