For OTAs and partners with no API, Zitlin syncs availability by iCal — the universal calendar format. Connect a listing with two URLs, no approvals, no technical setup. For the 50+ OTAs that do have an API, the channel manager syncs rates and restrictions too, in real time.
Most OTAs worth selling on have a real API, and that is how Zitlin connects to them: the channel manager syncs availability, nightly rates, rate plans and stay restrictions across 50+ platforms in real time, and every reservation arrives as a complete folio with payment already recorded.
iCal covers what is left. Small regional aggregators, niche listing sites, an offline travel agent who books ten rooms a season, a co-owner who needs to see when a unit is free — none of them have an API, and all of them accept a calendar link. Zitlin gives you one per unit.
This page is about that second group. If you are choosing between the two, the answer is almost always the channel manager.
How iCal Sync Works
You connect a platform by exchanging calendar URLs between Zitlin and the OTA's calendar settings. Copy two URLs per listing — that is the entire setup. No API agreement, no approval process, no technical work.
Once connected, sync runs automatically in both directions:
- OTA → Zitlin: reservations from any connected platform appear in your Zitlin calendar automatically
- Zitlin → OTA: when a unit is booked through any channel or directly, those dates are marked unavailable on every connected calendar
Per Unit, Not Per Room Type
Each physical room or apartment has its own iCal URL. For operators with multiple units listed separately, this is the correct model — every listing gets its own URL and its own independent sync, so a three-apartment operator connects three calendars and each apartment's bookings only ever block that apartment.
There is no hard limit on the number of iCal connections per unit.
What iCal Carries — and What It Doesn't
iCal is an availability protocol. It carries booked dates, nothing else:
- Rates are not synced. Pricing is updated in each platform's extranet.
- Restrictions are not synced. Minimum stay and closed-to-arrival rules live on each platform.
- Sync is periodic, not instant. The 5–15 minute window means a simultaneous booking on two platforms is theoretically possible.
Those three limits are properties of the format, not of Zitlin, and they are precisely why the channel manager exists. Rate sync, restriction sync, real-time pushes, oversell alerts and folio-complete reservations are all things an API connection gives you and a calendar file cannot.
All Your OTA Bookings in One Calendar
Setting It Up
- In Zitlin, open the unit's calendar sync settings and copy its export URL.
- In the OTA (e.g. Airbnb → Calendar → Availability → Connect another calendar), paste Zitlin's URL and copy the platform's export URL back into Zitlin.
- Repeat per unit, per platform. The first sync imports existing bookings into Zitlin and pushes your existing Zitlin bookings out as blocked dates.
Which One Do You Need?
| Channel Manager | iCal Calendar Sync | |
|---|---|---|
| Availability sync | Real time, on the booking event | Every 5–15 min |
| Rate and rate-plan sync | Yes — 500 days ahead | No |
| Stay restrictions (min/max stay, CTA, CTD, stop-sell) | Yes | No |
| OTA coverage | 50+ by direct API | Anything that accepts a calendar link |
| MakeMyTrip, Goibibo, Traveloka, Agoda | Yes — full API | Limited / inconsistent |
| Bookings arrive as | Full folio with deposits recorded | Blocked dates and basic booking info |
| Double-booking risk | Near zero, with oversell alerts | Low — a 5–15 min window |
| Offline agents and partners | Not applicable | Yes — read-only availability links |
Use the channel manager for every OTA that has an API. That is the default, and for a hotel selling on 4+ OTAs or repricing regularly it is the only sensible answer.
Use iCal for long-tail platforms with no API, for offline travel agents, and for sharing read-only availability with a co-owner or building manager.
Trusted by properties in 17+ countries
 Oberthaler Park Hotel, Italy
|
 Environtech Education, Australia
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 Luna Vista, Maldives
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 Seafest Hotel, Malaysia
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 Sukha Retreats, India
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 College Castelli Saronno, Italy
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 Best View, South Africa
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 Muchaan Resort, India
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 Caucasus University, Georgia
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 Jack Paul Residency, India
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 Radhey Krishna Hotel, India
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 Chalet 173, Romania
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 Hotel Tuyo, Georgia
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Frequently Asked Questions
Should I use iCal sync or the channel manager? The channel manager, for any OTA that has an API — which is all 50+ of the major ones, including Airbnb, Booking.com, Expedia, Agoda, MakeMyTrip, Goibibo and Traveloka. It syncs rates, rate plans and stay restrictions as well as availability, in real time, and OTA bookings arrive as complete folios with payment recorded. iCal is for what is left: small aggregators, offline travel agents and partners with no API at all. Most properties run both.
Can a double booking still happen with iCal sync? Rarely, but yes — iCal is polled every 5–15 minutes, so two simultaneous bookings on different platforms are theoretically possible inside that window. The channel manager closes it: availability pushes on the booking event itself, and an overlap is flagged as an oversell with an email alert rather than silently dropped.
Does iCal sync work with MakeMyTrip and Traveloka? Their iCal support is limited and inconsistent, so don't use it. Both connect to Zitlin by direct API through the channel manager, with full rate and restriction sync.
How many OTAs can I connect by iCal? There is no hard limit on iCal connections per unit.
Does each unit need its own iCal URL? Yes, and that is the correct model. Each physical room or apartment has its own URL and its own independent sync, so a booking on one unit only ever blocks that unit.
What happens to existing bookings when I first connect? Existing confirmed bookings in Zitlin push to your OTA calendars as blocked dates on the first sync, and existing OTA bookings import into Zitlin on the first pull.
Can I share availability with an offline travel agent? Yes. Share a read-only iCal link for any unit or property. The agent subscribes in Google Calendar or Outlook and sees your live availability — no Zitlin login on their end, and no ability to change anything.
Can I use iCal and the channel manager at the same time? Yes, and most properties do. Major OTAs go through the channel manager for rate and restriction sync; long-tail channels and offline agents stay on iCal.
Does iCal sync work for hourly or day-use bookings? No. Hourly and day-use bookings are a Zitlin-only feature.
Airbnb, Booking.com, Vrbo, MakeMyTrip, Goibibo, Traveloka, Agoda, and all other OTA names are trademarks of their respective owners. Zitlin is not affiliated with any of the OTA platforms named on this page.
